50 replies to this topic

[Larry Mattingly]

While I'm often critical of F1, there is one area that does impress me...

The ability of F1 teams to attract sponsorship.

Ferrari just announced that they extended their deal with Marlboro through 2015.

Worth over a half billion dollars ... $160 million per season.

And, the best part is Marlboro can't even display its logo on the cars...

LM

[Jacob Shiplet]

While the sponsorship dollars are absolutely insane, everyone knows that Marlboro is the sponsor. It's the gimmick, and if you don't know, you're going to ask; makes many people talk about the product.

But man that's a boatload of money. I don't know the stats on other countries smoking, but that seems like a ton of money. When Lucky Strike sponsored a team, I wondered the same thing.

[Hworth08]

I don't pay much attention to F1 but it often seems the square root of their released facts would closer.

[Larry Mattingly]

Wish I could have used that 'gimmick' when I was doing NASCAR proposals for a Busch team...

And I was only asking for a paltry $1.5 million...

Hardcore race fans know, but EVERYONE?

And, how does one measure 'impressions' with no logo on the cars... I guess the non-fan understands that those silly stripes really mean Marlboro in secret code...

LM

[Jacob Shiplet]

Well, it's been widely accepted that Toyota when they were in F1, had a budget of 400 mil for the season and some 600 FT employees.

Someone has to be paying those bills. Mercedes, Renault, McC, Ferrari sure aren't fronting those HUGE numbers. I don't doubt that the deal is for 160... just seems like a large investment for the return.

[Hworth08]

Probably the simplest way to check is for someone to buy a share of Marlboro stock (RJ Reynolds?) to find the company expenses. One way or another, the stockholders would have to approve such a large expense.

[Dr. Gamma]

Few years back Formula 1 magazine had a breakdown of a F1 teams budget per year. What got me was the cost of each teams hospitality areas. Can't call them hospitality "tents", more like mobile buildings. The major teams were each spending over TWO MILLION DOLLARS per year on just champagne!!! Not bad for boring course racing, huh!!!

Back in the Schumacher's heyday at Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, guess who wrote Michael's 50 million dollar a year salary check?? Bet 20% Willie laughed all the way to the bank on that one every month. Glad everyone around the world bought a bunch of those cigarettes in those little red and white boxes!!!

[Larry Mattingly]

Few years back Formula 1 magazine had a breakdown of a F1 teams budget per year. What got me was the cost of each teams hospitality areas. Can't call them hospitality "tents", more like mobile buildings. The major teams were spending over TWO MILLION DOLLARS per year on just champagne!!! Not bad for bore course racing, huh!!!

Back in the Schumacher's heyday at Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, guess who wrote Michael's 50 million dollar a year salary check?? Bet 20% Willie laughed all the way to the bank on that one every month. Glad everyone around the world bought a bunch of those cigarettes in those little red and white boxes!!!

I said I was impressed with F1 sponsorship...

Hospitality used to be the major hook for getting any type of motorsports sponsorship. Dupont's sponsorship of Jeff Gordon was almost entirely hospitality driven, The recent economic down turn has changed the hospitality scene.

LM

[Jacob Shiplet]

Hasn't changed in NHRA yet. The bring haulers just for hospitality. DSR has a massive tent.

[Mopar Rob]

And, how does one measure 'impressions' with no logo on the cars... I guess the non-fan understands that those silly stripes really mean Marlboro in secret code...

Probably by sales of cigarettes with the car on the package.

[Dr. Gamma]

Hasn't changed in NHRA yet. The bring haulers just for hospitality. DSR has a massive tent.

Formula One teams bring TWO STORY BUILDINGS that take two days to put up. It takes two or three semis to bring the disassembled building to the paddock area. The McLaren hospitality building was rumored to cost five million dollars, or was that pounds?? Tents, tents, Formula One teams have not used "tents" since the early '90s!!!

[Hworth08]

Marlboro is owned by Phillip Morris (PM). Whatever the amount was, it didn't rate a mention on their web site.

[Jacob Shiplet]

DSR's yearly spending for ALL cars probably doesn't top 50 mil. He brings eleven haulers with him to the track, upteen crew members/cars/motors/parts/etc. Norwalk has one of the highest attendance rates of the year for NHRA and it only seats 40k people. F1 brought what, 200k people to Indy the first year for race day? I went on a Thursday and there was A LOT of people there. Comparing F1 to NHRA is a stretch. I was comparing NHRA to NASCAR/Busch.

[Howie Ursaner]

The tobacco companies make their money off of our children that they are killing. Their money is washed in blood as they are murderers. They don't work for their money so money means nothing to them. No one should even take money from them.

[Ron Hershman]

Personal choice there Howie. No one or company forces children to smoke.

