Energy Drinks - modern day Tobacco sponsors??

[RealRacingRoots]

I've read over the Saward and Pitpass articles on the idea of Coke sponsoring McLaren, and I have to say, the Pitpass one seems to be far more credible. I know, Pitpass doesn't have the greatest reputation, and I don't think much of Saward, but I'm trying not to let either of those colour my thoughts on the subject.

Pitpass describe Coca-Cola as doing some serious research on Formula 1 recently, and while we only have their word on that, Saward's entire argument is that Lucozade's presence on the McLarens makes it impossible for Coke to sponsor them. And I'd be inclined to agree with that, but several things spring to mind: firstly, that Lucozade isn't the only brand owned by GlaxoSmithKline. They own the likes of Macleans, Nicorette and NiQuitin. Lucozade is perhaps the GSK brand that fits sports sponsorship best, but I could see Nicorette appearing on the car. Secondly, Saward doesn't even explore the way contracts can be bought out. Will Buxton, on the other hand, reckons that the rumours are actually fairly serious, and while Lucozade's branding does make things difficult, he seems to think it could be done.

In short, it appears that Saward is attacking the Pitpass report because it was written by Pitpass, rather than based on the actual content of the story. I had to laugh during the telecast of the British Grand Prix when the Australian commentators referred to him as "the respected journalist, Joe Saward". Saward isn't respected - just read the comments section of his blog. He can't post a story without someone criticsing him for it, and he can't take those criticisms down without a repeat of the "Mallya lied" saga, when he deleted any comments that opposed him.

JSNSNBM. He is a bad influence, and a worse journalist.

[Captain Hammer]

Privately, I agree with him; Coke is unlikely to enter the sport. But I don't agree with his reasoning. Coke has already reached the point of brand saturation - they don't need any more exposure, because it won't do anything for them. The only reason why it might make sense is if they want to try and tap into Red Bull's marketing idea to pitch Relentless, but it appears that GlaxoSmithKline has had the same idea with Lucozade. It would probably be very, very expensive to buy them out of that.

[nome66]

the research was probably for them to put up billboards around the track at Texas in november.
....or does the fia allow signs up other than shell, petronas, vodafone, etc?

[Captain Hammer]

That's all done through FOM. And yes, other signage is allowed.

[nome66]

oh, ok. i know the FOM and FIA is real sensitive toward advertising and stuff so i wasn't sure.
how cool would it be to see "Full Throttle McLaren Mercedes" on the race roster? then see a jet black mp4/27b on the grid

[Salamander]

oh, ok. i know the FOM and FIA is real sensitive toward advertising and stuff so i wasn't sure.
how cool would it be to see "Full Throttle McLaren Mercedes" on the race roster? then see a jet black mp4/27b on the grid

I'm personally leaning toward Relentless McLaren Mercedes myself. But either would be a fantastic team name.

[razta]

So you've Relentless Mclaren Mercedes V Monster Mercedes AMG
COOOOL!

[AndreaModa]

That's all done through FOM. And yes, other signage is allowed.

I was under the impression that the trackside sponsors negotiated deals with FOM that covered the whole season, and would thus be allocated space at different events, and that the only exception to this is Monaco who negotiate their own deals (hence the wide variety of sponsors, their placement around the circuit - not 'zoned' like in the other races, etc).

So for 2012, the list would be something like:

DHL,
Shell,
Panasonic,
UBS, etc,
and then of course Pirelli as part of their contract.

[Captain Hammer]

That's the way it works. The sponsors with year-long deals get priority, but sometimes you will see the occasional sponsor - usually the title sponsor of a race - with signage around the circuit. Like Gulf Air sponsoring the Bahrain Grand Prix.

[David AGS]

Privately, I agree with him; Coke is unlikely to enter the sport. But I don't agree with his reasoning. Coke has already reached the point of brand saturation - they don't need any more exposure, because it won't do anything for them. The only reason why it might make sense is if they want to try and tap into Red Bull's marketing idea to pitch Relentless, but it appears that GlaxoSmithKline has had the same idea with Lucozade. It would probably be very, very expensive to buy them out of that.

