Day four has wrapped at Cannes Lions 2025, which means we’ve got more winners to announce. Today seven new category champions have been crowned in: Brand Experience & Activation, Creative Business Transformation, Creative Commerce, Creative Effectiveness, Creative Strategy, Innovation, and Luxury & Lifestyle.

As part of this, seven more campaigns have received their flowers, two of which are repeat winners, and one of which has now one three Grand Prix this year. Hailing from the US, France, the UK, and Denmark, the list of winning countries might be small, but the diversity of the work is immense. Ranging from Ziploc’s endeavour to improve coupon viability, to LVMH’s clever ‘hack’ to bypass Olympic advertising policies, to the entirety of Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ platform, each selection is truly unique in the best way possible, and deserves your attention.

See the full list of Thursday’s Grand Prix winners below:

Brand Experience & Activation Lions

Chicago Hearing Society – Caption with Intention

Winning its third Grand Prix of the festival, FCB Chicago, Rakish and Chicago Hearing Society’s endeavour to improve the closed captioning system for the first time since 1971 has demonstrated its quality once again. While you can learn more about it in Tuesday’s roundup, alongside the factors which allowed it to also triumph in the Digital Craft and Design categories, one way or another, it’s safe to say that the scale, nature and intention of the work speaks for itself.

Jury president Tara Ford, chief creative officer, Droga5 London, part of Accenture Song, said, “‘Caption with Intention’ is an idea that will transform the experience of film and video in all its forms. Not only does it make this medium more accessible and immersive for the deaf and hearing-impaired community, but it has the potential to be applied beyond film to all types of communication and entertainment with other applications in the future. It is a great example of how creativity can be applied beyond communications to solve real-world problems in a compelling way.”

​Read more about it here.

Creative Business Transformation Lions

AXA – Three Words

Another repeat winner makes an appearance early on today’s list! In this case, Publicis Conseil and French insurance corporation AXA’s decision to add domestic violence coverage to the brand’s policies, alongside emergency relocation, free psychological, legal and financial support, is proving to be a game changer, bringing home its second Grand Prix. Check out why the Direct Lions jury also awarded it yesterday, and to get more information about this insightful initiative.

Jury president Jane Lin-Baden, CEO APAC, member of the global management committee, Publicis Groupe, said, “AXA has created a systematic commercial solution for a systemic problem. This purposeful idea resets the category by turning a centuries-old, commoditised product into a driver of brand preference and growth, redefining the category of ‘home insurance’. This is what Creative Business Transformation is all about: a simple, powerful idea with maximum transformative power for business and people.”

​Read more about it here.

Creative Commerce Lions

Ziploc – Preserved Promos

Around the world, rising inflation levels are eating away at grocery budgets, but in the US, it’s especially bad. With food prices increasing by about 20% over the past four years, consumers are having to get even savvier about what they purchase, which, for many, has led to the resurgence of the coupon.

Of course, while coupons are fantastic ways to save, the downside to this method is that ultimately, like many of the foods they offer discounts on, they expire. So, to reaffirm its ability to preserve product quality, Ziploc teamed up with VML New York for a new marketing initiative. Creating a system that allowed users to upload expired promo code images, the app would then extend their duration, provided the user was also buying Ziploc at the same time. The result? A 49% redemption rate, a 5% sales lift for the brand, and a 14% increase in new buyers. A strong reminder that campaigns which meet consumers where they’re at can meaningfully build brand affinity for the future.

Gabriel Schmitt, global chief creative officer, Grey, and jury president, commented, “It was a unanimous decision, which speaks to how well-rounded the idea is. Bold, scaled, ownable. It made us jealous. It made us proud to be part of an industry that puts ideas like this into the world.”

Creative Effectiveness Lions

Apple – Shot on iPhone

While the work featured above, ‘The Invincibles’, is awesome in its own right, it’s actually just one part of this year’s winning Creative Effectiveness initiative (also featuring the likes of the standout ‘Fuzzy Feelings’). In fact, a mix of eight different films and case studies have come together here to speak to the stature that Apple and TBWA\Media Arts Lab’s ‘Shot on iPhone’ platform has gained in the 10 years since it launched. From demonstrating the iPhone 14’s LiDAR Scanner, to the strength of the camera on the later models, each and every one of the works selected for the Grand Prix brings something unique and clever to the table, proving the breadth of this global campaign, and the power that comes with great craft, even when shooting through non-traditional means.

Commenting on the Grand Prix, Andrea Diquez, global CEO, GUT, and jury president, said, “‘Shot on iPhone’ was awarded the Grand Prix for its groundbreaking ability to democratise creativity, transforming everyday moments into art. The campaign stood out as a masterclass in elevating user-generated content to build a long-term platform with stunning execution. When a client commits to a long-term platform built around highly creative work that resonates globally and locally, it’s magic – it’s this unique combination that makes it truly deserving of the industry’s top honour.”

