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 Any references in programmes to products and services provided by a commercial company must be editorially justifiable and not promotional. No undue prominence should be given to any branded product or service and there must be no element of plugging. Product placement and Formula One - by Jonathan Legard, the BBC's motor racing correspondent. Formula One works the world, and travels it, like no other sport - two billion people watched each of the 17 races in 2002. But the 2003 Fosters Australian Grand Prix was the best advertisement it's had in months. Listeners to the BBC would have heard how the lead changed hands six times, how at least four leading drivers had the chance to win and how the sport put on a spectacular show that took significant steps to regaining credibility after its annus horribilis in 2002. Product placement But there was no mention of the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro or West McLaren Mercedes or even the race sponsors, as per the official entry list. Ferrari and McLaren were sufficient. What's more, the full titles would have been blatant product placement and contravene BBC guidelines on tobacco sponsorship. Tyres or engines are different because they affect performance. If a Honda engine blows up or a Michelin tyre explodes, that is a headline not a plug. The BMW Williams team may have invited me to meet key personnel over breakfast in their lavish motor home but if Juan Pablo Montoya's engine blows, criticism is expected. Likewise, in Melbourne in 2003, the winning car, McLaren Mercedes produced the fastest lap of the race, and that was broadcast. It was fact, not gratuitous mention in the hope that Daimler Chrysler would send me one of their latest sports cars as a reward! Sponsors Sponsors are key players in Formula One. In some cases, they provide up to 70 percent of a team's multi-million dollar budget. Without them, teams crash out of business as happened last year when Prost and Arrows went bankrupt. Big money deals - such as Vodafone's partnership with Ferrari or Benson and Hedges' renewal with Jordan - are news, but need to be reported in context. It's certainly no excuse for team owners or drivers to pepper interviews with endless mentions of sponsors and their products. Jackie Stewart is a serial offender on behalf of HSBC, Rolex, the Ford motor company and many others. But we're wise to the ploy with our computer editing, and while they've slipped the net in print this once, the references never make the BBC airwaves! |
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