Tag: racing

United States – Automobile brand Honda has launched a new brand campaign called “Unstoppable Dreams”, led by a sixty-second spot that brings to life the Honda “Challenging Spirit” and the idea that resounding success is often the result of failures. 

This campaign spot follows the distinctive journeys of competitors with strong ties to Honda as they pursued their racing ambitions, including the late F1 racing legend Ayrton Senna and current FIA Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen.

The inspiring new Honda spot is brought to life by acclaimed director Rupert Sanders and utilises an engaging reverse poem format, so what begins as a disheartening story about failure and giving up reverses course to showcase how personal setbacks can serve as the greatest teacher and catalyst to achieve big dreams.

Moreover, the film’s message is done in a reverse poem format narrated by John Cena, the official voice of the Honda brand.

In this spot, the film features iconic Honda race machines including the 1992 Formula 1® winning McLaren Honda MP4/7A driven by Ayrton Senna and the FIA Formula 1® championship 2021 Red Bull Racing Honda RB16B driven by Max Verstappen, as well as exciting forthcoming products including the Honda hybrid-electric Prelude Concept and the Honda eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft).

‘Unstoppable Dreams’ will be featured across multiple media platforms, from broadcast television and streaming to contextual digital media partnerships, as well as social media to reach a wide variety of audiences. 

Phil Hruska, senior manager for automotive marketing at American Honda, said, “We want to inspire our customers and fans by celebrating those who embody the Honda Challenging Spirit including the almost mythic status of the late Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna and the three-time reigning FIA Formula 1® World Champion Max Verstappen. This new Honda campaign delivers a reassuring message of how determination and self-belief can lead to resounding triumph.”

Singapore – Ahead of the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix, which will happen on September 20 to 22–and the racing series’ only night race–new data from digital travel platform Agoda has documented which country has more fans attending the highly-anticipated race for F1 this year.

According to data, travelers from Indonesia took the checkered flag with the highest accommodation searches for race weekend, followed by the Philippines and Japan. Following on the grid are Malaysia (#4), Thailand (#5), South Korea (#6), Taiwan (#7), India (#8), Hong Kong (#9), and Australia (#10).

Agoda notes that the influx of international visitors for the night race demonstrates the sporting event’s widespread popularity. Mega events like the night race attract a varied audience, eager to immerse themselves in the experience and enjoy the surrounding festivities. 

Moreover, this pattern of travel interest showcases the enduring allure of major sporting events on a global scale.

Andrew Smith, senior vice president of supply at Agoda shared, “In the past year, we’ve seen a lot of people traveling for experiences, such as concerts, festivals, sports and other big events. The night race in Singapore is one of the key mega events in the region. It’s exciting to see such a wide array of travelers coming together to experience the thrill of the race and the vibrant atmosphere of Singapore.”

Singapore – Bridgestone Asia Pacific, India, China (BSAPIC), a group company of Bridgestone Corporation, and racing sim series Forza Motorsport are partnering to launch the first-ever “Bridgestone Rivals: Race to the Top” virtual gaming competition. 

Through this partnership, Bridgestone will be the first tyre manufacturer to partner with Forza Motorsport, one of the top simulation racing video games globally, in this latest instalment of the game, featuring participants racing the Lamborghini Huracán STO on the Hakone Grand Prix within the game.

From 20 June 2024 to 10 July, eligible racers can compete in the “Bridgestone Rivals: Race to the Top” event to unlock an exclusive in-game Bridgestone Racing Suit and set their fastest time to stand a chance to win attractive prizes worth up to USD$1,000. Within the game, racers will be taking on the virtual Hakone Grand Prix, a motorsports mecca built to host every level of racing with a spectacular view of Mount Fuji. 

Surrounded by the sublime beauty of the Japanese countryside on the shores of Lake Ashi, the circuit is a futuristic showcase for flat-out speed with long straights, wide turns, and a few heavy braking zones. The final winners will be announced based on the fastest lap time recorded at each participating location, spanning across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, and South Korea.

This partnership also aligns with the Bridgestone Group’s vision of continuing to provide the “excitement of driving” 10 or 20 years from now by contributing to the development of a safe, secure, and enjoyable car culture and motorsports culture through a wide range of sustainable motorsports activities such as e-sports, and by supporting mobility experiences that move people’s hearts. 

As part of Bridgestone E8 Commitment, the company aims to fulfil its corporate promise for “Emotion: Committed to inspiring excitement and spreading joy to the world of mobility.”

Lennard Kwek, director of brand marketing and communications at BSAPIC, said, “We are very excited to embark on this partnership with Forza Motorsport. It is an incredible opportunity to connect with a new generation of motorsports enthusiasts and create memorable experiences in motorsport among people of all ages and abilities. This partnership underscores our unwavering commitment to promoting a dynamic motorsports culture – and we are excited to finally bring this commitment to the virtual realm as well.”

Sydney, Australia – Australia’s National Drag Racing Championship(NDRC) has recently launched its latest media campaign aimed at engaging fans and building excitement ahead of its summer championship series, via Murmur-Group. It is the first campaign to market since Murmur was appointed to the business earlier this year.

Spread across OOH, radio, programmatic, YouTube, Meta and BVOD, the campaign reaches NDRC’s fan-base of car and bike enthusiasts for all 16 events, culminating in a thrilling grand final in June 2024.

Craig Sue, media planning director, Murmur-Group, said the agency’s remit was to build a high level of excitement to promote NDRC’s 2023/24 events and to deliver against previous attendance targets. This meant implementing a fully data-led strategy for the first time in collaboration with event organisers, venues and sponsors to seamlessly bring together media and creative.

