Infiniti's Sponsorship of Red Bull starting to pay dividends

Last year we reported on how Nissan sub-brand Infiniti had begun sponsoring Formula 1 Champion Team Red Bull racing.  At the time I was circumspect that this was the right call but speculated that the move was designed to drive awareness of the marque.  A year later, the manufacturer is reporting a dramatic increase in brand awareness.   Of  course, the choice of property was a pretty shrewd one: this week, the team won the constructor’s championship for the second year running, and driver Sebastian Vettel won the driver’s championship for the third consecutive year.

Not only this, Nissan marketers have been doing a lot of work to activate the sponsorship.  Initiatives include:

• Inviting stakeholders to races and giving them behind the scenes access to the garages and pit lane.

• It has used the drivers to meet people – for example, in Manhattan, the 2011 F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel took a group of journalists for a ride around the proposed New Jersey track. 

• Infiniti also recently named a car after Vettel  - the FX50 Vettel edition – which he drove at the Goodwood festival of speed. 

For an interview with Nissan's CVP global marcoms Simon Sproule, click here