Casio teamed up with Scuderia Toro Rosso to promote the launch of the 2017 Edifice sport watch with an integrated campaign leveraging excitement around the start of the new F1 season and a spearhead ‘Time Trial Challenge’ spot starring team drivers testing their paddle board skills.
The new Edifice, which comes in two Scuderia Toro Rosso limited editions inspired by Casio’s race team partnership, is based on a brand concept themed around ‘’Speed and Intelligence’.
With further product/property synergy is positioned around ‘combining dynamic design with advanced technology’
The new models were unveiled at a Casio/Toro Rosso press conference in Melbourne ahead of the 2017 Formula One season-opening Australian Grand Prix and fronted by drivers Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat and the team principal.
Carlos & Daniil at St. Kilda, in Melbourne, introducing the brand new #CasioEdifice Scuderia Toro Rosso Limited Edition pic.twitter.com/NURVkhFnhx
— Toro Rosso (@ToroRossoSpy) March 22, 2017
The event also saw the debut of the launch campaign’s spearhead spot: a stunt style film called ‘Casio Edifice Time Trial’ that sees Sainz and Kvyat at the St Kilda Surf Life Saving Club testing their paddle boarding skills against the clock – with the assistance of the limited edition models.
The video was then posted on YouTube on 22 March (ahead of the 25/26 race weekend)
and pushed across the brand and the team’s digital platforms and social spaces.
ICYM the Carlos vs Daniil #CasioEdifice challenge, just watch the video on https://t.co/vaYCHTzXnm pic.twitter.com/iOikC6uQ7z
— Toro Rosso (@ToroRossoSpy) March 22, 2017
2017 #CasioEdifice Scuderia Toro Rosso Limited Edition models released
It was all about timing! Read more on https://t.co/YR0tWsjcHy pic.twitter.com/icH33XbWn6— Toro Rosso (@ToroRossoSpy) March 22, 2017
The launch campaign, developed with sport and entertainment agency Prism,
#F1 season starting & alot of @PRISM_Worldwide work being pushed out:Carlos & Daniil – Casio Edifice time trial https://t.co/ldhUBLXp2W …
— Shane O'Sullivan (@sosullivanid) March 24, 2017
was further supported by additional set of digital and social team-related content pieces.
Get up to speed with Edifice and Toro Rosso.#StayInSync #MensFashion #MensWatcheshttps://t.co/obVaCwUYJp pic.twitter.com/c9CNwCpOMc
— Edifice UK (@EdificeUK) March 18, 2017
Speed and intelligence – race against time with Casio Edifice and Toro Rosso.#StayInSynchttps://t.co/obVaCwUYJp pic.twitter.com/C8ODUr7CX3
— Edifice UK (@EdificeUK) January 14, 2017
The ongoing team/brand sponsorship content will evolve through the new F1 season and is hubbed around a bespoke microsite at http://www.edifice-watches.com/asia-mea/en/f1/
The new watches, the second set of Scuderia Toro Rosso models from Edfice, have been designed with the team’s globetrotting schedules in mind and carry the team colours and logo.
‘The 2017 versions of our EDIFICE Scuderia Toro Rosso Limited Edition take technology to a whole new level for fans of sports watches and indeed fans of Scuderia Toro Rosso,’ explained Casio Senior Executive Managing Officer Shigenori Ito at the launch.
‘In the latest Limited Edition models we have combined sporty good looks with ease of functionality and advanced technological excellence.’’
‘It’s absolutely fantastic to actually have the chance to think and design such an amazing watch hand in hand with a renowned brand like Casio,’ added Scuderia Toro Rosso Team Principal Franz Tost.
‘As we all know, Formula 1 is an absolutely time-dependent sport, so this EDIFICE Scuderia Toro Rosso Limited Edition watch is something we all definitely need and I’m convinced it will make our lives easier, on and off track.’
Activative Comment:
Many marketers see the new F1 season as a new opportunity now that the sport has been taken over by Liberty Media.
This may well be true and there may well be plenty of new approaches to activation that come with the refreshed championship.
Yet, Casio/Toro Rosso’s driver-led, whacky races style campaign isn’t the only example of this leverage approach at the 2017 Australian Grand Prix.
For example, McLaren sponsor Chandon also rolled out a new campaign called ‘Unexpected Race’ (see case study), while Toro Rosso’s bigger brother race team Red Bull also launched a ‘Dinghy Race’ (see case study) spot around the start of the new season.
Thus far, on YouTube the hero spot has racked up 2,661 views on the team’s channel and 1,108 views on Casio’s YouTube page.
The synergy here between sponsor and rights holder is fairly straightforward: the brand concept of speed and intelligence (coupled with the themes of advanced design and hi-tech) alongside the forward movement/time/energy of watches as a category neatly match the racing team’s core mission of tech innovation and the pursuit of speed.
Plus, the world time functions fit neatly with the globe-trotting structure of the F1 championships
Although quite what makes the Casio Edifice/ Scuderia Toro Rosso stand-out from other watch/race team alliances is a tougher challenge to communicate.
The 2017 campaign follows in the footsteps of the Mark Webber fronted 2012 Casio Edifice Monaco Harbour launch initiative back when the watch brand was a backer of Toro Rosso big brother team Red Bull. (see case study).
Links:
Casio
https://www.youtube.com/user/CasioJapanOfficial
https://www.facebook.com/CasioJapan/
Scuderia Toro Rosso
http://www.scuderiatororosso.com
https://twitter.com/ToroRossoSpy
https://www.facebook.com/tororosso
https://www.instagram.com/officialtororosso/
https://www.youtube.com/user/ToroRossoOfficial
Prism
