ITV pulls out all the stops for F1 revamp with Texaco’s pounds 12m

ITV kick-starts a renewed bid to shore up male audiences this

weekend with the launch of its coverage of Formula One racing, which is

being sponsored by Texaco.

The ITV programming breaks on Saturday with a Grand Prix day, including

live coverage of the qualifying races, the Clive James Formula One Show

and a screening of the movie, Grand Prix, starring James Garner. The pop

group, Jamiroquai, has recorded the theme music for the coverage.

The coverage is backed by an LWT ad campaign by Mustoe Merriman Herring

Levy, with media buying by Motive. The campaign includes press work,

which broke this week, and radio ads to air on Capital Radio.

Texaco is putting pounds 12 million behind a three-year deal to sponsor

the live racing programming. The sponsorship credits have been created

by IMP, written by Steve Pickard and art directed by David Harris, IMP’s

creative director. They evoke the speed and excitement of the pit,

showing a high-performance pit stop. Harris said: ’There’s a strong

circular theme running through it which echoes the Texaco logo of a star

within a circle.’

The credits were directed by Darryl Goodrich and produced by Nicholas

Unsworth of Oxford Scientific Films.

Texaco and ITV are hoping that the Formula One coverage will draw in a

strong upmarket male audience. Last year, 83 per cent of ABC1 16- to

34-year-old men watched at least one race.

This article was first published on Campaign