©
Date
Jan 2022
Client
Mothers
Industry
Automotive / Car care
Challenge
ESPN's ad breaks risked cutting away right as the race was decided, and it already had.
F1 races run long, live, and without natural breaks or timeouts like other sports. Airing a standard commercial pod risks missing the exact moment that defines the race, and that's exactly what happened when ESPN cut to a Mothers spot mid-finish. The backlash was immediate: disappointed fans turned both the network and Mothers into targets across social media overnight, on a night that should have been a win.
Solution
We made Mothers the broadcast's only sponsor and cut the commercials entirely.
Working closely with ESPN, we found a media structure that kept F1 coverage running without missing a beat while keeping Mothers top of mind throughout, by changing how the network aired the broadcast itself. ESPN made the F1 races commercial-free with a single exclusive sponsor: Mothers. Mothers messaging opened and closed every broadcast, with brand presence on-screen throughout live coverage. Fans got uninterrupted racing. Mothers got a full season of unmissable presence instead of a handful of thirty-second spots.
Process
A full season of integrated broadcast, digital, and social support built around the exclusive sponsorship.
We built the partnership out beyond the on-air deal: broadcast open/close billboards, in-race brand integration, and a season-long content and social program that gave fans a reason to associate Mothers with the sport rather than just interrupting it. The team also handled the web, video, and social assets needed to support the sponsorship across the season, keeping the presence consistent from race to race rather than treating it as a one-off buy.
By the numbers
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