They say make hay while the sun shines and that certainly seems to be the case for Formula 1 team Sahara Force India and flip flop maker Havaianas. Clearly, both the brands do have a an interesting marketing team and a sense of humour, which has led to what we believe is a masterstroke in ad placement. The Silverstone-based team announced a season-long deal with Havaianas recently, and the brand's name shows up on the new Halo cockpit protection device, whose shape has been likened to that of the flip flop strap. With the tie-up, Force India becomes the second team after McLaren to have its halo sponsored by a flip flop maker.
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Speaking about the deal, Force india, COO, Otmas Szafnauer said, "We are delighted to bring Havaianas into Formula 1. Where better than the halo to carry the famous Havaianas logo? We have always been an adventurous team with our marketing efforts, and after introducing the pink livery in 2017 we hope this partnership will appeal to all fun-loving Formula 1 fans in 2018."
(The marketing tool has caught everyone's attention)
The Havaianas branding will be featured on Force India's halo at various races during the season, most prominently at the Brazilian Grand Prix, which is the home race of Havaianas parent company Alpargatas.
Interestingly, the idea was thought of by fans of Havaianas. Speaking about the collaboration, Alpargatas chief executive Marcio Utsch said, "At Havaianas, we pride ourselves on listening to the fans of our brand and over the last few months we have seen more and more people associating our flip-flops with the new halo across social media."
McLaren though was the first team to enter into a sponsorship deal with Gandys, a brand of flip-flops ahead of the season opener Australian Grand Prix that happened over the last weekend. The move certainly works for both brands and is a smart example of marketing done right.
(The Force India-Havaianas tie-up is the second such in F1 after McLaren-Gandys)
Coming to the performances from both teams, the first race of the season was an eye opener for the teams with some very interesting results. Force India, which has been finishing fourth in the constructors' standings for past two consecutive seasons, completed the race outside of the points table with Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon finishing 11th and 12th respectively.
McLaren, on the other hand, had the unexpected start to the season with Fernando Alonso finishing fifth in the race, while teammate Stoffel Vandoorne finished in ninth place.
