Mercedes-Benz at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
Following Audi's victory at Le Mans, automakers are turning their attention to the next major racing events including the Goodwood Festival of Speed June 26-29.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed along with other events are designed to pull auto enthusiasts for a long weekend of brand interaction. For this reason, many automakers are looking beyond just racing to keep attendees engaged for the entire event.
"The Goodwood Festival of Speed is like the Royal Ascot, Monaco Grand Prix, RAF Air Show, Geneva Auto Show and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance all rolled into one," said Bob Prosser, CEO of Auto World Marketing Corp., San Diego.
"It's absolute petrol head heaven with an incredible mix of rare sports and racing cars, motorcycles, celebrities and motor sport 'royalty,'" he said.
"In addition to the FoS, the Goodwood Revival is held a bit later in the year, and celebrates the glory days of the racing circuit there at Goodwood. It's a must-see for fans of the golden-era motorsports. Often, you can see past championship drivers reunited with their winning race cars for the first time in decades, and seen driving them at speed. That is truly a delight for the historian."
Come for the race
Mercedes-Benz is embracing the festival nature of Goodwood with a range of carnival-like activities. For instance, the brand is allowing fans to drive its Grand Turismo concept car via Sony PlayStation 3s.
Also, guests can strap on an Oculus Rift for a 360-degree virtual experience of the actual race. The automaker enlisted British designer Gerry Judah to create a monument to the brand as this year's sculpture, since the the company is the "lead marque."
Mercedes-Benz at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed
Mercedes-Benz is not solely focused on touchpoints. The brand will be deploying its Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One vehicle and several other iconic cars from the past century.
Ferrari will be boosting its California T and 458 Speciali models for their Goodwood debut. The brand recently produced a video that meditates on the car’s various assets and also created a microsite for fans to explore the California T’s technical details (see story).
Ferrari 458 Speciale
The 458 model earned the moniker Speciale because of the amount of research and innovation put into its design including the automaker’s most powerful v8 engine (see story).
The automaker will be represented by the Scuderia Ferrari team during the race itself. Drivers Kimi Räikkönen and John Surtees will drive a F2007 and a 1964 158 F1.
Ferrari will also have around 10 other historic brand cars on display.
Land Rover will be unveiling the stealth package for its Range Rover Sport that includes a set of exterior design enhancements such as a satin black front grille and grille surround, fog lamp bezels, bonnet and fender vents, upper mirror caps and tailgate finisher, according to the brand.
Range Rover Stealth Pack
The Stealth Pack add-on options will start at $2,880 to $4,240.
"Goodwood is not that significant in the racing season, per se," Mr. Prosser said. "In fact, the event is scheduled to fit around the motor racing calendar to avoid conflicts [with] the Formula One season."
"This way, spectators are able to rub shoulders with team members who are involved in the current motor racing championships," he said.
Stay for the fun
Bentley, Bugatti, Ferrari and other auto brands previously prepared for the historic Mille Miglia race that limited participants to models made before 1957.
The Mille Miglia race transports auto enthusiasts to the early days of racing when manufacturers were designing some of the essential components currently used. The race also allows automakers to build up their credentials in the eyes of discerning customers (see story).
Prior brand experience influences 62 percent of consumer purchases, followed by dealership experiences at 59 percent, according to a new report by Foresight Research.
The report also found that word of mouth and brochures are waning in their capacity to influence. However, luxury consumers, who are perhaps more discerning, are influenced by more possible channels, including auto shows (see story).
While Goodwood is not exactly an auto show, it does share many characteristics, most notably the ability for fans to roam around and check out seemingly unattainable models.
"Brands unveiling their latest bag-of-tricks will not go unnoticed there," Mr. Prosser said. "It's a good move, as long as it is in context with the demographics and automotive theater.
"And no, people are there for far more than the races. It's truly an event — one that should be put on their bucket list."
Final Take
Joe McCarthy, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York