Monday, September 08, 2008

10 Days, 10 Formula One Sponsors (Day 10)

On the tenth and final day, I failed. Without a proper sports car of my own and especially without a basic understanding of how to heel-and-toe, I could not justify spending hundreds of dollars on a pair of Puma racing shoes (Puma sponsors the tenth team, Scuderia Toro Rosso).


But if I were to be in the market for a pair of racing shoes, I would opt for the Puma Trionfo Mid Pros. Among the shoes' features: assymetrical lacing to improve blood circulation and decrease lactic acid build-up. Plus, they have carbon fiber heel stabilizers. How cool is that?


Summary:
Day 1, Kingfisher beer, Force India, 8/10
Day 2, Intel chip, BMW Sauber, no rating
Day 3, Mercedes-Benz C300, McLaren Mercedes, 3/10
Day 4, ING Direct savings account, Renault, 6/10
Day 5, Panasonic KX-TG2352, Toyota, 4/10
Day 6, Shell gasoline, Ferrari, no rating
Day 7, AT&T phone service, Williams, 2/10
Day 8, Honda Accord Euro, Honda, 8/10
Day 9, Red Bull energy drink, Red Bull Racing, 2/10
Day 10, Puma Trionfo Mid Pro shoes, STR, 7/10

My conclusions after my ten day experiment? Though F1 is aimed at the European and Asian markets, the reality of globalization means that most of the products and services offered "there" are also available "here" in the U.S. I also found out that though F1 tries to exude exclusivity and exotica, some of its sponsors produce some pretty mundane stuff such as savings accounts, compact cars, and computer chips. Finally, a few of the products and services are not only mundane, but crappy as well, e.g. Mercedes vehicles and AT&T telephone service.

CKY

No comments: