215 replies to this topic

[Supertourer]

What marketing or advertising does F1 (FOM) actually do?

The individual promoters market the GP's for ticket sales and the TV companies advertise the coverage to gain more viewers, is F1 per say actually interested in promoting F1 (preferring other people to do it and pay for it) and if so to whom - corporates, manufacturers, current fans, new fans, potential advertisers or hospitality guests?

[chrisj]

I think it's silly to pay to watch cars covered in advertising, driving on a track surrounded by hoardings, with commercials that interrupt the action every 5 minutes (in the USA). Especially when the "entertainment" just isn't that great.

[BoschKurve]

I think it's silly to pay to watch cars covered in advertising, driving on a track surrounded by hoardings, with commercials that interrupt the action every 5 minutes (in the USA). Especially when the "entertainment" just isn't that great.

I think the covers being covered in advertising is the least of the issues.

What is more of an issue is the lack of relevant advertisers.

30 years ago you had a by far better chance to see teams sponsored by companies whose products the average person might actually use.

Now? I think Ferrari is the only team that has sponsors that I actually use, but it has nothing to do with them sponsoring Ferrari.

[Murl]

oetzi, obviously you have been living in Siberia for the past 20 years. I pay MotoGP because I want MotoGP and pay for it. I want F1 and I would pay for it (I would get better HD quality) but Bernine forces me to watch it on Speed TV, which means I need to get Premium Cable at $140 a month. I donlt watch TV. You really think I should pay $140 a month to watch F1? You must be insane. When Bernie provodes an F1 streaming in HQ quality on F1, I will be the first one to pay. As long as he forces me to subscribe to 140 channells I don;t need to watch his races, I chose the free Russians site. Get the difference, mate?

Couldn't agree more.

It is important to send the F1 money people the correct economic signal.

Their product is ****, their marketing model apallingly inefficent.

[oetzi]

Couldn't agree more.

It is important to send the F1 money people the correct economic signal.

Their product is ****, their marketing model apallingly inefficent.

Don't watch it then.

[JHSingo]

Don't watch it then.

I applaud your magnificent debating skills. That's the argument of a future world leader, right there.

[BoschKurve]

I applaud your magnificent debating skills. That's the argument of a future world leader, right there.

All kidding aside, the TV production values are worse than they were 15 years ago.

They try for too many glamour shots that don't actually add anything to the TV experience.

[johnmhinds]

While oetzi was a little crude with his answer he has a point.

If you really think it's so bad the only way you're going to get them to change how they produce the shows is to stop watching them.
As long as they see the viewing figures are still growing they're going to assume that most people like what they are doing.

If you're not willing to stop watching the shows you're complaining about then maybe you're being a bit hyperbolic with your criticisms.

[JHSingo]

As long as they see the viewing figures are still growing they're going to assume that most people like what they are doing.

Well they're not, are they? Not in this country any more, with the shared deal between BBC/Sky. That fiasco has bitten F1 on the arse somewhat, and it will probably be the same trend in other European countries that have gone to pay-to-view channels.

The other thing they should take note of was that the British Grand Prix (historically one of the best well attended races of the year) was not a sell out for the first time in something like nine years. Rising ticket prices and the Silverstone chaos of 2012 aside, that should also act as a wake up call.

But no, I confidently predict nothing will change, not while Bernie is in charge anyway. And on the basis he'll probably have a say in who his successor will be, and they'll probably do the same type of thing as Bernie, it'll be a case of same old same old. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss, and all that. Pity, because what they really need is someone who can bring this sport into this century at long last.

[kosmos]

is to stop watching them.

For that to work you will need a lot of people, a lot of people not turning on the TV to watch the races, and let's face it, the people that complain are "4 kids on the internet".

[johnmhinds]

Well they're not, are they? Not in this country any more, with the shared deal between BBC/Sky. That fiasco has bitten F1 on the arse somewhat, and it will probably be the same trend in other European countries that have gone to pay-to-view channels.

The other thing they should take note of was that the British Grand Prix (historically one of the best well attended races of the year) was not a sell out for the first time in something like nine years. Rising ticket prices and the Silverstone chaos of 2012 aside, that should also act as a wake up call.

Silverstone is on target to make record profits this year.

And as you said TV viewing isn't the only thing that affects ticket sales. 2012 was a fiasco, the ticket price rises were insane and they're both 're a bigger factor than any BBC/SKY deal.

The economy is in the crapper right now, Silverstone completely messed up 2012 and it hasn't affected them much at all this year.

Edited by johnmhinds, 24 July 2013 - 14:23.

[Talisman]

All kidding aside, the TV production values are worse than they were 15 years ago.

They try for too many glamour shots that don't actually add anything to the TV experience.

Really? TV production values would be FOM's strong point IMO.

They have invested heavily in digital and HD TV as they were introduced and were ahead of the curve when it came to digital pay-per-view broadcasting (so much so it failed). They have also got very good surround sound recording as well, although broadcasters may or may not be capable of using this depending on the country and their technical abilities. Also concurrent multi-camera broadcasts so the viewer can choose to watch feeds other than the main FOM feed.

Sure, many other premier sports provide similar but FOM is certainly on a par with or ahead of most.

But by production values I suspect you're referring to something else, what FOM choose to let their cameras linger on most. And there I disagree with you strongly because 15 years ago we were treated to long studies of Erja Hakkinen's icecold face staring at the monitors or the local hero traipsing around the course in his Minardi lap after lap whilst we missed a championship fight being decided at the front of the field because the local editor felt it was of little importance. Taking over editing control meant that an experienced and knowledgeable producer could keep footage aimed at where the important action is and that has been a substantial improvement over what we had 15 years ago.

[HoldenRT]

The sport is run by dinosaurs.

Edited by HoldenRT, 24 July 2013 - 16:18.

[Murl]

Don't watch it then.

That's exactly the answer.

The real end user (the sponsors) will be the ones to suffer when I don't see their mobile billboards.

[KnucklesAgain]

Formula 1 TV coverage primed to move into next generation.

[Tsarwash]

The product is hit and miss. If the product was **** then nobody would watch it. But nobody can say that this whole season, every race has been riveting.  

 

Regarding the fashion in which it is delivered, I think that it is inevitable that ultimately people shall be able to choose to buy the broadcast directly from FOM online. There are certain broadcasters that I will not deal with under any circumstances, and if F1 was exclusively on these, then I would have to use pirate feeds, of which there are many.

 

There are simple options that the consumer wants, such as the ability to listen to audio without commentators or focussing on a single particular driver/team which direct online feed would easily allow. It's a bit strange that FOM is taking so long to deliver this, considering the hi tech image of F1 and the amount of money that it must have. If FOM started this process five years ago, then it could have become a market leader in online broadcasting. It is certainly in a good position to do this. I think that if Bernie was ten years younger, this whole thing would have been set up by now, and FOM would be in a very envious position.