The 2021 MotoGP championship season is finally underway. We have witnessed two exciting races held between the shiny curves of the Qatar circuit, and we are looking forward to the two-wheel queen class landing in Europe for the first race in Portugal.
For those 45 minutes of competition, if it were not for the empty stands, we even managed to put behind us everything that has happened from last year to the present. The spectacle on the track, in fact, put a smile back on our faces, made us resent the throbbing curve after curve, the anxiety rising, overtake after overtake. Never have I seen so many drivers all so close until the last lap, in a continuous succession of position changes, accelerations, more or less aggressive hand-to-hand combat and the uncertainty of the winner until the last corner. A real spectacle. A completely unexpected podium finish, a rookie who almost took a chance on winning his first race on an unofficial bike proving that MotoGP offers fun races, not obvious, different from each other, with the possibility of seeing anyone on the podium.
A sport that is fun to watch and full of values to associate with
And this is certainly one of the first, if not the first, reason why MotoGP is certainly a perfect sports platform to invest in. The values that MotoGP represents can be married with many business realities: spectacle, passion, speed, action, technology, innovation, research, team spirit, attention to detail, energy, strength, determination, tenacity, courage, fun, adrenaline…and many more.
MotoGP reincarnates most of the values of team sports but also of individual sports; teams have two bikes for each rider but with two different work teams, there are no team orders, riders race for themselves but the team works and develops for both sides of the pit. Sponsors approaching MotoGP can thus benefit from the visibility of two motorcycles and at the same time also adapt communication content according to the characteristics of individual riders. In that sense the opportunities are enormous, one just has to have the creativity to take advantage of all that the platform offers and build content in line with one’s brand or company. There are really a lot of cues also depending on what happens on the track; the team you sponsor may or may not win, may fight for the podium or maybe have a bad race. So one can celebrate the victory as well as appreciate the effort, the tenacity, the determination to never give up, the will to try again, to get back up after a defeat. One does not have to tie oneself to a winning team in order to take advantage of sponsorship, the result on the track should be seen as almost “ancillary” because in fact there is plenty of content and value to be exploited regardless of the podium.
Global visibility, loyal audience following every race, and the digital/social media growing more and more
Another reason why a brand should invest in MotoGP is the visibility that this discipline offers globally and the audience for it. Over 200 countries receive live signals, over 432 homes are reached during the season, over 22,000 hours of broadcasting. MotoGP, moreover, is a “young” platform, and digital data increasingly confirm this. The overall digital profile is 62% aged 18-34 and 28% aged 34-54. The MotoGP website is available in 6 languages and together with the app provides the user with a range of unique and exclusive content; one can have access to highlights, press conferences, documentaries and unreleased content. Here is some really interesting data on this:
- 97 million sessions
- 26 million users
- 298 million page views
- 37 million video views
- 546 million minutes viewed
What about social media?
They are steadily growing and placing MotoGP in the top ranks in terms of feedback in the sports world:
- 2 billion impressions
- 3 billion video views
- 400 million direct contacts
- 5 billion minutes displayed
- 30 million global fans on social media platforms
Facebook also leads the way in MotoGP, with nearly 14 million likes, followed by Instagram with 10.6 million followers, YouTube with 4.05 million subscribers, 2.7 million followers on Twitter and 465K on TikTok.
Through LinkedIn, corporate and behind-the-scenes content that can be used by partners is also shared.
A loyal audience eager to return to cheer from the stands and with a particular propensity to buy
The 2020 season was, as we all know, affected by the global pandemic, and so for the first time we did not see the public in the stands and on the lawns cheering on their champions. But if we look at the data from previous years, we cannot but think that the audience present at the track is also a key piece when a brand invests in MotoGP.
In 2019, more than 2,860,000 spectators watched races at the circuits, a number that has been steadily growing over the years. More than 70 percent of track viewers are under 35 years old, 80 percent say they will return the following year, 65 percent have purchased a MotoGP-related product, and 78 percent would tend to purchase a product associated with MotoGP. At each race, the public can access the commercial area where they will find booths of MotoGP partners and many other companies selling or promoting their products. This, too, is a useful tool for any brand to approach its target audience in a context of fun and entertainment and at a time of strong propensity to buy.
These are numbers and information that need to be taken into account and carefully evaluated when you are setting up a marketing plan that includes sports sponsorship. The possibility of having a young, passionate audience that has such a particular propensity to buy is certainly a great plus for MotoGP.
Hospitality activities through the MotoGP VIP Village: a unique opportunity for guests to experience a weekend to remember
In years past, before closed-door events and social distancing, hospitality was always an extraordinary tool used by clients and partners who wanted to give their guests and employees aunique experience. Being able to watch practices and races from a terrace overlooking the start and then having a range of exclusive services available can be a effective way of doing business, fortify relationships with their clients, or simply let them experience a day of leisure and fun that they will remember forever.
So it is not hard to see why MotoGP is a sport involving some of the world’s most important companies in various commodity sectors-from telephone companies, to technology companies, to television networks, to energy drinks. Many companies have seen and increasingly glimpse the countless opportunities that the sport offers.
When companies contact us asking what motorcycle to invest in, or more generally what sport to do it in, this is what RTR SPORTS MRKETING LTD, as sports marketing agency, can offer: an assessment of the market based on the numbers, values and opportunities that each individual discipline or league offers. Not a gut choice, influenced by the fan in us, but a strategic approach aimed at achieving the goals each brand sets for itself.
