F1 relationships are becoming part of the marketing strategy

I’ve been thinking about this for a while after reading comments on here and honestly the PR around drivers and WAGs has definitely increased lately, but from a marketing perspective it makes total sense.

F1 isn’t just about racing anymore, it’s also about lifestyle, culture, reach, engagement, etc. Teams are constantly trying to attract sponsors and the public image around the drivers matters a lot now.

And whether people like it or not, Kim Kardashian is basically a brand on her own. Her audience goes way beyond F1. So for brands, any connection to Ferrari right now probably feels even more attractive because of the extra attention and visibility.

I honestly think that’s part of why we’re seeing other drivers and their girlfriends becoming more visible too. More visibility = more engagement, more media attention, more opportunities for brands. It’s actually pretty simple when you look at it from a PR/advertising perspective.

We’ve already seen this in smaller ways too, like Carmen using Barrier products on people from the Mercedes team. It gives exposure to her brand but also benefits Mercedes because it creates extra content, engagement and crossover audiences. At the end of the day everyone involved gains visibility.