F1 Academy, the series designed to promote female participation in motorsport, recently announced a partnership with British makeup and skincare brand Charlotte Tilbury.
This partnership has been heralded as ‘history making’, as it is the first instance whereby a female-founded company has partnered with the female-only motorsport series.
In the context of sports sponsorship, it is certainly unique. It’s also only the beginning of the incredible opportunities for brands. For years, the sports sponsorship landscape has been dominated by beverage (often beer), automotive and financial services. Three traditional, and stereotypically male-dominated, territories.
However, this instance of beauty meeting sport bucks that trend in more ways than one. What can we learn from this partnership, and others like it? And what precedent does it set for the world of sports sponsorship for years to come?
F1 Academy is, by its very nature, inherently rooted in purpose. The motorsport series was created to give female drivers equity of opportunity, so that women can be better represented. Charlotte Tilbury shares many of the same ambitions for her brand so is the partnership history-making or history-defining? Only time will tell.
Catering to your audience
While this partnership is the first of its kind in the context of F1 Academy, Charlotte Tilbury is not the first beauty brand that has stepped into the world of sponsorship in women’s sport in recent years.
Il Makiage, an American makeup brand, became the official beauty partner of Arsenal Women in November 2022. The partnership’s launch campaign, ‘Focus on My Game Face’, celebrates the elite talent, passion, and impact of women footballers.
Additionally, Urban Decay teamed up with the Los Angeles Sparks for the 2023 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) season, which saw the beauty brand join forces with the three-time WNBA champions.
Research from the Women’s Sport Trust found a hugely positive impact of women’s sport sponsorship for brands. Of the sponsorships researched, Il Makiage’s Arsenal partnership was highly successful in driving brand consideration, with 31 per cent of those aware of the sponsorship more likely to consider buying from the brand as a result.
Additionally, 53 per cent of those aware of the brand’s partnership with Arsenal felt more positive about Il Makiage as a result. These stats would suggest undeniable untapped opportunities in this space.
Introducing the #3 car @LolaLovinfosse will be driving for @CTilburyMakeup and @RodinMotorsport on the F1 ACADEMY grid this season. 🏁#F1ACADEMY pic.twitter.com/t61Y74nRxs
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) February 16, 2024
A sense of belonging
From Urban Decay and Il Makiage to Charlotte Tilbury, there is a clear unifying theme running through the campaign messaging of these powerful sporting collaborations.
Each campaign is centred around not just creating, but curating a space in which women can feel acceptance, empowerment and, above all, a sense of belonging within each sport.
Unlimited Group’s Human Understanding Lab, run by its team of neuroscientists and behavioural experts, devised a ‘Fan Emotion Index’ that profiles sports fans based on what motivates their fandom.
Significantly, this research found female sports fans to index much higher than their male counterparts when identifying a sense of belonging as a key emotional driver behind their sporting fandom.
Female sports fans need to feel a sense of community, acceptance, and belonging in order to be able to express their interest in the sport. These partnerships between beauty brands and sporting rightsholders simultaneously speak to this need to belong, and they buck gender stereotypes in one fell sweep.
In doing so, they create that sense of belonging through empowerment, inclusion, and solidarity for the female sports fan to unapologetically express themselves, and their sporting fandom.
Go deeper
- Why Paretta Autosport are both an achievement and a lesson for diversity in motorsport
- ‘We are making steps, but we are not there yet’: Analysing the state of play for women in motorsport
Beating the competition
‘Purpose’ has undeniably become a buzzword when it comes to the sport sponsorship landscape. Consumers are expecting more from sponsors than just a mere branding exercise, something that was common in the past.
Now, authenticity is key in the context of brand collaborations, which are often scrutinised under an increased focus on values, social impact and meaningful engagement.
By curating a space in which women can feel involvement, inclusion, and engagement in the sport, these beauty brands are not only actioning positive change to existing issues, but they are changing the landscape for the better.
In turn, this breaks down barriers to allow women to enter into the space, something that has never been encouraged before due to the gender stereotypes that didn’t allow women to freely express their sporting fandom.
It’s only February and Charlotte Tilbury is already making big moves in 2024. It will be exciting to watch the brand, the athletes, and the sport continue to drive positive change in this space.