Does F1 really sell cars?

[JohnnyFiama]

Does F1 really sell cars? I guess it must or the companies wouldn't throw hundreds of millions at it. I just can’t see it myself.

I’ve been a huge motorsport fan for over 25 years but F1 didn't even cross my mind when I came to buy a new car. Other factors such as cost, distance to local dealer, whether or not I like the car had a much bigger bearing. Likewise company cars / fleet cars are all decided on by cost to buy and cost to maintain.

If I had the money to buy a BMW, Mercedes or Jaguar I would read all the reviews and go for a test drive. I wouldn’t think "oh, Jaguar pulled out of F1 so I'll eliminate them and Raikkonen is beating Webber so I guess I'll have the Mercedes".

Touring cars and rallying might have some small effect if all other factors balanced out, but F1?? Am I missing something?

[Adam43]

As a general rule it doesn't sell cars to motorsport fans I would imagine for the reasons you state. However, as with all marketing, it sells to stupid people.

Touring cars sells less cars, because it is exposed to less people. Although maybe there is a higher percentage of sales to fans (?). Although you are a little daft as you don't really buy a car like it. A similar thing exists with Rally Cars, although if you want to spend you can get pretty close. We now have a niche market that the WRX and Evos have created. However they aren't trying to sell replicas of the rally car they are trying to sell the base model. So you'd be daft to buy based on SS performance. Take a Peugeot CC. Very nice on the rally stage although it doesn't have all that weight high up that you get in the road car.

It increases exposure though and prestige. It doesn't make much difference to me, but it is as good as a stylish ad on telly.

[JohnnyFiama]

I guess they must have done the sums but I wonder how many adverts you could place in the mass media compared to ammount of exposure an F1 car gets?

[sonic]

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

However, as with all marketing, it sells to stupid people.

!!!!!!!!

it also sells to people who work in marketing (and just occassionally they aren't stupid)

er, anyway, I think it does sell cars. Growing up in the 80s of honda mega domination made me love honda.

which was an otherwise pretty uninspiring faceless japanese brand churning out metal boxes.

My first decent car was a Mark II Honda CRX.

so based on that rigourous research the answer is yes it does work.

[Adam43]

I did mean to put a smilie in there, sorry!

sonic, you have a good point. It does change image and the example you give has certainly worked on me too (although I have never owned a Honda). Conversley it destroyed Jaguar's image for me. For it showed that Jaguar didn't know their own (good) image anymore. So that has stopped me buying a new Jag (that and the closure of Browns Lane and the production of the Jaguar Mondeo). However it hasn't turned me off, say, a Mk2.

To go back to the Honda thing. I think the image changed because their '80s efforts were not just for marketing reasons. It struck me that the wanted to go racing. They also used it as part of their development of their engineers. Those things made it more marketable. As with all good marketing you should market the good things about your company rather than create things for marketing.

[Oaksnaf]

IF advertising didn't work, then why advertise. IF ads dont work they why spend large amounts of $$ on ads. If sponsorship doesn't sell. Then why sponsor.

You dont think that these marketing guru's have done all their research to find out gains are made somewhere.
its not as if "oh we have heaps of money, lets run a F1 team" How much more exposure has Red Bull cans received. It now pops into the average person's mind before the 'V' energy drink does.

branding, packaging, image. Those 3 and you have a marketing scheme. And Formula 1 does a lot to a companies image, and it does a lot to people's instinct on what they buy.

[sonic]

yeah, I think for genuine fans they can appreciate a commitment to excellence, rather than a 'just slap the logo on and go' exercise.

[MorganFan]

I can never understand why brands such as BMW or Mercedes have sunk so much into F1. Both firms are seen as premium brands in the automotive marketplace, and would sell cars regardless of their success on the track. One might almost argue that they have more to loose by negative association if they fail in F1 (you could hardly say that BMWs tie-up with Williams has been a great success). Neither (I imagine) does F1 result in any great amount of publicity in the US, which is a major market for many of the F1 manufacturers.

It does seem to make more sense for the likes of Honda, Renault, and Toyota, who might otherwise just be viewed as manufacturers of "family" cars, to be involved with F1, as it brings an air of glamour to cars from the lower end of the market (in comparison to BMW and Merc).

For my money, the best examples of good publicity from involvement with motorsport in recent years have been Subaru (World Rally), and Audi (Le Mans/ALMS), both of which must have cost a fraction of what the likes of BMW sink into F1.

[Adam43]

Yes it cost a fraction and it may well be my choice, but is it better publicity. Take Audi at Le Mans - a fantastic record - but almost unnoticed by the man in the street. A crying shame. Also who did they beat? Not their fault, but...

[Ralf's Girl]

Originally Posted by sonic

er, anyway, I think it does sell cars. Growing up in the 80s of honda mega domination made me love honda.

Maybe that's it then - F1 success sells cars, rather than F1 itself.

The glamorous manufacturers will sell cars anyway, but as MorganFan says, it can have a positive impact on manufacturers that are otherwise seen as being very ordinary (Renault's success this season might, for example, lead car buyers to look at Renaults where before they wouldn't have bothered).

