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The Mirco Lazzari Collection: Auteur sports photography goes NFT
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted July 14, 2021 | In Marketing Sportivo
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted July 14, 2021 | In Marketing Sportivo
The Mirco Lazzari Collection: Auteur sports photography goes NFT
Mirco Lazzari, Stargraph and RTR Sports Marketing launch the first Non Fungible Token dedicated to motorsport photography: art, sports and technology open wide the door to the future.
They are called NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, and they are the answer to a question that has become central in recent years: how do we seal, authenticate, and exchange digital content securely, quickly, and in a shared manner?
Made possible by blockchain, “nifties“-that’s what they’ve also been dubbed-are cryptographic tokens that enable the purchase and unique identification of any type of media, from an image to a song, from a work of art to a video.
Non-fungible tokens are used to create verifiable digital scarcity, unique digital objects such as crypt art, collectibles in digital format, exchangeable and saleable in the digital art market.
They are the new frontier of copyright collecting because of their ability to provide evidence of authenticity and ownership of the digital work.
This intangible but very powerful technological tool, which today is experiencing an extraordinary expansion, now meets the excellence of art sports photography thanks to “The Mirco Lazzari Collection,” the project that unites Mirco Lazzari, Stargraph and RTR Sports Marketing.
As of July 15, 2021, in fact, the following will be available on the Stargraph the first NFTs that the celebrated photographer from Imola wanted to publish in this innovative and compelling format.
Some particular shots will thus become collections, with a limited run of a few, and will collect the best of the motorsport world, from the MotoGP to Formula 1, passing through rally and World Superbike and much more going to compose an unprecedented collection, very precious and able to combine the emotion of art to the extraordinary passion of sport, to the new powerful technologies available today.
This is the first time in our country that photography, sports and the digital world have come together in this way: Mirco Lazzari ‘s NFTs are not simply a glimpse into the future, but rather a concrete tool with which to cement, today, a form of expression and communication that has never been so important.
Since 1989, Mirco Lazzari has been enchanting and telling the world of the slopes through his lens. His is a gaze that is always fresh, different, aiming at a narrative that is more poetry than simple storytelling. His unmistakable style earns him several international awards and recognitions in the top two- and four-wheel series as well as the role of ambassador in the sports sector for Nikon.
They are RTR Sports Marketing and its founder Riccardo Tafà to imagine the union of Lazzari’s spectacular images with the idea of Non Fungible Token: an arc that can only be closed with a partner of great experience and creativity in the world of web and digital marketing.
“We were immediately happy to be part of this project,” -reports Michele Imbimbo, co founder of Stargraph. A project that is able to combine the international ambitions of our company and the best of sports photography, creating a unique product in Italy, which is at the top of tech, sports and art.”
Mirco Lazzari echoes him, “We believe that any digital product has value only if it is filled with meaning that is first and foremost emotional and cultural. Biennial (and nonbiennial) NFTs allow us for the first time in our digital history to crystallize a moment, to make tangible what was previously intangible. But at the base we need content, something that can move feelings and encapsulate a gesture, a special moment.”
The first NFTs of “The Mirco Lazzari Collection” are available in limited edition from Thursday, July 15 at https://nft.stargraph.it/.
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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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
Eurosport is truly delighted with its business relationship with Riccardo Tafà, who has become extremely popular, thanks to his detailed knowledge of the sports marketing sector and his highly diligent attitude to work.
Francois Ribeiro
Commercial Director
Passion and Expertise are the features that I have found in RTR since the very beginning. Serious and reliable professionals but also very helpful, nice and open-mind people, willing to listen and compare different ideas. All the values in which RTR believes make this agency a partner, not just a supplier, a partner with whom we have had the opportunity to achieve significant commercial results in term of success and image.
Luca Pacitto
Head of Communication
We have been working with RTR Sports Marketing for over 10 years. The objectives and the programmes of collaboration continue to be renewed and to grow with mutual satisfaction. I believe RTR is a team of great professionals led by Riccardo Tafà, who I consider a manager of exceptional skills and with a great passion for his work.
Lucio Cecchinello
Team Principal
I have known and worked with Riccardo Tafà since 1995 when we collaborated for the first time on a project for the Williams Formula 1 team. Several clients followed. After leaving Williams to work for Gerhard Berger then owner of the Toro Rosso F1 Team, I turned again to Riccardo to seek his help in finding a tool supplier for the team and Riccardo duly obliged with an introduction to USAG, a partnership with Toro Rosso which endured for five years. I recently started a new role as Group Commercial Director for the renowned Andretti Autosport organisation and I find myself working with Riccardo once again on a number of interesting projects. Why has this relationship with Riccardo endured ? He’s smart, knows the commercial side of sport inside out and back to front and he’s honest and trustworthy. Riccardo Tafà is a “doer” not a “talker”: in over 20 years I have never had a dispute either with him or with a company that he has introduced and each partnership introduced by Riccardo has delivered quantifiable ROI to rights holder and sponsor alike. I can think of no better testimonial of Riccardo’s diligence, knowledge, contact base and hard work than that.
Jim Wright
Group Commercial Director
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