It seems that Unilever is starting to take Sponsorship seriously. And in the strangest place possible - Formula 1 racing. Traditionally consumer brands (unlike with Nascar) have steered clear of sponsoring F1 teams, believing it not to be an effective vehicle for communication.
However, as The Globe and Mail point out, while the sport is "notoriously expensive", its global reach is undeniable - particularly its appeal in developing markets like India, China and Asia. Further, the sport "eclipses all other sports in terms of television ratings, including World Cup soccer and the Olympic games".
Perhaps this was the motivaiton last week when brands Rexona deodorant and Clear shampoo sealed a significant deal with Lotus for the 2012 season. Both brands will have a pominent space not only on the overalls of drivers Raikkonen and Grosjean but on their cars too.
My take on what's behind it is that the recent emphasis on ROI has shown that sponsorship is a safer and more scalable bet than once off activations which struggle to gain reach and traction. This seems to be borne out in a recent post by Media Daily News which says that while sponsorship "lost steam" as a marketing tool in 2011, it still continued to outpace advertising growth. "This is fairly typical when marketers turn conservative during economic turmoil" wrote Joe Mandese.
Pablo Gazzera, global VP of Rexona said he felt the fit was excellent for his brand which stands for passion, ambition and excellence in performance.
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