Crossover Formula 1 and NFL fans, fasten your seatbelts.<\/p>\n
The Cadillac F1 team, which is set to make its debut on the grid when the 2026 F1 season gets up and running in Australia in March, is releasing its car livery this weekend on marketing\u2019s biggest stage: the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n
Standing up a brand-new F1 team is expensive, and so is a Super Bowl ad, but for Cadillac, which is already working to be known as the American team in the paddock, the team never really considered another option for the livery reveal, Cadillac F1 CMO Ahmed Iqbal told Marketing Brew.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we were positioning ourselves as America\u2019s new home team, how and where do we actually start this story?\u201d Iqbal said. \u201cNo better place to do it than the pinnacle moment of sports media entertainment in American culture, which is the Super Bowl. That really was the main focus\u2014to find the right platform to do the story and to really plant our flag as America\u2019s new team.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to being a uniquely American moment, the Super Bowl also provides Cadillac with the reach the team is looking for as it works to introduce itself to a wide range of potential fans, from F1 diehards to newcomers.<\/p>\n
One giant leap<\/h2>\n
While the full Super Bowl spot won\u2019t be released until it airs during the fourth quarter of the game, Iqbal said, Cadillac did, in typical Big Game advertiser fashion, drop a teaser this week, which features a voiceover from President John F. Kennedy\u2019s 1962 \u201cWe choose to go to the moon\u201d speech.<\/p>\n
Unlike many of the other ads that will air on Super Bowl Sunday, Cadillac\u2019s 30-second spot doesn\u2019t include any celebrity cameos, according to Mina Mikhael, ECD at Translation, the creative agency behind the campaign. Instead, it relies on shots of the car and the story of Cadillac\u2019s F1 entrance in an effort to appeal to the wide range of fans watching the game, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re already an F1 casual or hard-core [fan,] you\u2019ve already made up your mind [about your team], but you are curious, and then on the other side, the rest of the Super Bowl audience is not our normal target,\u201d Mikhael said. \u201cWe found a story and we found an insight that is relatable\u2026and I think this is going to be something that any casual person watching this can have an opinion on.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an effort to balance appealing to F1 newbies without alienating longtime fans, the creative team embraced the idea of \u201cplot twists,\u201d Mikhael said, but it steered away from creative concepts that \u201cfelt like they were intentionally spoofing F1 or trying to disrupt the sport itself,\u201d Translation ECD Steve Horn added.<\/p>\n
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When the 30-second version runs during the game, Cadillac plans to release a 60-second cut of the ad online, Mikhael told us. The 30-second spot will focus largely on the livery, while the 60-second version will provide additional context about the team and its recent history since getting official approval to join the grid last year.<\/p>\n
Lights out and away we go<\/h2>\n
Leading up to its Big Game reveal, Cadillac has a big experiential activation planned. In Times Square, a big shiny box with a frosted glass exterior will slowly defrost, eventually displaying a replica of the Cadillac F1 team car and its new livery. The display is being installed on Friday, will defrost by the end of the Super Bowl, and will stay up through Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew York City, first of all, is home of all countdowns,\u201d Iqbal said. \u201cThere\u2019s no race in New York City\u2026so we\u2019re putting the car in a place that is essentially the global crossroads of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bringing the livery reveal to NYC is Cadillac\u2019s way of matching the magnitude of a Super Bowl moment with an IRL experience, Iqbal said. Creating a physical experience that leans on branded imagery, like the team\u2019s signature chrome coloring, is designed to amp up hype and mystery in a manner that he said represents the team and its identity. Plus, Mikhael added, it\u2019s just \u201cfreaking cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cadillac will measure the success of the campaign in what Iqbal calls the \u201cstandard format,\u201d focusing on piquing the interest of as many potential fans as possible. The team is aiming to brand Cadillac and the sport as simultaneously accessible and aspirational, a goal he said is easier in the digital age.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe F1 audience is so online, [both] the core fans and casual fans,\u201d Mikhael said. \u201cAll of our posts, everything\u2019s about \u2018just follow us, be a part of this team\u2019\u2026you get to be part of us building up. We want you to be one of our first five, 10 million followers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond the Big Game, the Cadillac team is focused on preseason testing at the Bahrain circuit next week before preparing for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in early March, events that can spur behind-the-scenes looks and moments for social. Further out, it\u2019ll be all about the races right here in the US that Cadillac can really lay claim to: Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re also working on something really special for our first home race, which will be in Miami,\u201d Iqbal said. \u201cAs we prepare for the rest of the season, you\u2019ll see some really specific moments from us really trying to own the F1 experience in our home base.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n