That said, I don't think my sister bought a Toyota because of their astounding F1 success. At the end of the day, anybody with any sense won't buy a rubbish car just because the manufacturer has an F1 team!

[WebberForWDC]

Well look at this way...

HONDA - The power of dreams. Crisp F1 image.

(Although we have associated ourselves with those nutters BAR, and sent Jordan to the scrap heap. Forunately the 1988-style Honda image still lingers in the memory of most people!)

versus

Volkswagen - Mumble some words in German

We make outdated looking cars with good build quality (00 model looked like more 92 IMHO, and 05 looks more like 98..., at least when the Mazda6 looks like a 90s car they are upfront about it, but to pass that Golf off as "modern euro trendy" is nonsense because it would of been panned as dated in 99, (see also the Sonata) before we got brainwashed by Audi that plain cars are so-called "trendy"... so what the proportions are good, the actually styling is incredibly dated) . VW with their "European #1 brand" and that look we race an SUV...

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by Oaksnaf

branding, packaging, image. Those 3 and you have a marketing scheme. And Formula 1 does a lot to a companies image, and it does a lot to people's instinct on what they buy.

thats really the heart of it. it offers people security (percieved rather than real) that that the tech they are buying is tested in the most sophisticated cars ever buiit and the brand they are buying represents the best money can buy. combined that with the global reach of f1 and you get generation after generation growing up believing in the inheirent supperiority of a brand name.

for example, if you asked me 15 years ago if i would buy a Le Car i would have laughed at you, now if you asked me i would still say no but i wouldn't laugh because its a renault. if they win a few championships in the next 15 years that Le Car with the renault name will take on a whole new dimension. thats the power of advertising.

[mixxer]

Win on Sunday, sell on Monday is a thing of the dim distant past.

2 examples, how many people would be turned off buying a Bee eeM WobbleU by their lack of performance this year....................................................none
How many atoyoT buyers made their decision to purchase based on the company's involvement in F1...............................................none

[Mackmot]

If Hyundai won in F1 wouldnt they suddenly feel quite cool.

[JohnnyFiama]

Originally Posted by Mackmot

If Hyundai won in F1 wouldnt they suddenly feel quite cool.

That seems to be crux of it. It's an ideal tool for companies with a poor image. Like you say, most people wouldn't consider a Hyundai but if they were in F1 then it would do their image a power of good, you wouldn't feel embarrassed driving one.

I still can't see what established manufacturers like BMW and Mercedes can gain by it. It doesn't look good if BMW are beaten by Renault and Toyota, they have nothing to gain and lots to lose.

[maximus]

If money was no option, I would be tempted to purchase a car that uses F1 technology (like the Mc merc) because of my interest in the sport.

[BuzzedHornet]

I bought my McLaren F1 based soley on the performance of F1 team...I wish!

[touringlegend]

I think sonic got it spot on. It may not have the effect of you walking into a showroom buying a Megane the day after Renault win the GP, but pyschologically it does install confidence in a brand for you IMO.

Even Toyota entering the sport started to make their cars appealing to me though they didn't do any favours for me when they dropped Allan McNish..

[mixxer]

Even Toyota entering the sport started to make their cars appealing to me

So are you saying that because atoyoT is in F1, a Corolla (for example) is more appealing now than when they had zero involvement in F1...........

Isnt the truth that the average buyer of Toyotas is just looking for a relatively cheap reliable transport.

[Adam43]

What is clear is that motorsport isn't (and never has been) the principle reason for people buying cars. It is foolish to expect it to be, people aren't as stupid as I made out in an earlier post. The majority of cars are sold independently of motorsport. A small handful are sold as a direct result of motorsport. However many are sold partly due to the change in image that being in motorsport derives.

In addition there are the other benefits:

Technological. Not so much directly nowadays, but perhaps skills and practices.

It also allows a lot of PR too. People can be wined and dined at GP. People who spend or provide. All of which can be used for the benefit to the manufacturer and indirectly the cars who are bought by the customers.

Does it sell cars. Directly, not really. Indirectly. Oh yes.

[Kicking-back]

Originally Posted by mixxer

Isnt the truth that the average buyer of Toyotas is just looking for a relatively cheap reliable transport.

Toyotas tend to cost more than their Ford/Vauxhall/Peugeot equivalents...

[mixxer]

Toyotas tend to cost more than their Ford/Vauxhall/Peugeot equivalents...

I wasnt aware "Ford/Vauxhall/Peugeot" had involvement in F1 at the moment.
Compared to Ferrari, BMW, Mercedes and even Honda and Renault they are much cheaper, at least they are over here.

[Kicking-back]

Renault are cheaper than Toyota here.

When I was looking at cars a few months ago, I found Honda and Toyota to be more expensive than other common brands.

But I suppose you get what you pay for.

[mixxer]

We are talking about common brands involved in F1 are we not...........

[Kicking-back]

Well, it's an interesting point to compare those in F1 and those not if we're looking at the question "does F1 really sell cars?"