“We kicked off our first successful NDRC campaign, under the new banner, with the Nitro Funny Cars Golden States campaign that went live in October and currently have the Top Fuel Sydney Xmas Showdown campaign live promoting the event on 2nd Dec. And of course, at the same time we are planning strategically to promote the Aeroflow Sportsman Championship. It is all systems go,” he added. 

“These adrenaline-pumping events are set to captivate motorsport enthusiasts and speed aficionados across the nation and Murmur’s team is pumped to bring high-octane adrenaline to the campaign,” concluded Sue. 

Meanwhile, Andy Lopez, co-promoter of the NDRC, commented, “From the fastest accelerating vehicles on the planet in Top Fuel and Nitro Funny Car all the way through to the future stars of the sport, the NDRC is charged with moving the sport one way: Forward. Murmur is the perfect partner to take this motor racing excitement to market and we are confident the fans will flock to the events in droves as a result of the campaign.”

The media campaign is live throughout the NDRC racing season.

Singapore – Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, latest research from YouGov Surveys reveals that more than one in three (36%) Singapore residents follow F1 motor racing.

Data from YouGov’s survey also states that the highest proportion of F1 followers in Singapore are from Gen X, and that men are also more likely to tune in to F1 than women, especially among Gen Z.

When asked about this year’s Singapore Grand Prix, about 32%  of F1 followers in Singapore said that they will be watching the race on-site. Notably, about 18% of attendees are attending the race in-person for the first time.

Talking about reasons for attending physically, 59% of this year’s attendees attribute the opportunity to meet up with friends to watch the race together with attending the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix in person, while on the other hand, 57% say that they just generally enjoy a trackside view of the race.

Furthermore, about half  of race goers also cite being a fan of one or more F1 drivers who will be competing in this year’s edition as one of the reasons they are getting tickets, while 39% will attend since they’re a fan of one or more artists who will be performing at this year’s entertainment lineup. 

On the other hand, 58% of Singaporean F1 followers say that they won’t be attending due to ticket prices being out of their budget this year. Notably, ticketing costs are by far the most common reason among past attendees who are not catching the race on site this year as well.

54% of fans also prefer catching the race via television broadcast, as do almost two-fifths among past attendees. The next most common reasons, following at a distance, are not being able to secure race tickets in time and not being interested in this year’s entertainment lineup.

Lastly, it is also worth mentioning that the survey also revealed Britain’s Lewis Hamilton as the driver with the largest fan base in Singapore, and when it comes to the performing artists, Robbie Williams is the most popular artist performing at this year’s Singapore Grand Prix. 

Singapore – Continuing in its quest towards expanding its gaming & e-sports offerings, media and digital marketing communications company dentsu in Singapore remains the lead agency of the virtual motorsport competition TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) GT Cup Asia, now on its second consecutive year.

In partnership with automotive brand Toyota Motor Asia-Pacific and e-sports company ONE Esports, the TGR GT Cup Asia 2021 is the first recurring annual e-motorsports tournament that dentsu is launching from Singapore connecting racing and esport fans and gamers across seven Asian markets through a virtual studio, and hosted through the Japanese racing simulation game Gran Turismo.

Through its agency role, dentsu Singapore will deliver the finals of the regional esports tournament taking place on 16 October 2021, which will see 21 racers connecting from India, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Furthermore, the virtual races will be made possible through a server in Tokyo, Japan, working in sync with a virtual broadcast studio in Malaysia. Fans can expect a racing experience just as in any professional motorsports competition. Hosted by race coach and commentator, Alex Yoong, the fan experience will be further enhanced by an exciting pre-show as well as detailed race analysis and commentaries.

Prema Techinamurthi, senior business director for creative group at dentsu Singapore, commented that they are proud to once again partner with Toyota and ONE Esports to achieve never-before experiences in this year’s regional tournament.

“Our team was single-mindedly focused on elevating a brand experience that thoughtfully integrates a virtual racing and viewing platform like no other with inclusive opportunities to engage with and celebrate local communities. We are grateful for the unwavering trust and partnership from Toyota and ONE Esports in bringing this to life,” Techinamurthi stated.

As part of the tournament proper, Asia’s first race car livery design activation led by dentsu has unveiled custom culture-diverse race car designs by renowned local artists from seven participating markets who have taken their own flavor and flair of their local culture based on fan suggestions.

Dentsu said that it remains steadfast in expanding its gaming and esports offering as a key growth pillar, with a portfolio that includes work with Moonton and other international gaming publishers. More recently, dentsu has launched ‘dentsu gaming’, an integrated solution which brings together the extensive gaming heritage and expertise of the dentsu Japan network, with the global scale and specialist capabilities within dentsu international.

Singapore – Media franchise MARVEL is hosting a virtual run for its MARVEL fans across the Southeast Asia region, in collaboration with social fitness and marketplace company LIV3LY.

The run is centered for fans to be inspired by MARVEL’s heroes such as Black Panther, Black Widow, Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Hulk, and embody inner potential through collaborative racing and teamwork.

Those who are interested to participate can choose to run solo or go in groups of 2-3, as long as participants will abide by their local government protocols on joining in group activities.

The race is available at distances of 5KM, 15KM and 25KM, and are categorized by individual, parent-child tandem, or team of 2-3 races.

All registrants are entitled to an exclusive MARVEL Virtual Run drawstring bag and a themed finisher tee, while those who will be able to successfully finish the 15KM and 25KM categories will receive a MARVEL Virtual Run trophy. Participants can also take part in MARVEL Virtual Run challenges to win other prizes.

The race is open for participants in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Brunei.