Summary
Agency: Calacus
The Challenge
Despite initial growth of awareness around the Red Bull Air Race, after first appearing in the UK in 2004, the series remained a relatively new event and thus, was yet to have the necessary heritage to be an integral part of the public consciousness. Consequently, Calacus were tasked with increasing knowledge of the UK event and helping to build the media profiles of key pilots to increase share of voice and assist with ticket sales.
Additionally, we encountered another added challenge, as the Rio2016 Olympic Games were taking place in the run up to and during the UK race at Ascot, creating a fight for brand exposure within the media landscape, meaning the campaign was required to be specifically tailored to build on the association between Red Bull and extreme sports.
The Solution
Calacus devised a campaign to position the Red Bull Air Race as one of the premier sporting events of the British summer, by focusing on the dynamism and skill of the pilots involved and highlighting the glamour and rich history of Ascot as a venue, as well as the celebrity fans associated with the Air Race.
We worked closely with the Red Bull Air Race in-house team and liaised with national and industry media targets to secure pre-event features including interviews with some of the world's most exceptional pilots who were racing in the series.
Additionally, Calacus organised multiple press trips to increase international awareness and worked with the event team to maximise the publicity around the Ascot Race through pre-event listings, competitions and celebrity endorsement.
The Results
During the seven-month Air Race season campaign Calacus achieved:
- Exceeded our KPI target of media coverage by 59%
- Grandstand tickets for the finals of Ascot’s leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, on Sunday, August 17 2016 sold out, as did Grandstand Admission car, mini bus and coach parking on the same day
- UK Air Race at Ascot racecourse sold in excess of 42,000 tickets across the two days