Blame your Govt if you want someone to blame.

Maybe they shouldn't take money from alcohol companies either?

[Jacob Shiplet]

Same as pharm companies who make "designer" pills. Vics, percs, oxy... all common knowledge and obtainable for middle school high school kids.

[Ron Hershman]

The tobacco companies make their money off of our children that they are killing.Their money is washed in blood as they are murderers.They don't work for their money so money means nothing to them.No one should even take money from them.

Oh yeah and the cell phone companies and cell phone makers who are killing more kids than cigs ever will with all of those poor kids out there having handheld radiation and brain tumor producing cell phones.

[Rick]

Good reading here from all of you. Jacob, don't forget NHRA events are four day events and usually get over 150k+ thru the gates for the event. Yes/no? Tickets usually about $35/$45/$45/$55? They make a ton and pay back very little, all the money is paid on contingency awards primarily. I always chat with the "steak on a stick" dude at the races and NHRA takes the biggest take in the events he visits. Something like 40%, WOW! SO they are gouging the vendors, too. No one rides for free.

Second thought: wouldn't PM just hide their expense for the F1 team in advertising general fund? Is Marlboro permitted to have its name on cars when raced in other countries in Europe etc? F1 is the world NASCAR, although not as popular here, it's gigantic everywhere else in the world and the drivers are demigods. Good Ole Boyz, like NASCAR... Just look at the people in Slotblog that love F1 and those that like oval racing... apples and oranges.

[TSR]

The tobacco companies make their money off of our children that they are killing.Their money is washed in blood as they are murderers.They don't work for their money so money means nothing to them.No one should even take money from them.

Sounds just like the Wisconsin teachers union, does it not?
But hey, 17% of children proficient in history taught from these fine people can smoke a joint instead and rejoin the other 83% of so well taught imbeciles, then move onto cigs like many of their teachers already do, sometimes in class as seen with Mr. Ward Churchill, in complete impunity from anyone.

One has to make choices in life: for the past 50 years, if anyone is unaware that smoking will hurt or kill you, and one perseveres into it, one deserves what's coming.
Same with booze, drugs, fried foods, and Beanie Weenies.

As far as I am concerned, of course I KNOW that the red cars are sponsored by merchants of death. Does that make me a smoker? Hardly.
Interestingly some of the most gorgeous and most admired liveries in F1 and Indy cars as well as sports prototypes were tobacco sponsored... JPS Lotuses in both red/white or black/gold, Rothmann Porsches, Marlboro Penskes... how many think of smoking while building a nice model of such cars?

But have no fear, things are changing and General Electric will soon sell so many wind turbines made in China that every F1 car will get millions from our pal Jeffrey Immelt, while the population of bald eagles will be forever gone, hacked by the spinning props as it is happening today.

Now that's real progress!

But in the meantime, a KERS or two here and there will keep the unwashed masses from demonstrating for imposing human powered F1 cars at racing venues.
Sweat causes water vapor that causes climate change, so that will be an all new problem to deal with, but hey, one progress at a time.

[Jacob Shiplet]

Good reading here from all of you. Jacob, don't forget NHRA are 4 day events and usually get over 150k+ thru the gates for the event. yes/no? Tickets usually about $35/$45/$45/$55? They make a ton and pay back very little, all the money is paid on contingency awards primarily. I always chat with the "steak on a stick" dude at the races and NHRA takes the biggest take in the events he visits. Something like 40%, WOW! SO they are gouging the vendors too. Noone rides for free.

I can think of maybe 4 races a year that bring over 110k through the gates unfortunately. The high prices($52 for saturday and $55 for sunday) keep casual fans away imo. I normally get carquest tix, so it doesnt effect me much, but I know others that will watch on TV but not go to the race because its well over $200 to take a 4 person family. I dont think anyone but racers go to the race on thurs(ive been because I like the super classes). NHRA takes MOST of the money brought in. They pay appearance fees to the circus, but other than that, the "sportsman" racer gets shat on. The price just to go to a national as a "sportsman" racer is insane. I think it was $250 last time I looked? So I show up weds, get my time run in thurs morning, roll up to 1st round, get beat, and im home before friday most likely. It cost me $500 to make 2 runs(entry, fuel for the car, fuel for the hauler, food etc). It just doesnt make sense. The Army has a HUGE setup in Nitro Alley, and im sure to put it there costs them a pretty penny. But someone is making the money and its NOT the racers. Did you see the attendance so far this season. 2 races so far this year have brought in more than 110k people in the gates, those being the 2 big races at the beginning of the year(Pomona 1 and Gatornationals). Even Englishtown was a disappointment this year. Norwalk should bring in 110k and then it wont happen again until US Mac Tools Nationals. I drag raced in the past, cost me $100 just to get into the gate and go home, thats without making a run. I fire my car up, hoping nothing breaks, get 3 times runs plus 1 round, another $40(including normal wear and tear). $150 or so to spend a saturday at the track adds up if youre going a couple times a month. Add another $10-20 per family member to come sit with me. They only pay 50 bucks back to the 1/4's winner normally got $600 to go 5 or 6 rounds(in Pro, S/Pro was more obviously). Add in buy backs 1st maybe even 2nd rd, someone is making money somewhere.

