Motor racing sold Budweiser, Viagra, motor oil, Martini & Rossi, and probably every brand of gasoline and cigarettes. Today, as Formula 1 progresses in the United States, powered by the Netflix series Drive to Survivewe’ll see if it sells Aston Martins.
Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, who runs British car brand and F1 team Aston Martin, made his views clear at the opening of the Aston Martin dealership on Park Avenue in Manhattan on June 14 last: a film crew of Drive to Survive didn’t let go of a single step. The series, which has followed the various F1 teams since 2017, is also interested in his son, Lance Stroll, who is driving one of the cars of this team with astonishing results this year.
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Making Astons look as good as they look
The next step for his father is to ward off the marque’s notorious bad fortune and bring it out of Ferrari’s shadow to the wealthy.
Outside on Park Avenue, through one of New York’s largest bay windows, passers-by take cellphone photos of the alien-looking Valkyrie AMR Pro that dominates the luxurious showroom.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ASTON MARTIN
The Valkyrie AMR Pro in a showroom in New York
Designed by F1 legend Adrian Newey, this $4 million fantasy powered by a 1,000 horsepower engine is banned from public roads. The 40 copies built can only run on the circuit. This beastly machine is the antithesis of the elegant cars that forged the image of Aston Martin in the post-war period. However, it is with the Valkyrie and the F1 that Mr Stroll wants to attract young buyers who know nothing about Aston Martin, except, perhaps, that it is British, expensive or that it is the brand of favorite of James Bond.
Profiting from the rise of F1
in the USA
According to Mr. Stroll, the time is ripe. For decades, F1 in the United States was a fringe sport almost as obscure as cricket. But since the success on Netflix of the series Drive to SurviveF1’s ratings and popularity are skyrocketing.
PHOTO JOHANNA GERON, REUTERS ARCHIVES
The Aston Martin team surprises with its performance this year. Lance Stroll (above) is ninth in the standings, while teammate Fernando Alonso is third.
After having been home to the NASCAR circuit, the United States is hosting three Formula 1 races this year – unheard of in 40 years – including the next ones in Austin and Las Vegas.
The F1 effect for us is phenomenal, especially in the United States. It’s not the same company since we have a Formula 1 team.
Lawrence Stroll, CEO of Aston Martin
“Who wins on Sunday sells on Monday.” That saying has never been truer,” Mr. Stroll added, referring to a cliché that dates back to early NASCAR racing.
The F1 effect
The F1 effect allows Aston Martin to be optimistic about its finances and ambitious in the model launches it plans. In 2022, the company recorded an operating loss of 152 million, even though its revenues increased by 26%. But according to Mr. Stroll, Aston Martin is ahead of its target of selling more than 9,000 cars and making $2 billion a year, largely thanks to the success of the DBX SUV. Half of the 6,412 vehicles sold by Aston Martin in 2022 were DBXs.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ASTON MARTIN
Half of the 6,412 vehicles sold by Aston in 2022 were DBXs.
Aston Martin is 110 years old and its financial losses are as much a part of its history as its legendary 007 James Bond cars, including the DB5 driven by Sean Connery in the film Goldfinger from 1964 (a historic product placement, well ahead of its time).
Aston Martin management likes to quote market research from last January, which found that 96% of US customers said they were more likely to consider a purchase because of the F1 connection. This link “makes the cars more exciting to drive” and “improves the technological reputation of the brand”, say 98% of those who already have an Aston Martin.
A team from Aston Martin is responsible for “taking what [le constructeur] learned in racing and finding a way to apply it to the open road,” says Stroll.
PHOTO VICTOR LLORENTE, NEW YORK TIMES
A DB12 in the Aston Martin dealership in Manhattan, New York. Its lines evoke the DB5 driven by Sean Connery in the James Bond film Goldfinger from 1964.
Aston Martin can measure the effects of F1 in real time: according to Mr Stroll, during races around the world, traffic increases by 25% on the web tool on the Aston Martin site allowing consumers to configure models and to know the price.
Other measures of the F1 effect are more subjective, in particular on the improvement of the morale of the troops.
Last June, Lance Stroll drove his race car through the open areas of Aston Martin’s new headquarters, which cost $260 million to build just opposite the Silverstone circuit in England. Stroll spread slimy tire marks all over the waxed floors, much to the delight of the employees.
A golden opportunity
Ricky Ray Butler is CEO of BENlabs, a company that uses artificial intelligence in product placement in the entertainment industry. He helped General Motors promote its electric models in the movie Barbie (Barbie’s electrified 1956 Corvette; Ken’s Hummer EV; a 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS). According to Mr Butler, Formula 1 and Drive to Survive give Aston Martin a golden opportunity to broaden its audience and steal market share from the competition.
To be in F1 and in Drive to Survive is a good idea, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Only one viral moment is a flash in the pan. The key is to do it again and again to generate a constant impact.
Ricky Ray Butler, CEO of BENlabs, product placement company
According to research from BENlabs, F1 audiences are currently less interested in Aston Martin than other luxury brands, notably Mercedes-Benz, which until recently dominated the series for years.
PHOTO VICTOR LLORENTE, NEW YORK TIMES
Lawrence Stroll, CEO of Aston Martin
Since 41% of viewers avoid ads, integrating a product into content in a natural and unforced way attracts more audience attention and leads to better results, says Ricky Ray Butler. Lawrence Stroll does not always appreciate the somewhat artificial dramatic side of Drive to Survivebut nothing feels more natural than Aston Martin in real life, striving to survive and win in the ruthless jungle that is Formula 1.
As for the Stroll father and son tandem, their growing notoriety contributes to the power of the brand, which depends on their image and their place in popular culture. Aston Martin proves that Formula 1 can help sell cars.
“Here, we hang brake calipers on the walls rather than jackets or dresses, but the principle is the same”, explains Lawrence Stroll, revealing his professional past in fashion, notably as a shareholder of Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger .
“You show how you want to be perceived by the world. The watch on your wrist, the shoes on your feet, the car you drive. All of that is what you are. »
This article was published in the New York Times.
