DECEMBER 15, 2001

Harry Potter a threat to F1?

Formula 1 is not getting sponsorship from as many global brands at it should be getting, according to some of the top marketers in the sport.

FORMULA 1 is not getting sponsorship from as many global brands at it should be getting, according to some of the top marketers in the sport. Paolo Flammini, President of the World Superbike organization said that competition for the money from global companies such as Coca-Cola, McDonalds and Nike was not being picked up by Formula 1 and that rival schemes are being more successful. Flammini was speaking during the Motorsport Business Conference in Monte Carlo.

The Harry Potter character is to be used by Coca-Cola in a $100m sales promotion across the world. The intention of the campaign is to use the boy wizard to attract interest to Coca-Cola vending machines around the globe. It is a similar kind of deal to those belonging to Tide soap powders in NASCAR and other consumer products. They are already such huge brands that they do not need more exposure but want to find ways of using sports and the cinema to sell more cans of drink, primarily by attracting business to trade outlets around the world.

"Until now motorsport has not been sold in a professional way," Flammini said. "The next step is to learn how to explain that motorsport can create incredible results".

At the moment F1 marketers are fragmented and working against one another and there is no concerted marketing policy for the sport as a whole.