[The Bugman]

PdL says;
One has to make choices in life: for the past 50 years, if anyone is unaware that smoking will hurt or kill you, and one perseveres into it, one deserves what's coming.
Same with booze, drugs, fried foods, and Beanie Weenies.

hey now,i can take no booze,drugs cigs.,and fried foods too,,,,,
BUT NO BEANIE WEENIES,now youve gone too far "P",
never givin' up my Vienna sausages,at least when i die they'll be able to say
"yep he died from too many Beanie-Weenie/Vienna sausages",,,and a few Imperial burgers too,,,,lol

[Rick]

I can think of maybe 4 races a year that bring over 110k through the gates unfortunately. The high prices($52 for saturday and $55 for sunday) keep casual fans away imo. I normally get carquest tix, so it doesnt effect me much, but I know others that will watch on TV but not go to the race because its well over $200 to take a 4 person family. I dont think anyone but racers go to the race on thurs(ive been because I like the super classes). NHRA takes MOST of the money brought in. They pay appearance fees to the circus, but other than that, the "sportsman" racer gets shat on. The price just to go to a national as a "sportsman" racer is insane. I think it was $250 last time I looked? So I show up weds, get my time run in thurs morning, roll up to 1st round, get beat, and im home before friday most likely. It cost me $500 to make 2 runs(entry, fuel for the car, fuel for the hauler, food etc). It just doesnt make sense. The Army has a HUGE setup in Nitro Alley, and im sure to put it there costs them a pretty penny. But someone is making the money and its NOT the racers. Did you see the attendance so far this season. 2 races so far this year have brought in more than 110k people in the gates, those being the 2 big races at the beginning of the year(Pomona 1 and Gatornationals). Even Englishtown was a disappointment this year. Norwalk should bring in 110k and then it wont happen again until US Mac Tools Nationals. I drag raced in the past, cost me $100 just to get into the gate and go home, thats without making a run. I fire my car up, hoping nothing breaks, get 3 times runs plus 1 round, another $40(including normal wear and tear). $150 or so to spend a saturday at the track adds up if youre going a couple times a month. Add another $10-20 per family member to come sit with me. They only pay 50 bucks back to the 1/4's winner normally got $600 to go 5 or 6 rounds(in Pro, S/Pro was more obviously). Add in buy backs 1st maybe even 2nd rd, someone is making money somewhere.

Nobody ever said your hobby was going to be cheap. hahahahahahah But I hear you, everything is expensive today to do, to watch, etc. I used to go to Columbus every year but now they changed the date to the same weekend as the Firecracker, so we go to Reading now instead. Good sportsman field there, all the time because they all want to try and set new records. Fast race track.
Buy backs, hell thats BS, just charge me the double fee and let me go in the 3rd round, LOL. Yea the track all use the buy back money for gravey, I don't think any use that as another entry and raise the payout for final and semis? They should, they will sure cut the final if they don't have their X amount of cars entered. LOL

My partner when I used to work Was Runner up at Columbus one year, think he got $250 from NHRA LMAO. I can't remember if this was when he was running Super Street or SS/FA?? Thinking Super Street. But got like 1?K for all the stickers on the car.

To take a family to a full NHRA Event would cost ya a kool grand+ for the weekend.

Anyway the topic is F1 sponsorship money..............I smoke and its not because Marlboro has a car, I wouldn't walk around the block to see an F1 race.

[Phil Hackett]

Marlboro is owned by Phillip Morris (PM). Whatever the amount was, it didn't rate a mention on their web site.

Philip Morris in the USA is a subsidiary of Altria (MO). Philip Morris International is a separate company that was spun-off to Altria stockholders in 2008 so those sponsorship dollars won't be shown in any Altria SEC filings. To get the figures you're looking for you might have to dig through SEC filings.

I saw some very big numbers on the numbers of cigarettes sold. Shouldn't we looking to see if all that burning of tobacco and paper is the cause of global warming?

[Howie Ursaner]

They may as well give 10 trillion dollars.They just print the damned stuff anyway.It means nothing to them.They are laughing every day at the addicts that suck up their ****, while the public has to pay the medical bills for all of the poor hooked suckers that are dying from it.

[Rick]

Don't hold back Howie.