Trackside Talk: Life As A Marketing Director (ft Silvia Schweiger)

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Formula 1 fans on the Internet were up in arms when AlphaTauri was rebranded from their old name, Scuderia Toro Rosso, which has been iconic with the Faenza-based team, which had the iconic name since they made their racing debut in 2006.

But Formula One (F1) is undoubtedly an expensive sport.?

For instance, under the current Concorde Agreement, it costs US$7,450,000 for Oracle Red Bull Racing to compete in the 2024 F1 World Championship. The total fee for all ten teams to race this season adds up to a whopping US$23,857,000.

That's why sponsors are considered to be the lifeline of many teams, especially if you're a team with a relatively tight budget like Haas.?

One person who has spent most of her career with motorsports sponsorship is Silvia Schweiger, Associate Director, Executive Marketing and Commercial at RTR Sports Marketing LTD — an award-winning sports marketing and sponsorship agency that provides sports marketing consultancy to brands and companies who desire to engage in motorsports sponsorship. RTR covers a wide range of series, including F1.

In this edition, we speak with Silvia to learn more about her interest in F1, her day-to-day responsibilites as an Associate Director in Executive Marketing and Commercial at RTR Sports Marketing, as well as her thoughts on motorsports sponsorship in F1.

This article has been edited for length and clarity.

What sparked your interest in motorsports?

I've always been a big fan of sports. Growing up, my father and brother were glued to the telly on Sunday watching F1.?

My dream was to work in sports, but I wasn't sure how to get there and what I needed to do.?

After graduating, I pursued a master's in marketing and corporate communication. There, I attended a class on sports sponsorships, and I liked it! It was the perfect way to combine my passions for sports with the world of marketing and branding.?

After doing some research, I discovered RTR Marketing and motorsports. I then decided to move cities and started working there as an intern.

Could you briefly walk us through your career path and how you ended up in your current role?

As an intern, I executed a wide range of tasks, which included assisting my bosses in meetings with clients and prospects. I was also interested in the part where we would find new businesses to engage in motorsports sponsorship.?

That covered research on industries, selecting companies, searching for the right person to call, and cold-calling? — which was probably the hardest thing to do. Imagine cold-calling hundreds of people every week until you get someone to say yes.?

But for me, I was never bored with my job? — every day was a new learning experience, whether that was building up something different depending on the company, brand, objectives, target, and budget or matching the brand's strategy with the right motorsports.

Soon, I climbed through the ranks and was eventually put in charge of communications between the big clients and the agency.?

I understand that you've worked with teams from Formula One (F1) to MotoGP, Formula E, the World Endurance Championship, and the Superbike World Championship in the realm of motorsports sponsorship. Share with us what your day-to-day looks like in your role as Associate Director, Executive Marketing and Commercial at RTS Sports.?

I support companies and brands by helping them achieve their objectives via wise and effective investment in a sponsorship programme. I start from selecting the right property, team, and driver to creating suitable activities that leverage the full potential of a partnership.

Sport sponsorships are more than just sticking a logo on a car or a bike; sport sponsorships are a complex strategic platform that needs to be built and shaped considering the brand's needs.

Beyond my time at RTR, I have also created a Master’s in Marketing and Sponsorship in Motorsport at the 24ORE Business School in Milan, Italy — the country's only course on motorsports marketing. Motorsports is an incredible industry and we need prepared and skilled professionals to meet the growing demand.?

Could you name some of the drivers or teams that you have worked with in F1 or motorsports in general? What were some of your favourite memories?

At RTR, we are an independent agency, meaning we can work with almost every team. In this way, we offer our clients the best opportunity in the market considering their objectives and needs.?

Some of my best memories are related to a MotoGP sponsorship when Valentino Rossi was the rider of the team our client was sponsoring. We had the opportunity to build up incredible activations and involve other partners of the team. It was a great time, both on track and off.

If you were to advise teams, what factors should they look out for when it comes to selecting the right sponsorship??

I would focus not just on the monetary investment the new partner can bring to the table but also on the activations and expertise they are willing to build up and share.?

I would weigh in to further explore their drive (pardon the pun) to exploit the partnership and elevate the brand and team on the world stage. Too often, I see brands just interested in visibility and not leveraging the other benefits the sponsorship offers.

Throughout the sport's history, we have seen a number of companies come and go due to factors both internally as well as regulatory shifts. What are your thoughts about the sport shifting away from tobacco sponsorship due to more stringent regulation on tobacco advertising??

There will always be tricky industries that need to advertise their brands as any other company. Some brands are more dangerous than others and it’s right to limit their exposure if they can damage the health of consumers and fans.

Given your experience in multiple motorsports from the WEC, Formula E and MotoGP, how would you describe the differences in the sponsorship landscape across the different disciplines?

Every championship has their own characteristics, target, and values specific to that series. The company/brand we are working for and their specific objectives always drive and lead our choice of one championship. Everything is tailored in sponsorship, depending on the client.

If F1 is not the right platform, we meticulously explore other options to ensure the best fit for our client, leaving no stone unturned in our decision-making process.?

For some companies, a product like MotoGP, WEC or Formula E can be a better fit than Formula 1.?

As motorsport consultants, we know the market well and select the best opportunities for our clients based on their specific needs.

How would you explain the difference between a name sponsorship and a technical partnership to a fan?

It boils down to a few things: the level of investment, the awareness, and the rights you can have based on the agreement between the sponsoring company and the team.?

A title sponsorship is a huge partnership where the sponsors become enjoined with the team. It is the most powerful programme a brand or company can exploit.?

But again, it depends on their objectives. Being a technical partner can be the perfect choice where visibility, like a name sponsorship, is just the tip of the iceberg; there is much more a brand or company can leverage.

In recent years, we have seen various car companies become title sponsors (such as Aston Martin sponsoring Red Bull and Alfa Romeo sponsoring Sauber) creating an image of a pseudo works team. In your experience, how much added value would a car company bring as a sponsor compared to an unrelated brand?

One of our clients was a main sponsor of the Yamaha MotoGP Team when the team's title sponsor was Fiat (the italian brand of cars). It was a great title sponsorship that massively exposed the brand Fiat to a worldwide audience.

There is no difference in promoting a car logo on a bike or on a football shirt. Motorsport is an incredibly visible platform so any brand can use it.

We have to think about sponsorship as a communication tool, a powerful, global programme to show a brand to the audience and engage with them; a sponsor is part of the show fans love — they share the same passion. There is an emotional bond that a sponsor can bring that no other advertising tool can share with the audience.

What's in store for your future with RTS Sports Marketing and beyond?

We [at RTR]? believe in the power of data, and many sports properties, teams, and drivers/riders still undervalue the importance of data. Let’s see what the future has in store for us.?

Quickfire questions

Who is your favourite driver?

When I was a young fan, Ayrton Senna was a star and he was my idol. He still is.

An incredible charisma and unparalleled talent.

What’s your favourite team??

I always say I’m unbiased, so I have no favourite team, driver, or rider. I support whoever my clients are investing in.

Which track are you looking forward to this season?

I love Jerez, Mugello and Valencia in MotoGP and Silverstone in F1. I’ve just attended Formula E at Misano and it was so much fun.

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This newsletter was written and edited by Hew Hoong Liang (Nathan) and Jonathan Khoo (I know: we both have similar names ??).

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