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GP.com wrote:Ferrari sponsor cancels 'Wrooom' eventFerrari's annual pre-season event on the slopes of Italian ski resort Madonna di Campiglio will take place no more.
Corriere dello Sport newspaper reports that the main sponsor of F1 and MotoGP teams Ferrari and Ducati, Philip Morris, has cancelled the 2014 edition of 'Wrooom' for financial reasons.
The newspaper said the media event has been running every January for 23 years.
"The costs of the event are no longer sustainable," said Philip Morris vice president Maurizio Arrivabene.
Which raises the question if the $100m annual sponsorship to Ferrari by the cigarette maker is also unsustainable.
Formula One's fundamental ethos is about success coming to those with the most ingenious engineering and best ..............................organization, not to those with the biggest budget. (Dave Richards)
I fail to see the reason for a cigarette company to pump money into Ferrari anyway, considering the amount of exposire it gets. That being almost none.
"...and there, very much in flames, is Jacques Laffite's Ligier. That's obviously a turbo blaze, and of course, Laffite will be able to see that conflagration in his mirrors... he is coolly parking the car somewhere safe."Murray Walker, San Marino 1985
stefan_ wrote:I fail to see the reason for a cigarette company to pump money into Ferrari anyway, considering the amount of exposire it gets. That being almost none.
I suspect its got something to do with sergio marchionne being on the board of directors of philip morris.
stefan_ wrote:I fail to see the reason for a cigarette company to pump money into Ferrari anyway, considering the amount of exposire it gets. That being almost none.
You'd think that. But a lot of their exposure comes from subliminal messaging. For example the triangular Scuderia Ferrari logo resembles the Marlboro logo by a large amount. Plus this and the long standing relationship between them and Ferrari relates Ferrari and it's F1 team towards Marlboro.
So while the actual logo isnt on the car anymore they gain a lot by this subliminal messaging.
And Mr. Marchionne on the board of directors adds another reason too.
wesley123 wrote:... a lot of their exposure comes from subliminal messaging. For example the triangular Scuderia Ferrari logo resembles the Marlboro logo by a large amount. Plus this and the long standing relationship between them and Ferrari relates Ferrari and it's F1 team towards Marlboro. ..
But there is the time factor to consider. The efficiency of the subliminal messaging will fade with the time we are away from the logos last been shown. New fans come into F1 all the time and most TV viewers are casual consumers that do not form a long relationship with F1.
Formula One's fundamental ethos is about success coming to those with the most ingenious engineering and best ..............................organization, not to those with the biggest budget. (Dave Richards)
If the subliminal thing is their true intent, it doesn't work. I had no clue there was a connection there for the first 3 years I watched the sport...and I was smoking Marlboros at the time. I am currently trying to quit and therefor any mention or image of cigarettes instantly makes me want one more than life itself, and watching Ferrari does not trigger this response at all. If it's not reaching someone who is specifically craving their product, then it isn't going to reach someone less familiar.
That's my point. If it was working I would watch the race and think "Damn, I want a cigarette." But I don't, because it isn't working. Granted I am on person in the millions of viewers. Sample size too small for accurate data
There's also the fact that from a corporate point of view F1 exposure gives them a lot of leverage when doing business. F1 is a global brand and being able to tell that you're sponsoring an f1 team solidifies your position in the corporate world. It allows them to get reduced interest when borrowing from equity firms etc. Theres also a sense of recognition/trustworthiness that comes with sponsoring a team. Take for example weichai powers, they're currently a ferrari sponsor and that certainly does give them some trustworthiness especially considering that china is known for counterfeited goods, I guess thats a big deal if they want to expand to other markets.
stefan_ wrote:I fail to see the reason for a cigarette company to pump money into Ferrari anyway, considering the amount of exposire it gets. That being almost none.
You'd think that. But a lot of their exposure comes from subliminal messaging. For example the triangular Scuderia Ferrari logo resembles the Marlboro logo by a large amount. Plus this and the long standing relationship between them and Ferrari relates Ferrari and it's F1 team towards Marlboro.
So while the actual logo isnt on the car anymore they gain a lot by this subliminal messaging.
And Mr. Marchionne on the board of directors adds another reason too.
Subliminal messages work for a period of time and for people that know what's all about. The black bars worked, the barcode worked, but now, in the long run I doubt that the very subliminal Ferrari messages are perceieved as advertising for Marlboro. I think the political connection matters more for pumping money in Ferrari than the exposure/advertising one, but with the clamps that the EU are putting to the tobacco industry nowdays I believe they had to think twice before putting money somewhere they don't get anyting in exchange.
"...and there, very much in flames, is Jacques Laffite's Ligier. That's obviously a turbo blaze, and of course, Laffite will be able to see that conflagration in his mirrors... he is coolly parking the car somewhere safe."Murray Walker, San Marino 1985
Rumor has it, that the EU is now looking at a total ban on sports events, teams and stars taking money from a tobacco company, as well as making it illegal for EU broadcasters to show sports that advertise tobacco even if the sport is taking place outside the EU. And rumour has it that Ferrari has been referred to the EU over their branding on their engine cover again. The European Commission wants the prancing horse on the yellow background icon, or force Ferrari to carry one third of their car with a Smoking Kills warning will be enforced, or the EU will stop Ferrari racing, and no matter what F1 bosses say, the EU will close down Ferrari, and if not Ferrari they will stop F1 racing one weekend.
Its a sad reflection on life now, however it is needed these days when tobacco is being hidden behind shuttered doors in shops now. Subliminal messages will be the next area that will be stopped.
Sadly, Ferrari will have to move again, and it wont be easy for them.
ESPImperium wrote: And rumour has it that Ferrari has been referred to the EU over their branding on their engine cover again. The European Commission wants the prancing horse on the yellow background icon, or force Ferrari to carry one third of their car with a Smoking Kills warning will be enforced, or the EU will stop Ferrari racing....
Can you resent the other teams that are clean of tobacco sponsoring that they try to level the playing field? $100m every year just by carrying sponsorship that has been outlawed in principle long ago is a considerable advantage in this day and age where sponsorship from other sources has dried up considerably. It also does not help that the commercial boss of F1 is indicted of bribery in the EU. So I can understand the other team principals when they try to stop Ferrari's little games there.
Formula One's fundamental ethos is about success coming to those with the most ingenious engineering and best ..............................organization, not to those with the biggest budget. (Dave Richards)
Red Bull is banned in a few countries due to the synthetically engineered amino acid "taurine" as its a known stimulant that can lead to heart palpitations / failure as well as erratic behavior in teens / people with ADD / ADHD so really whats next?
If you ban everything sooner or later sports could be faced with a handful of sponsor groups which may include:
Holistic medicine companies, general medicines, government organisations, computer companies, personal health / care products?
If someone said to me that you can have three wishes, my first would have been to get into racing, my second to be in Formula 1, my third to drive for Ferrari.