Creative Strategy Lions

Dove – Real Beauty: How a Soap Brand Created a Global Self Esteem Movement

When it comes to demonstrating creative strategy, campaigns which have proven themselves across the typical few-year span are pretty standard within the shortlists of advertising award shows around the world. However, this year, Dove has made a statement by reflecting on the history of its ‘Real Beauty’ initiative. Originally created in 2004 to fight back against toxic beauty standards in an era when only 2% of women saw themselves as beautiful, it ultimately led to the creation of the brand’s ‘Self-Esteem Project’, and has since spurred it to fight for change in legislation, combat filters, create mass movements to retrain AI, and much, much more.

The thing is, if you work in this industry, you already know just how much Dove and Ogilvy have accomplished together since they set out on this journey. ‘Real Beauty’ is internationally iconic. But, to put it into perspective, since starting, what was once a simple soap bar retailer has transformed into a $7.5 billion brand platform, is now one of the top 10 most powerful brands globally, and, crucially, has made a real difference for many around the world.

Jury president Pats McDonald, global chief strategy officer, Dentsu Creative, said, “In a world where millions of young women struggle with anxiety, Dove’s 20-year commitment to self-esteem has never been more urgent. From a simple but devastating insight (just 2% of women describe themselves as beautiful) and a humble bar of soap, it accelerated across categories and continents. Dove embraces culture, collaboration and community while maintaining absolute consistency at its core – demonstrating the extraordinary commercial impact of true brand purpose allied to lasting business commitment.”

Innovation Lions

Museum for the United Nations – UN Live – Sounds Right

At a time when biodiversity and the state of the environment as a whole could be much better, any initiative to further such causes in genuinely meaningful fashion is going to be well received. However, the decision from AKQA Copenhagen, alongside the Museum for the United Nations, to start paying ‘NATURE’ royalties for its involvement in music truly does meet the definition of ‘innovation’.

In short, the two teamed up with artists around the world (such as UMI, V of BTS, Ellie Goulding, Brian Eno, and even the late David Bowie) to re-release/release new tracks featuring the sounds of the planet. For every song like this, a credit would be given to NATURE, with it also getting a share of the royalties, intended for funding conservation efforts. Requiring nothing more than people to do what they already enjoy doing – listening – this pursuit has already raised $500,00 in the 2025 donation cycle, made NATURE a top 1% artist on Spotify, and proves that sometimes, a real difference can be made without even asking consumers to do anything new.

Commenting, jury president Courtney Brown Warren, chief marketing officer, Kickstarter, said, “The Grand Prix was awarded to ‘Sounds Right’ because it tackles nature conservation with creativity and a simple, yet innovative approach to shifting a cultural mindset. It’s an initiative with global scale, long-term impact, and one the jury ultimately felt they’d be proud to have created themselves – the kind of breakthrough approach that reminds us why we do this work.”

Luxury Lions

LVMH – The Partnership That Changed Everything

If the Olympic Games doesn’t allow advertising in the competition areas, making sponsor brands invisible on broadcast, how does one ‘hack’ the system to ensure they still get all the recognition afforded by such a globally-watched event? According to Havas Play and LVMH, thoughtfully and meticulously.

Specifically, heading into the Paris 2024 games, LVMH, as a partner of the event, was facing this precise question. So, to increase brand consideration, it ensured that its wares became a significant part of every facet of the competition. At the ceremonies, all the performing artists were dressed in Dior. Every French athlete was outfitted in suits made by Berluti. All the medals were crafted by Chaumet, with a piece of the Eiffel tower in the centre. And, each of these was then delivered on Louis Vuitton’s signature trays. A move that was more than product placement, yet ensured LVMH spotted was everywhere, this decision multiplied brand consideration by 12, and proved that with creativity, there’s always a way to bend traditional rulings.

Mathilde Delhoume Debreu, global brand officer, LVMH, and president of the jury, commented, “The 2025 Luxury Grand Prix redefined sports sponsorship into a creative partnership with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, embodying LVMH group’s mission ‘The Art of Crafting Dreams’ into the idea ‘Artisans of all victories’. Dior dressed the artists with haute couture creations, Berluti outfitted French athletes with tailor-made suits, Chaumet designed medals incorporating Eiffel Tower fragments, and Louis Vuitton delivered them in an iconic trunk and on signature trays. LVMH crafted the Games into a stage for performance, creativity and elegance, changing sports sponsorship forever.”

When LVMH inked an estimated $1 billion deal with Formula One late last year, it marked a turning point for the luxury company’s involvement in sports.

