It was Aston Martin’s most ambitious Formula 1 marketing venture to date.
In the run-up to the Las Vegas Grand Prix, on November 15th, the British ultra-luxury marque lit up the Las Vegas skyline with huge immersive advertising on the exterior screen of the city’s new globe-shaped entertainment arena, Sphere – the largest LED screen on the planet.
Visible from the famous street circuit and broadcast multiple times until lights out at the Grand Prix, the 90-second film started off by illuminating Aston Martin’s emblematic wings before featuring a flying scarab beetle – the insect which originally inspired the Aston Martin winged marque back in the 1930s.
After the beetle seemed to shatter Sphere’s screen, there was then a dramatic reveal of the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team’s AMR23 race-car, which completed a thrilling burnout, filling the surface of the screen with a layer of swirling smoke from its tyres.
As the smoke cleared, the world’s most powerful luxury SUV, the DBX707, and the world’s first super tourer, the DB12, then made an appearance.
On the Las Vegas Strip Circuit itself, VIP guests of Aston Martin were treated to hot laps in a DBX707 and a Vantage F1 Edition.
There was even the chance to drive an Aston Martin off-road in the Nevada desert. For this experience, guests were first flown in a private helicopter above the circuit before heading out across the Grand Canyon towards the magnificent Valley of Fire State Park.
Here they felt the force of the world’s most powerful luxury SUV as they negotiated an off-road driving route across the rocky, desert scenery.
And for fans who couldn’t make the trip to Las Vegas, there was the chance to get involved in the grand prix online by using the marque’s award-winning automotive configurator.
Placing online users on turn four of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, the configurator allowed fans to custom-design their own bespoke Aston Martins. It was the first time a Formula 1 track has ever featured in an automotive configurator.
Marco Mattiacci, is Aston Martin’s Global Chief Brand and Commercial Officer. He said: “Targeting much more than brand awareness, our activities are an example of how we are maximising the tremendous global platform of F1 to drive reappraisal of Aston Martin amongst new audiences, infuse our products with the sport’s high-performance DNA and connect our community through unique luxury experiences.”
The grand prix itself saw some amazing motor-sport action, as expected, with Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso taking 5th and 9th positions respectively.
