Friday 14 July 2017

F1 announces social media partnership with Snapchat before British GP

Formula 1 and Snap Inc, the social media company which owns social media platform Snapchat, have announced a new partnership to cover grands prix.

Lewis Hamilton was criticised for using Snapchat – the mobile and tablet application which allows users to share photos and videos to their own ‘Story’ and view their contacts’ ‘Stories’ – during the 2016 Japanese GP Thursday press conference, for which he later apologised.

Companies, media outlets and major events also curate stories, which group those photos and videos over 24 hours, after which they are deleted.

F1 is focusing on the ‘Discover’ part of the app, which compiles photos and videos – ‘Snaps’ – submitted by users and collates them under a collective story during an event. A team of editors and producers at Snapchat will review the photos before they are viewable to F1’s audience on the app.

The deal is F1’s first commercial deal with a digital and mobile-orientated platform and it will begin at the British Grand Prix on Sunday, continuing in Singapore, Japan, the USA, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.  The collaboration with Snapchat is part of F1’s ongoing push to engage fans with social media and digital platforms, including its mobile (Official F1) app, its website with live timing.

Notably, Liberty has relaxed its rules for teams and drivers on sharing video content, with clips pre-season testing shared on Twitter and Facebook marking a change from the motorsport’s previous era of management.

Frank Arthofer, Head of Digital and New Business at F1, said: “This is the first step towards expanding our social media strategy.

“Right from the start, we have said we want to work with partners to bring fans closer to the amazing show that is Formula 1, an incredible mix of technology and individual talent – and Snap fits that bill.

“We need to continue to bring new fans to the sport – by reaching out to them on social media platforms with behind the scenes, fun and engaging content.

“Snap’s platform is one of the most popular among ‘millennials,’ a sector we are particularly keen on attracting, as it represents the future of our sport.”

The app has more than 166 million daily active users around the world and more than 3 billion Snaps are sent every day. The platform also supports advertisers and partners with other sports leagues, outlets and broadcasters such as Sky Sports, NASCAR, EA Sports, Fox Sports and MotoGP.

“We want to work with the most iconic sporting organizations in the world, that are beloved by our global community of passionate and highly engaged fans – and working with Formula 1 has been at the top of our wishlist for a long time.”, said Ben Schwerin, Snap Inc’s Vice President of Partnerships.

“Our goal is simple – we want to make being a fan more fun no matter where you are and Snapchat offers unique and creative ways to experience it with their closest friends.

“We are honoured to be the first platform they are partnering with, and are excited to start offer their teams, partners and advertisers an opportunity to reach millions of Snapchatters around the globe.”

Will you be using Snapchat to engage with the upcoming grands prix? Have your say in the comment section below.



Read the full article here by James Allen on F1 - The official website

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