Sponsorships in motorsport offer unmatched brand visibility, direct access to passionate fan bases, and association with high-performing, highly motivated athletes. However, many sponsors underutilize their relationship with drivers or teams, overlooking the potential for deeper engagement and greater returns. If you’re investing in a driver or team, here’s what they can reasonably do for you to maximise your investment—and, yes, you should feel empowered to ask for specific activations that can yield meaningful results.
1. Leverage Social Media Presence for Brand Engagement
What’s Reasonable: Expecting a sponsored driver or team to feature your brand in their social media posts is a fair and standard part of most sponsorship agreements. Drivers, especially in major motorsport leagues, often have a highly engaged following, providing an ideal opportunity to amplify your brand message.
How to Maximise It: Collaborate with your driver or team on a strategic social media plan that outlines content themes, such as behind-the-scenes looks, race day preparations, or personal brand stories. These posts could feature your logo, a hashtag campaign, or even a product shout-out in context. While the number of posts may vary, aim for a mix that includes race day mentions, off-track activities, and even interactive Q&As that allow fans to engage with both your brand and the driver.
2. Access to Personal Appearances and Hospitality Events
What’s Reasonable: Requesting your sponsored driver or team members to participate in select brand events—such as meet-and-greets, product launches, or VIP events—is often within the scope of a sponsorship. Their presence adds value, drawing fans and customers eager to connect with the motorsport stars they admire.
How to Maximise It: Plan appearances strategically around key events in the motorsport calendar or your own brand’s marketing milestones. Ensure their time is used effectively, whether it’s through speeches, autograph signings, or even product demonstrations. Additionally, hosting corporate hospitality events at races where your team competes can offer high-value client entertainment, providing guests with access to the driver and team, along with exclusive insights into the race environment.
3. Branded Content Creation for Cross-Promotion
What’s Reasonable: Branded content is an essential element of motorsport sponsorships, and many teams or drivers will be open to collaborating on photo or video shoots featuring your products. This content can extend far beyond social media, giving you material for digital advertising, website content, or even in-store displays.
How to Maximise It: To create authentic and compelling content, involve the driver or team in storyboarding. Aim for scenarios that feel natural to the athlete, whether it’s race preparation, training sessions, or travel to the circuit. This will allow for genuine endorsements that resonate with their audience while still achieving your brand’s marketing objectives.
4. Collaborative Brand Campaigns and Co-Marketing Initiatives
What’s Reasonable: Co-branded campaigns, where the driver or team actively participates, can drive awareness while giving your brand credibility among motorsport fans. This could range from limited-edition merchandise to social media challenges or even co-branded giveaways.
How to Maximise It: Create a campaign that reflects both your brand’s and the driver’s personalities, finding a common theme that resonates with your target audience. Cross-promote across platforms to reach a wider audience, and if possible, involve the driver in personalising the campaign, whether through video messages, custom merchandise, or signing limited-edition items.
5. PR and Media Opportunities
What’s Reasonable: Engaging a driver or team for PR-related activities is common, particularly in motorsport where media visibility is high. They may participate in interviews, feature in press releases, or provide quotes for your brand’s PR team to use in content.
How to Maximise It: Coordinate with the driver’s or team’s PR team to schedule interviews or create quotes that align with brand objectives. By syncing PR efforts, you can ensure consistent messaging that strengthens your association with the driver, leveraging both your and the team’s press contacts to reach a wider audience.
6. Product Placement and Brand Integration in Day-to-Day Activities
What’s Reasonable: Product placement—such as having drivers wear branded apparel or use your products in training or daily life—is an achievable ask, provided it’s authentic to their lifestyle. Depending on your industry, this can be highly effective for products like apparel, sports drinks, or performance tech.
How to Maximise It: The key here is authenticity. Choose placements that naturally fit into their lives, and focus on quality rather than quantity. When fans see your product as part of their favourite driver’s routine, it can lead to stronger brand associations and drive purchase intent.
7. Feedback and Collaboration on Product Development
What’s Reasonable: In some sponsorships, especially those involving gear or automotive brands, asking for feedback on products is not only reasonable but also valuable. Drivers and teams have insights that can help refine your product, enhance its performance, or make it more appealing to the motorsport market.
How to Maximise It: Integrate feedback sessions into your sponsorship schedule. Set up trials, listen to what the drivers and teams have to say, and use their input to create case studies or promotional materials that highlight the connection between their expertise and your brand’s product innovation.
How to Build Reasonable and Strategic Requests into Your Sponsorship
Having a driver or team engage in these ways starts with a well-structured sponsorship agreement that lays out specific activations, timelines, and performance expectations. Keep these points in mind to create a mutually beneficial partnership:
- Be Clear on Expectations from the Start: Discuss your goals and make sure they’re reflected in the contract. Having a specific number of posts, appearances, or branded content pieces outlined will prevent misunderstandings down the line.
- Respect Their Calendar and Racing Commitments: Motorsport is a physically demanding sport, with tight schedules and intense travel requirements. Flexibility around race weekends and off-season training is essential.
- Leverage Their Unique Personality and Style: Each driver brings something unique to their fan base. Work with them to create campaigns that feel authentic and genuine, building engagement rather than forcing brand messages.
- Monitor Engagement and ROI Metrics: Track each activation closely—social media reach, content views, brand mentions, and customer feedback—to understand which efforts yield the best results. This data will guide future activations and allow you to refine your sponsorship strategy.
Conclusion: A Win-Win Strategy for Sponsor and Team
A motorsport sponsorship is more than just a logo on a car or racing suit; it’s a partnership with the power to drive measurable results for your brand. By setting clear, achievable expectations and collaborating closely, you can create a highly engaged fan experience that benefits your business and builds a lasting connection with the motorsport community. Remember: drivers and teams are motivated to make their sponsors successful—they know it strengthens their own brand and increases the chances of continued support. Don’t hesitate to ask for creative ways to leverage your sponsorship; it’s a collaborative effort designed to drive value on both sides.