Until last season, Santander was prominently visible at the center of the McLaren drivers’ suits. However, with Honda’s arrival, the bank’s logo disappeared from the cars and suits.<\/p>\n
This does not mean that the bank has stopped supporting the Woking team, especially since the last extension dates back to 2014. However, it has now decided to leverage this partnership through targeted advertising campaigns in one of its biggest markets, Great Britain. The new agreement will thus be valid until 2020, allowing for long-term visibility.<\/p>\n
Keith Moor, the marketing director of the British subsidiary, stated: \u00ab Our sponsorship of McLaren and Jenson Button has played an important role in helping Santander build brand awareness across the UK, which has moved us from the role of challenger to that of Top 4.<\/i> \u00bb<\/p>\n
This agreement once again highlights the importance Jenson Button can have for his team, as his popularity makes him a key asset in attracting McLaren’s commercial partners. While the sporting results are far from expectations, retaining such a media figure becomes even more important for his employer.<\/p>\n
Moreover, it can be observed that Santander has now decided to implement two different communication strategies associated with F1: while it focuses on traditional advertising with McLaren, it has chosen to display prominently with another team, Ferrari. Its logo remains widely visible, both on the suits and on the cars from Maranello.<\/p>\n