‘Everything Gets Recorded’: Inside Formula 1’s Social Content Orchestra
Nothing happens by chance in the world of F1, and no company understands this better than The Sports Marketing Group.
By the time a Formula 1 driver picks up a microphone and stands in front of the camera, almost everything has already been decided, with weeks of work put into every driver’s appearance. There are endless email exchanges, location approvals, sourced props, confirmed security clearances, drafted scripts, and cameras tested, with choices made even down to who will carry a beer pong table into the F1 paddock for drivers to play with. Every detail is carefully and smoothly orchestrated. And when the driver finally arrives, there may only be a few minutes to capture everything.
“Every second is content,” says Tom Cooney, The Sports Marketing Group’s (SMG) Communications Director. “We know exactly what we need to do.” For Cooney and the team at SMG agency, operating in the sport means working at the speed of the F1 cars themselves. SMG is the machine that operates behind some of F1’s biggest sponsors and race promoters, from Saudi Arabia to Las Vegas, and Singapore to Austin. The agency has become part of the machinery powering motorsport media.
The Sports Marketing Group
Founded in 2017 as a small operation with just one employee, The Sports Marketing Group has now grown into an international team of more than 20 employees across London, Dubai, and Jeddah. The agency itself does not work directly with Formula 1, instead they partner with race promoters, sponsors, brands, and events, acting as a bridge that connects them.
SMG’s client list includes Saudi Arabia, Las Vegas, Qatar, Singapore, and Circuit of theAmericas, where SMG has partnered since the track joined the F1 calendar back in 2012. While F1 is the company’s centerpiece, The SMG also operates across the Dakar Rally, MotoGP, World Endurance Championship (WEC), and more.
The agency’s responsibilities include social media strategy, communications, production, operations, support, and beyond. “Every promoter is different,” Cooney explains. “Some come with developed ideas, some don’t. Usually, newer promoters need more support with creative direction.”
That flexibility has become increasingly valuable as Formula 1 expands into new territories and markets. The effect of Drive To Survive, for example. The documentary that has introduced millions of new fans to the sport and races like Las Vegas became a major spectacle, bringing in more demands for content, partnerships and promoters. The expansion changed the way Formula1 operates within, there is more willingness and flexibility among teams, promoters and agencies to collaborate.
Behind the Scenes
Modern-day technology has drivers inviting their fans into their world, with fans wanting personality and humor. They want to see Lando Norris’ hysterically laughing, or Carlos Sainz’ rapping Eminem.
The work looks effortless online. A short video of drivers having fun and joking with each other, playing games, is the result of capturing personality at 200 km per hour after carefully orchestrated preparation.