Coca Cola has sort of been involved in F1. They were a personal sponsor of Tomas Enge!

But that lasted the length of the Czech short career.

I remember that there was a famous headline in F1 Racing. Prost signs a Czech at last!

[AndreaModa]

That's the way it works. The sponsors with year-long deals get priority, but sometimes you will see the occasional sponsor - usually the title sponsor of a race - with signage around the circuit. Like Gulf Air sponsoring the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Ah yes of course, I understand what you mean now!

[RonDenisDeletraz]

And that the only exception to this is Monaco who negotiate their own deals (hence the wide variety of sponsors, their placement around the circuit - not 'zoned' like in the other races, etc).

I always like seeing the seemingly random advertisement placement at Monaco.

[AndreaModa]

And that the only exception to this is Monaco who negotiate their own deals (hence the wide variety of sponsors, their placement around the circuit - not 'zoned' like in the other races, etc).

I always like seeing the seemingly random advertisement placement at Monaco.

I agree, I think it's brilliant, and it makes the whole spectacle far more interesting and visually appealing than just seeing each section of the track have it's own dedicated sponsor with the same logos everywhere. I can understand why it's changed at every other track, because the advertising is far more prominent when there's lots of the same logos together - they stand out more.

[RonDenisDeletraz]

And that the only exception to this is Monaco who negotiate their own deals (hence the wide variety of sponsors, their placement around the circuit - not 'zoned' like in the other races, etc).

I always like seeing the seemingly random advertisement placement at Monaco.

I agree, I think it's brilliant, and it makes the whole spectacle far more interesting and visually appealing than just seeing each section of the track have it's own dedicated sponsor with the same logos everywhere. I can understand why it's changed at every other track, because the advertising is far more prominent when there's lots of the same logos together - they stand out more.

Someone noticed it in another thread a while ago, it used to be a lot more common than it is now.

[DemocalypseNow]

I'm not so sure - I'm sure I've only ever seen Zepter logos at Monaco and Montreal I believe? I think in the past they were elsewhere, like I remember their branding at Monza in the 90s, but more recently I only remember seeing it at those two tracks. So I'm not 100% convinced.

P.S. I still think ROCKSTAR Renault still sounds like the best energy drinks based team name!

[RonDenisDeletraz]

This energy drink needs to sponsor a F1 team.



Or Vic Lee motorsport

[dinizintheoven]

This energy drink needs to sponsor a F1 team.
Or Vic Lee motorsport

I see your tinned Colombian nose candy and I raise you... something which wmetcalf98 should be kept away from for a few years yet.

[FullMetalJack]

This energy drink needs to sponsor a F1 team.
Or Vic Lee motorsport

I see your tinned Colombian nose candy and I raise you... something which wmetcalf98 should be kept away from for a few years yet.

Damn you dinizintheoven, you beat me to it!!!

Pussy Energy Drink would have been a brilliant sponsor for the Virgin team, before they became Marussia.

[RonDenisDeletraz]

This energy drink needs to sponsor a F1 team.
Or Vic Lee motorsport

I see your tinned Colombian nose candy and I raise you... something which wmetcalf98 should be kept away from for a few years yet.

Damn you dinizintheoven, you beat me to it!!!

Pussy Energy Drink would have been a brilliant sponsor for the Virgin team, before they became Marussia.

Best company name ever.

[Ataxia]

Thought I'd bump this due to a development in this area: http://en.espnf1.com/lotusf1/motorsport ... 95766.html

[razta]

Thought I'd bump this due to a development in this area: http://en.espnf1.com/lotusf1/motorsport ... 95766.html

Cheers mate -
so we have:
Mclaren-Lucozade
Mercedes-Monster
Lotus-Burn
Caterham-EQ8
Redbull - Obvious
STR- Again, very obvious

[FullMetalJack]

Thought I'd bump this due to a development in this area: http://en.espnf1.com/lotusf1/motorsport ... 95766.html

Coca-Cola sponsoring Lotus is perfect. I wonder how much influence Kimi Raikkonen had there.

