Heineken expands sports sponsorship with F1 partnership
Heineken has added another string to its sports sponsorship bow and inked a deal with Formula One, that will see the brewer become the F1 Event Title Partner of three Formula 1 Grands Prix.
Following on from news exclusively revealed by the Drum Heineken has confirmed that from the 2017 season onwards Heineken will be the exclusive Global Beer Partner of Formula 1 and will also have 'substantial' pouring, activation and access rights across the majority of F1 events in the FIA Formula One World Championship.
The brand will use the partnership to push its 'Open Your World' positioning, as well as a platform to promote its responsibility messaging, 'If You Drive, Never Drink'.
Activations will include F1 circuit branding, TV commercials, digital activations, live fan experiences and events, PR initiatives, and packaging/point-of-sale activations.
David Coulthard and Sir Jackie Stewart will be ambassadors for the respective campaigns.
Gianluca Di Tondo, senior director global Heineken brand said: “Formula One is bigger than a race. It is a global event. F1 represents a unique opportunity for Heineken to engage with existing and potential consumers in important growth markets. F1 delivers in three specific areas; strong commercial opportunities; expansion of our responsible drinking platform in new and innovative ways; and enabling skill transfers between F1 and our employees.”
The deal will also give Heineken the opportunity to reach F1’s "huge" spectator numbers and 400 million unique television viewers every year.
Heineken will not be visible on any F1 cars.