Member Spotlight:
Dorna Sports is an international sports management, marketing and media company that was founded in 1988. With its HQ in Madrid, and further branch offices and/or subsidiaries in Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Tokyo, Dorna has been the exclusive commercial and television rights holder for the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (MotoGP™) since 1992.
MotoGP™ is the world’s premier motorcycling championship, comprising 18-rounds across 15 different countries. The 2014 season saw 2.47 million fans attend GP events and, with broadcast agreements in place with TV networks in every key territory, MotoGP™ now reaches 207 nations across all five continents, and is beamed into over 290 million homes worldwide.
We took the opportunity to speak with Pau Serracanta I Marcet, Managing Director, Commercial Area for MotoGP™, about the series.
When did Dorna first become involved in MotoGP?
Our company started managing the MotoGP™ World Championships back in 1992. And I’m extremely proud to say that we still have three original sponsors who have remained with us for the past 23 years – Philip Morris, Freixenet and Swatch Group.
How do you regard your relationship with sponsors?
Dorna takes a 360º approach to our sponsors and partners. What I mean by this is that we have an all-encompassing Grand Prix event management philosophy. We have close working relationships across the three main areas of the business (sporting, media and commercial). For our sponsor and commercial partnerships we look for relationships that include brand visibility, special experiences, B2B and B2C marketing, hospitality, product placement, on site promotions and presence through social media.
How is the effectiveness of the relationships measured?
We work with a lot of different specialist agencies that look at the data and analyse the TV audiences and the related media value, the social media presence and on-site activation. This gives us our metrics that we can then share with our partners.
What are the current trends within your business area, and how are they affecting how you work and how you deliver on strategy?
There is now a clear link, as you would expect, between the digital and traditional (or offline) presence of our sponsors and partners. So activities and strategy are now all encompassing so that every area can work effectively together.
How are you strategizing for the digital world, and what problems / opportunities has this created?
We have continually looked at the opportunities, and kept abreast of new channels, so that we can move very quickly in order to be able to interact and engage with the fans. It’s no longer about passively watching an event, it’s about interactivity and engagement. And this is something that we know a lot about. MotoGP™ is one of the most exciting and visual forms of motorsport in the world so we’re well placed to be able to work within the digital world and offer engagement opportunities that are second to none for all our partners.
What learning’s have you gained from the relationship so far?
As you’ve already seen, we have long term (and some very long term!) relationships with our existing sponsors and I firmly believe that the key to maintaining these relationships is good servicing, clear communications and always striving to over deliver on your commercial promises.
Are there areas in which the relationships are offering back something surprising that you hadn’t planned for?
Although not necessarily a surprise for us, the B2B and B2C results we achieve for our partners can come as a surprise to them. When you start a relationship with a sponsor for a particular sector, you can never be 100% sure know how things will turn out, but over the years we’ve had many good and unexpected results which have delighted out partners.
What are the 3 key bits of advice you can offer to other rights holders now that you’ve gone through the sponsor process?
Be innovative, be proactive, and over deliver.
What challenges have you encountered over the years, and how have they been overcome?
Without a doubt our biggest challenge was in 2006, when the ban on tobacco sponsorships came into effect. We started working 5 years in advance of this ban, trying to attract and involve new companies from different sectors, and to extend as much as possible the agreements. We were lucky because, even with the economic downturn in 2007, we already had new sponsors on board that had agreed long term contracts and so we were not directly affected by the economic crisis during the following years. It was the early planning that made the difference.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Keep calm, and enjoy motorcycle racing 🙂
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