Money is tight for Finnish motorsports, but if you try hard enough, anything is possible. The purpose of this article is to help young F1 hopefuls.
- Motorsport’s reputation in the corporate world is tricky, but not everyone thinks so.
- ILoq CEO Heikki Hiltunen gives five tips that young drivers should use when hunting for supporters.
- Important point: It is a mistake to talk about sponsors. The companies demand something in return for the cooperation.
We do not want to sponsor motor sports.
This stream of tears is nurtured in chorus, when the career of the Finnish driver’s promise is boring due to lack of funding.
In the eyes of companies, motor sports undoubtedly has a certain stigma in today’s world. In the age of green values, few companies want to associate their brand with “useless petrol burning”.
The species, of course, know what kind of potash such a way of thinking is. If you really know how to justify it, there are numerous reasons to support motor sports.
But can the motorsport people justify it?
“The species is rejected”
Many Finnish companies supported Mika Häkki at the beginning of his F1 career. Iltalehti was one of Häkkinen’s partners. PDO
CEO of Iloq Heikki Hiltunen admits that motorsport currently has a certain reputation in the business world.
– The sport is a bit rejected at the moment. When we talk about climate change, the question always comes up about the role of motorsport in it, Hiltunen tells Iltalehte.
iLoq, piloted by Hiltusen, can present the reasons for its own participation.
– At the top of motorsport, a lot of development and research work is carried out, with the help of which passenger car engines are developed with even lower emissions. Technological development takes place in competitive sports, Hiltunen answers in words familiar to fans of the sport.
Despite the opposition, motorsport is not losing anywhere in the world. Racing driver is therefore not a disappearing profession.
Don’t look for “sponsors”
Heikki Hiltunen reminds that companies do not join the support groups out of their good graces. Jussi Saarinen
Even at this moment, hundreds of young Finnish people dream of a future profession as an F1 driver. Most of them are destined to be disappointed. Either the skills are not enough, or it becomes more common: the money runs out.
Hiltunen says that iLoq regularly receives contacts from drivers. The fight for sponsors is the downside of a racing driver’s job description.
Sponsor is actually a bad word these days.
Hiltunen sharpens the message, which should be understood.
Supporting an athlete is not charity from the company.
– At the very beginning, sponsorship and partnership must be distinguished. Sponsorship, to the extreme, is putting a logo on a car and giving support money, and not even expecting a decent return for it. But in partnership cooperation, you have to get a return for the investment, Hiltunen describes.
Iloq does not sponsor. It expects to get a return on its investment. A similar philosophy of thought is followed in other companies as well.
You can get value for money in many ways. Success and the positive visibility you get from it are of course good, but cooperation can be fruitful for both parties by other measures as well.
– The supported athlete can, for example, be used in various corporate events. The athlete’s story and personality are also things from which cooperation can be drawn in a way that serves both, Hiltunen explains.
Hiltusen’s tips
What should young drivers, or why not even more grown-up wheel-turners, take into account when hunting for sponsors?
Hiltunen tells his stories through Iltalehti.
1) Be active
– You should actively and courageously contact the companies yourself. Already at this stage, it would be necessary to present some kind of plan, why the cooperation would be profitable for both.
According to Hiltusen, this is a stumbling block for many.
– I have been left with the impression that the “own product” has not been thought about enough. It’s as if we come with just a cap in hand to ask for funding, but we haven’t thought about how we could be attractive to the company to support.
2) Focus your search
So you should throw plenty of nets into the water, but you should use common sense. It is worth spending a little time thinking about which companies should be approached.
– It’s worth getting in touch with companies that share the same world of values with you. Then cooperation is easier for everyone, Hiltunen advises.
3) Seek support professionally
Young drivers almost always take their first steps with the help of their parents. That can be a problem in some cases.
– Very few parents have decent relationships and pure knowledge of these tasks, Hiltunen states.
Hiltunen urges young drivers and their parents to boldly ask for help from people in the sport and professional managers.
3) Be interesting
Hiltunen highlights two important elements that increase the driver’s value in the eyes of supporters.
The first, of course, is success.
– Of course we want the supported athlete to do well. It naturally increases the visibility and thus the overall value of the cooperation, Hiltunen states.
The second is the person to be supported.
A person can be followed and thus a very valuable advertising face, even if he does not go from win to win. However, there’s no point in trying this trick artificially.
4) Be yourself
Many fans Kimi Räikkönen an inimitable personality. The style is unique for a reason. The Iceman cooperating with Iloq is the only one of its kind.
– The athlete to be supported must be social and must be able to perform. Companies expect it.
Räikkönen should be modeled on the track, but maybe not in media behavior.
– Even if the personality fights back, you have to get along with people and be able to perform in new situations. So you have to know how to do PR, Hiltunen states.
Despite his reputation, Hiltunen reminds Räikkönen that he is also an excellent advertising face for iLoq. Even the Iceman is happy to appear when the product is to his liking.
5) Be brave
Hiltunen also encourages to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the global world.
– Does the supporting company always have to be Finnish? Promising drivers and interesting people are guaranteed to find something of interest anywhere in the world.
When hunting for foreign supporters, all the points mentioned above are emphasized. The competition for supporters is no easier in the world than it is in Finland. But if a young Finnish driver stands out, even a large international company can commit to cooperation.
To one coal
All Finns who follow motorsport want to see blue and white F1 heroes in the future as well. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
A driver from Finland has continuously participated in the F1 races since the 1989 season. Today, the flag is held high Valtteri Bottas.
Admissions to Ferrari’s junior program Tuukka Taponen16, is currently our most promising next blue and white F1 star.
Hiltunen is confident that Finland will see more F1 drivers. However, nothing should be taken for granted just because our F1 history is so impressive.
– It would be important for everyone in Finland to be on the same page. Our Finnish F1 stars could, for example, nurture the next generation with their own networks, Hiltunen suggests.
However, the stark fact is that luck is also needed in addition to talent.
– You have to be in the right place at the right time. Lady Fortuna must be favored, Hiltunen guides everyone who is hatching an F1 dream.