[Nuppiz]

Thought I'd bump this due to a development in this area: http://en.espnf1.com/lotusf1/motorsport ... 95766.html

Coca-Cola sponsoring Lotus is perfect. I wonder how much influence Kimi Raikkonen had there.

I just read from the paper that Lotus is in large debt (€70 million) at the moment and Genii is unwilling to put any more money into the team, so this sponsorship must be some sort of a relief.

[Benetton]

This is really good news for Enstone! Saward says they have some more sponsorship announcements to make for next year to boot.

One question that springs to mind though is what will the team be called for next seasons? I have a feeling they do not want to roll with Lotus any longer than they have to!

Burn-Renault?

I think the team should just give up and finally just call themselves Enstone.

Enstone-Renault??

[pi314159]

I don't think Renault would like "Burn-Renault", but they should really consider Enstone. That doesn't sound bad.

[Wallio]

Damn how many energy drinks does Coke make? Or are Full Throttle/Rockstar/Relentless/Burn all the same? Regardless you get all the good drinks over there. Here in PA we only get

Amp
Red Bull
Monster
Rockstar
Full Throttle
Jolt
Cocaine
SumPoosie
5-Hour Energy
and 4-Locos

Hell we don't even sell Red Bull Cola anymore, which was really good.

[dr-baker]

Here in PA we only get... SumPoosie.

Oh dear. Oh, oh dear. Sorry. I just couldn't help it.

And Red Bull Cola is just about THE worst thing I have ever tasted.

[Wallio]

Here in PA we only get... SumPoosie.

Oh dear. Oh, oh dear. Sorry. I just couldn't help it.

And Red Bull Cola is just about THE worst thing I have ever tasted.

Ever see cans of SumPoosie Doc? Fairly R-Rated. Although they do lead to interesting situations. I was drinking at a bar with my race team, and our owner saw me making a "Wallio" (Red Bull, Jack Daniels, and 7-Up) with SumPoosie and asked me what it tasted like. Being a bit drunk, I quipped "You're 63-years old and don't know what p---y tastes like? No wonder you're divorced!" I'm amazed I kept my ride after that one!

RB Cola was an aquired taste I admit, but it was good, and all natural, and had less caffine than Diet Coca-Cola. To bad nobody sells it.....

[Ataxia]

Here in PA we only get... SumPoosie.

Oh dear. Oh, oh dear. Sorry. I just couldn't help it.

And Red Bull Cola is just about THE worst thing I have ever tasted.

Ever see cans of SumPoosie Doc? Fairly R-Rated. Although they do lead to interesting situations. I was drinking at a bar with my race team, and our owner saw me making a "Wallio" (Red Bull, Jack Daniels, and 7-Up) with SumPoosie and asked me what it tasted like. Being a bit drunk, I quipped "You're 63-years old and don't know what p---y tastes like? No wonder you're divorced!" I'm amazed I kept my ride after that one!

RB Cola was an aquired taste I admit, but it was good, and all natural, and had less caffine than Diet Coca-Cola. To bad nobody sells it.....

I liked RB Cola as well...everyone else seemed to hate it.

[Faustus]

And Red Bull Cola is just about THE worst thing I have ever tasted.

I agree 100%. It tastes like cheap nasty own-brand cola, but sold at a stupidly expensive price.

[FullMetalJack]

Red Bull Cola is just about THE worst thing I have ever tasted.

Agreed. It's bad, if I want to drink cola, i'll stick to Pepsi.

[nome66]

it's delicious... if you're a masochist

[Onxy Wrecked]

How about this;



Awesome team name imo.

Better than Onyx Moneytron!

