SailGP has made three significant hires to lead the development and execution of media and marketing efforts to transform a traditional sport into a revolutionary world-class spectacle.
SailGP CMO Tim Godfrey said: “With our new hires, we want to continue building off the momentum of a record-breaking debut season and evolve our digital footprint to get existing fans excited about the upcoming campaign, while creating compelling content that draws in new audiences.”
To bolster its media and marketing efforts heading into Season 2, SailGP has hired Michael Porter as head of marketing and innovation, Jose Garnes as head of content, and Daisy Vollans as head of digital and engagement, as part of the organization’s marketing team reporting to SailGP CMO Tim Godfrey.
The trio join SailGP as it is set to kick off its second season in Sydney with new race teams from Denmark and Spain, competing against defending champion Australia, plus France, Japan, the United States, and a revamped Great Britain team with Ben Ainslie helming.
SailGP also make an appearance in the new film by Christopher Nolan – TENET – Blink and you’ll miss it.
SailGP have worked with London-based design and advertising agency GBH to develop its first global marketing campaign for 2020 as part of the buildup to Season 2, which kicks off February 28-29 in Sydney.
GBH Creative Director Peter Hale said: “SailGP is something completely new, but comparable to other mass audience sports in that it doesn’t require a longstanding relationship in order to feel passionate about it.”
“The campaign will operate on an emotional level to appeal to a diverse and international audience in what could be their introduction to this adrenaline-filled global racing championship.”
Fine words, but it has been tried before – although not with such large amounts of generous funding – and failed.
Is this finally the combination of extreme sailboat racing, money and management expertise to generate a sustainable, race circuit following?
Following the opening event, the global championship returns to the U.S. for events in San Francisco (May 2-3) and New York (June 12-13), before the first European stop of the year in Cowes on the Isle of Wight in the UK (August 14-15).
The remainder of the Season 2 schedule will be announced in the early part of 2020.
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