Digital Convergence: Formula 1's race 'is not just on the track but also in the digital arena' says McLaren Marketing's digital chief Rob Bloom
For Formula 1, “the race is not just on the track but also in the digital arena”, McLaren Marketing’s group online manager Rob Bloom said recently when discussing the impact that the advent of digital has had on motor racing.
Bloom, attending The Drum’s Digital Convergence conference, explained that prior to digital technology, McLaren had a ‘proximity challenge’ where there was a distance between the team and the fans that he described as “substantial”, but said that with digital the gap had been bridged.
“For F1 to evolve and for McLaren to build that brand equity we need to be doing as much as we can to try and connect the fans with the team and we can do that digitally – through Twitter and social media channels and other activations,” he said.
In the attached video, Bloom discusses the social reaction to former McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton forgetfully pulling into the McLaren stop during a race, despite him having moved to Mercedes, and also talks about the McLaren cartoon series Tooned, created to expand the brand’s audience appeal, and set to be translated into more languages globally.
He also described McLaren as a ‘mobile first’ company and said that in order for it to survive it must reach a new generation, alongside F1, of digital native fans.
At the same event, the National Trust's head of digital, Howard Scott, said that the organisation is set to develop its mobile platforms following a recent hike in online traffic being delivered through smartphones and tablets.
More information on The Drum’s Digital Convergence conference can be found on the event’s dedicated website.