[Ed24]

Seeing the mention of tobacco sponsors in the title, I remembered seeing this in Morocco the other day - I guess being used to visiting in countries with strict tobacco restrictions it's quite striking to see this sort of stuff!

[DanielPT]

Seeing the mention of tobacco sponsors in the title, I remembered seeing this in Morocco the other day - I guess being used to visiting in countries with strict tobacco restrictions it's quite striking to see this sort of stuff!

Being an F1 fan, did you felt like smoking until death after seeing that?

[Wallio]

Seeing the mention of tobacco sponsors in the title, I remembered seeing this in Morocco the other day - I guess being used to visiting in countries with strict tobacco restrictions it's quite striking to see this sort of stuff!

Being an F1 fan, did you felt like smoking until death after seeing that?

See the thing with ciggy adverts is this, cars saying Benson and Hedges, or Camel, et all doesn't get you to smoke. But the tents they used to have at races giving away cartons of cigs and whole logs of chew, that did. It was a little over the top. Go to a NASCAR race 15 years ago, and if you had nonsmoking friends willing to go into the Winston tent with you to help, you could easily end up with 6-8 CARTONS of smokes, for nothing. Hell, up until two years ago I could go to the NHRA races near me and get 4 whole logs (which I believe is 20 cans, not sure I never chewed, er sorry "dipped") of chew from the Skoal girls. This only ended when US Smokless pulled out of racing, it had nothing to do with laws. Any small wonder then that when my old man was an NHRA Crew Chief he chewed multiple cans per day? Allow them to sponsor the cars, but ban them giving away free shite. Simple.

As a smoker I will say this, ciggy adverts on cars do make you switch brands. Before I switched to cigars, I was a Camel/Marlboro man. However, once Jordan was running up front in '02 and '03 I decided to try B&H, which over here are quite rare. I liked them, despite the price, however over here they're olny smoked by grandmothers! So after some serious ribbing from my mates, I switched back, before jumping ship to cigars. So once your in, the cars can sway you, but I doubt they make you want to start. I had a simliar experience when Beck's sponsored Jag, never had a Beck's before that, so I wanted to try it. But I didn't go "Oh wow Beck's! Let's start binge drinking!"

[DanielPT]

Well, the basis for the anti-tobacco sponsorship laws in Europe was that people were brainless and upon seeing tobacco advertising they would immediately start smoking until getting cancer. Obviously this was the easier thing to do in order to shut up the growing winging nanny state wing in the European Commission. The other, harder and more time consuming one, was going to the real root of the problems (schools and people education). In consequence it hurt badly the teams financially. Which I bet it won't matter since "our kids can now stay safely at home living utterly shallow lives instead of going out and dying on those death traps under the evil influence of those racers, which, by the way, are very sexy and adventurous", which are quoted thoughts of some parliamentary idiot in Brussels back then...

End of rant.

[Ed24]

Yes I agree, I mean I have always found brands that sponsor F1 more attractive to other brands, but I have never been tempted to start smoking in the slightest.

And the old theory that other 'pure' companies were 'scared away by tobacco advertising and that we'd suddenly get this whole new range of sponsors in F1 has certainly been proved wrong.

[AndreaModa]

The fact you can't even walk into a shop in the UK any more and see fags on sale says it all really. All behind screens or in cabinets hidden away. I'm all for protecting minors from stuff like this but the legislation that is increasingly being championed by governments around the world is akin to segregation and persecution of people who choose to make a lifestyle choice. I don't smoke, I personally think it's a daft thing to do, but I also don't like how smokers are forced to be marginalised in mainstream society.

[dinizintheoven]

The fact you can't even walk into a shop in the UK any more and see fags on sale says it all really.

Not in the Spar shop just over the road from me, they're out and proud and still not tempting me in the slightest to part with my cash seeing as I haven't done so at any stage in the last 33-and-a-bit years. Though I won't shout it too loud in case it gets flooded by students who all want to buy their 10 Richmonds without looking like social outcasts, then complain that their student loan isn't enough to let them have more than cold beans for dinner...