13/12/2014
NEWS STORY
While Bernie Ecclestone still fails to see the power or benefits of social media, plans for the sport to connect with the fans are very much in progress.
The F1 supremo makes no secret of his detestation of the 'interweb thingy' and all that it entails. Not even having a personal email address, it comes as no surprise that he doesn't have a Twitter account or his own Facebook page.
However, whilst the usually savvy 84-year-old kicks and screams at the thought of being dragged into the digital age, those around him are slowly making progress.
Speaking to a select group of journalists in London on Thursday, including Christian Sylt, Ecclestone revealed that he now has a devoted social media team in place.
"We have got about eight people to do whatever eight people do," he said. "We have a lot of meetings.
"I was surprised at the number of people that use our app," he continued. "Seems it's quite successful. I don't know for what. What does social media do? It doesn't make any money for a start. We need to keep our TV audience up and we need to help the promoters sell more tickets. That's basically what we ought to do. I don't know whether social media actually does that."
Asked why FOM employees eight people if he's not convinced by social media, he replies: "Because they tell me that we need eight people for social media. People in here tell me that we need social media because it is good for us. It's better than Aspirin. Since people have been breaking my balls about social media I have been looking at this Twitter thing and I can't see anything on there, except Toto Wolff and one of my daughters and I thought people put things on there, how does that help Formula One?"
Thankfully, at this point Marissa Pace, Formula One Management's Digital Media Manager, joins the conversation.
"We are rebuilding Formula1.com and from Singapore onwards you may have noticed we have taken a more active role in social media," she says, "so, starting with Twitter, we started in Singapore carrying on through to Youtube in the future and eventually Facebook when we get it past the legal team.
"Our impressions were over 80 million from Singapore until the end of the season. Impressions is anybody who has seen the @F1 content that we pushed out. On Twitter specifically we are putting out live data graphics, so anything from lap charts, live timing. We are increasing our visibility so we are starting from the grass roots and growing up. It ties in with what we are doing with the new website."
Asked if there is a strategy to turn that into people attending races, she says: "That ties in again with the website so the app as well. We are trying to make the experience at the race much more interactive or complete so the app has live commentary.
"BBC Five Live is currently on the app so while you are in the grandstands you can listen to that or you can listen to the TV commentators. You get all the data and race information.
"My background is that I used to work for a company called Kangaroo TV which is a fan experience bringing people closer which is what Mr Ecclestone asked me to do for the fans with the website and the app.”
Asked if the Youtube channel will feature clips from races, Pace has barely opened her mouth before Ecclestone shouts "No!"
"What will be on Youtube then?" she is asked.
"What we currently have on the app in terms of video content is the behind the scenes stuff so the interviews in the drivers' pen, that kind of extra content. We look at this as on track as at track. The content will be at track."
"What we should do is you guys, when you interview somebody, we should really film that and put it up on Youtube," interjects Ecclestone, "because that's something that doesn't hurt anybody and it's good and interesting because it's instant."
Asked if the team will be expanded beyond eight, Ecclestone says: "We will have to see what we can come up with. We obviously need educating but you are doing the job."
"One more thing in our roadmap that is worth mentioning is, especially for the TV audience, is that via social media obviously, and via our website, you can geo-target people so you know where they are coming from," adds Pace, "and therefore you can show them a clip of something and then push them towards something.
"If they watched a clip and they are in Germany you can tell them 'In Germany the race is on RTL at 4pm' so we intend on doing that next year. It is all about promoting the TV. Our intention is not to move viewers away from the TV, it is definitely to keep viewers on the TV but to supplement that experience and make it more exciting and getting people in the grandstands."
"And maybe this will help the young kids make some money so that they can buy Rolexes," adds Ecclestone with a grin.
Does CVC's Donald Mackenzie share Ecclestone's somewhat out-of-date opinion of social media?
"Not really," replies Ecclestone. "He is not sure. He thinks it is one of those things everyone says we should have. If it works, the whole point about this I believe, is to encourage people to watch television. I'm not sure, and I have always thought 'does it actually do that' and I don't know. So probably in a year's time I shall be looking for figures to see what has happened.
"The only trouble about that is that if there are more people watching television is it because of this or because there are more people watching television?"
It is pointed out that, in terms of social media, the sport needs 'sellable' drivers and Hamilton, Alonso and Button appear to be the most popular. "Probably Jenson in front of all other ones," Ecclestone quickly responds, the F1 supremo fully aware that around thirty miles away, at exactly the same time, the Briton was being retained at McLaren alongside Fernando Alonso.