For decades, Qualcomm operated largely behind the scenes of the consumer technology industry. Its chips and wireless products powered millions of devices worldwide, but the company – and its Snapdragon brand – remained invisible to the people using them.
This is now changing. Through its partnership with the Mercedes Formula One team, Qualcomm is mounting a deliberate campaign to transform Snapdragon into a recognised consumer brand.
Formula One has become a centrepiece of that effort – not simply as a sponsorship vehicle, but as a global marketing platform to boost awareness of its products.
“Snapdragon is the consumer-facing brand we’re really trying to put a stake in the ground [with] and have people understand that it exists and what it does,” says Garrett Ponder, director of marketing at Qualcomm.
‘We have to start with awareness’
Founded in 1985, Qualcomm was initially focused on wireless communication technologies before introducing the Snapdragon product for smartphones in 2007. It first partnered with Mercedes in 2015 during a dominant era spearheaded by Lewis Hamilton, before reuniting with the Silver Arrows in a multi-year deal in 2023 following a technology collaboration with Ferrari.
The move came as part of a broader push into sponsorship which also saw Snapdragon acquire some of the most premium sponsorship inventory in all of sport by becoming the front-of-shirt partner of Manchester United. That followed a period of growth on the back of the Covid-19 pandemic which saw Qualcomm’s revenue reach US$44.2 billion in 2022. Last year, that figure reached US$44.3 billion, up from US$39 billion in 2024.
During its time away from Formula One, the company’s objectives have evolved considerably. Whereas Qualcomm previously used Formula One to demonstrate its technology credentials to an industry audience, the priority now is reaching and educating fans so that they actively start to seek out Snapdragon-powered products – whether they be mobile phones, laptops or connected cars.
“When we start our big partnerships, we know we have to start with awareness, you have to start top of funnel,” says Ponder. “People know that Snapdragon is a thing that exists now. We’re starting to drive to middle funnel and, ultimately, we do want to move consumers down to purchase intent [from] consideration.”
Formula One provides an ideal platform for those goals. Its global fanbase skews younger and is more tech savvy than other major sports properties, according to Ponder, who says there is strong alignment with the markets that San Diego-based Qualcomm is trying to reach.
“Key markets in the mobile space for us are China and India,” says Ponder. “As we’re in the compute business, it’s the US, the UK, Germany and others.”
The Mercedes partnership, combined with Qualcomm’s deal with Premier League soccer club Manchester United, gives Snapdragon premium brand presence across all of them.
Snapdragon is also the senior partner of Mercedes’ F1 Academy entry, with the brand’s logo featured prominently on the car and driver overalls (Image credit: Getty Images)
‘We don’t approach anything with just a logo slap’
While Qualcomm has been focused on growing awareness for Snapdragon, hospitality remains “a significant part” of its Mercedes partnership. The company runs large programmes for clients and special guests at several races throughout the season, which Ponder says has been “really impactful” for the business.
From a fan-facing perspective, Qualcomm’s activation strategy is focused on storytelling rather than conventional branding. The Mercedes deal does include branding on team cars, driver race suits and the clothing of senior personnel, but Ponder says the company doesn’t approach the partnership “with just a logo slap”.
Through its Mercedes contract, Snapdragon has a set amount of access to drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli each season, which unsurprisingly delivers “really strong engagement”.
The brand has learned to leverage that access around moments that already have the audience’s attention. For example, when the International Automobile Federation (FIA) announced controversial guidelines in 2025 that would fine drivers for swearing, Snapdragon saw an opportunity to insert itself into the conversation. It did so by creating a content piece featuring Russell using a stand-in swearing double when talking about Snapdragon’s technology.
The campaign with Russell performed strongly, it felt like a natural companion to the events of the sport rather than imposing an external narrative.
“It has to be fan-led,” says Ponder. “It can’t feel forced. You have to really do your research. Whether that’s through the agencies that we partner with [or] our internal team, you have to understand what’s happening in the sport, what that means for the future of the sport, and be relevant in those conversations.”
To stay close to those conversations, Qualcomm leans on marketing agency CAA Brand Consulting, whose expertise in the sport helps the company set and benchmark KPIs – including awareness, engagement, and brand lift – against its wider marketing activity.
From brand ethos to business results
Qualcomm’s strategy reflects a wider shift in Formula One. Once dominated by automotive and engineering companies, the series’ cultural reach now extends well beyond its traditional fanbase, which is to the benefit of sponsors like Snapdragon.
That’s not to say that Formula One’s traditional association with elite engineering performance is not welcome. For Ponder, the “pursuit of innovation” in the sport “really aligned with our brand ethos”, which is a reminder that however fan-facing the strategy has become, the underlying fit between Qualcomm and Formula One remains core to the Mercedes partnership.
To that end, Mercedes’ early on-track success this season is also welcome, but not central to the relationship.
“If you’re chasing teams to chase wins, it’s not going to come across well as a brand,” explains Ponder.
What Qualcomm is chasing instead is measurable brand impact, and early signs suggest it is paying off. The company has already seen what Ponder describes as a “meaningful, statistically significant lift in brand metrics” from the Mercedes partnership. Meanwhile, the company’s chief marketing officer Don McGuire revealed in a blog post in 2024 that investments in areas like sponsorship had helped drive awareness two times higher than the competitive average and drive demand for Snapdragon devices.
While not all of that will be directly attributable to its partnership with Mercedes, there are tangible signs that Snapdragon’s move from the background to the mainstream is gathering pace.
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