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Remembering Roland Ratzenberger: 1960-1994
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted April 28, 2014 | In Formula1, MotoGP, Sport News, Sport Sponsorship, Sports Marketing
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted April 28, 2014 | In Formula1, MotoGP, Sport News, Sport Sponsorship, Sports Marketing
Remembering Roland Ratzenberger: 1960-1994
On the 30th of April 1994, 20 years ago today, the Formula One world was stunned into silence when the first driver to die behind the wheel of a car in 8 years. His name was Roland Ratzenberger.
Roland was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1960; although he often stated that he was born in 1962 so that he could have a longer racing career. After years of working his way up through the junior formulae and Touring Car championships, he fulfilled his dream of becoming a Formula One driver when he was signed on a 5 race deal with Simtek at the start of 1994.
Roland only started one of his three races in his F1 career, after failing to qualify for his first race at Brazil, managing 11th at the Pacific Grand Prix in Japan before F1’s darkest weekend at Imola.
Ratzenberger was attempting to take the final spot on the grid in qualifying when he broke his front wing. He stayed out to try and complete another lap, but as he headed into the Villeneuve Curva at just under 200mph, the wing failed and went underneath the car, sending the car into the outside wall at an impact speed of 195mph. Ratzenberger was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital in Bologna, with the cause of death being a basilar skull fracture.
Roland’s death was unfortunately overshadowed after the death of Ayrton Senna at the circuit the following day, but he shall never be forgotten.
Rest in Peace Roland Ratzenberger.
By Jordan Groves Formula 1 correspondent for RTR Sports Marketing Follow Jordan on twitter at www.twitter.com/jgroves1996
Emanuele Venturoli
A graduate in Public, Social and Political Communication from the University of Bologna, he has always been passionate about marketing, design and sport.
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Read MoreWhy choose RTR Sports Marketing
In an era where it is possible to get anywhere with a click, there is a strong temptation to approach teams and properties directly for sponsorship projects.
By doing so, we are convinced that we are shortening the value chain, saving time and money. However, these DYI methods are anything but risk-free and what initially appears to be a competitive advantage soon turns into a problem that is difficult to resolve. That’s why there are agencies. And this is why you should rely on us for your sponsorships.
Save time and money
When first approaching a motorsport sponsorship project, it is difficult to know immediately which stakeholders are correct, what the decision flow is, and what the right timelines are for each process. Motorsport is a very specialized field of action, and fitting effectively into its paths can take a lot of time and therefore money. We, on the other hand, know referents and spheres of action and know who to talk to, when and how. So you are also more effective.
The right information, the right choice
Motorsport is an immense passion, and for our heart colors we would be willing to do anything. But business is a different business, and it is important to make the best possible strategic decisions based on independent research, statistics and reliable data. A motorsport sponsorship agency like RTR has an objective, 360-degree picture of the scenario and can tell you what is really best for you: which racing series, which athlete, which team. This is because we possess a great deal of data and information on ratings, segmentation and attitudes. Because the numbers don’t lie. Never.
Activations are the beating heart
Activations are the real heart of motorsport sponsorship. Without them, there remains only a blank sticker on a motorcycle, car or uniform and no contact with the public, no emotional connection, no impact on the bottom line. Then how do you do it? It certainly won’t be the teams or the athletes who will help you leverage sponsorship and enjoy the many marketing rights you have paid for. To bring out the best in a motorsport marketing project, you need an agency that knows how to use sponsorship to engage the fanbase online, to reach out to Shopping Centers, to organize hospitality, to develop B2B and B2C opportunities, and to get “your” athletes in front of millions of potential consumers.
Objective measurements for a certain return
Would you ever go to the dealer who sold you the car and ask if the competitor’s car is better? No, of course. So, how do you expect to get firm measurements of the effectiveness of your sponsorship if you do not rely on someone super partes? At RTR, we have always worked with independent third-party agencies that allow us to know the return on any exposure of your brand on TV and in the media. In addition, we believe in calculating ROI as the ultimate measure of your success-so we can tell you for every penny you spend how much you are making.
Sit back, relax, we’ll take care of it
We have been involved in motorsport sponsorship and sports marketing for more than 15 years. We are consultants in the sense that our goal is to maximize your investment, but we are also an agency that manages the project from start to finish. We have been doing this since 1995 with passion and professionalism, following three principles that have become cornerstones of our business: independence, verticality and transparency.
I would like to highlight the fact that one of the qualities of RTR is its great ability to approach the sponsorship scenario strategically, together with its passionate attitude, its amazing enthusiasm for solving problems, and its high level of professionalism.
Gianluca Degliesposti
Executive Director Server&Storage EMEA
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