F1 is the most elite motorsport, with 24 races worldwide. LVMH’s 10-year collaboration involves three of its brands participating in the events, including Tag Heuer replacing Rolex as the official timekeeper and bespoke Louis Vuitton trophy trunks being gifted to winners.

This past weekend, as teams were gearing up for the Monaco Grand Prix, LVMH chief Bernard Arnault visited the Red Bull Racing paddock with his sons: Frédéric, CEO of Loro Piana responsible for the F1 partnership; Alexandre, the deputy CEO of the wines and spirits division; and Jean, Louis Vuitton’s watch director.

Tag Heuer became the official F1 timekeeper and first title sponsor for the Monaco race. The brand has a long connection with the city-state, having designed a watch collection sharing the “Monaco” name in 1969. It also has a whole line of F1-themed watches that can cost as much as £4,750.

Its timekeeping return, having last been the official timekeeper in 2003, has put the LVMH-owned watch label on shoppers’ radars.

“Since the beginning of 2025, traffic is up double digits in the stores,” Tag Heuer’s CEO Antoine Pin told Vogue Business. “We adjusted production slightly upward on the car-related models, like the Carrera and the Monaco [to meet demand]. These models are pulling the business forward, which is also why I think the F1 works.”

F1 visibility could reap benefits over time, too. Although its events have attracted A-listers all over the world, F1 races have appealed to a younger and wider demographic, boosting their viewership and interest. Netflix’s Drive to Survive show also helped make the sport feel more accessible by offering a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes.

This bodes well for Tag Heuer, which has been growing in traction. It’ll be prominent at F1 races (some, like Monaco, more than others), which last the entire year and will be another way for the company to flaunt its historic ties with F1.

Tag Heuer’s position jumped in the list of top 20 Swiss watch brands by sales from 15th in 2023 to 11th in 2024, according to a report published by Morgan Stanley and LuxeConsult earlier this year.

“We are in a phase where we establish our role as the timekeeper. In the future, we could focus [our message] on the spectacular aspect of Formula One and the emotions it generates, all that contributes to its ongoing appeal,” Pin said.

LVMH has made inroads into the world of sports in more ways than F1. The company partnered with the Paris Olympics last year, with Chaumet designing the winners’ medals and Louis Vuitton creating the medals trunks encasing them until they were awarded.

Louis Vuitton was the title partner of America’s Cup in Barcelona, a collaboration with the sailing championship that dates back to 1983.

Last year, the conglomerate also bought a majority stake in the soccer club Paris FC, while Chanel became the official partner for The Boat Race in the U.K. between Oxford and Cambridge universities.

LVMH and other luxury players could use an injection of excitement now, especially as the luxury downturn continues while a global trade war leaves brands grappling with uncertainty.

The intersection of luxury and sports allows luxury labels to influence different groups of buyers through athletes and events. If successful, they could draw larger audiences, both for the sporting event and the brands.

Representatives at LVMH didn’t immediately return Fortune’s request for comment.

IN MID-FEBRUARY, the great and the good of Formula 1 arrived at London’s O2 arena for an event entirely new to the highest class of international motorsport racing: F1 75 Live. Ostensibly a season launch centred around introducing the cars and drivers set to line up on the grid throughout the championship’s 75th anniversary season, the event was, in reality, the F1’s grandest marketing exercise yet: an Oscars-like showcase for a revitalised and increasingly image-conscious sport. Celebrities mingled with drivers on the red carpet, each cohort styled to the nines, before settling down at tables for a formal presentation as a live crowd of 20,000 watched on – the teams took turns presenting their 2025 contenders in an elaborate stage show. It was motorsport’s answer to a blockbuster film premiere, with shades of the Met Gala and The Hunger Games’ tribute ceremony thrown in for good measure – viewed online by a YouTube audience of more than a million people.

Placed strategically throughout the festivities were nods to the most valuable sponsorship deal Formula 1 has ever signed: a billion-dollar, decade-long agreement that will see luxury conglomerate LVMH imprint its own image, and branding, on the sport’s races and teams. For LVMH, which is owned by the Arnault family, the deal marks the next phase of a wider shift: to place the company at the epicentre of the Venn diagram where sport and luxury converge. For F1 owners Liberty Media, who bought the group in 2017, it represents the culmination of eight years reviving a series that had lost both a considerable amount of viewers and, through a combination of mismanagement, scandal and economic headwinds, much of the glamour of its late-20th century heyday.

As the drivers watched the showcase play out, conspicuously opting for water over champagne (it was pre-season, after all), bottles of LVMH-owned Moët & Chandon sat proudly in ice buckets perched on each table. When F1 CEO Stefano Domincali addressed attendees and viewers at home in a vignette, a cool blue timepiece from TAG Heuer, which this year replaced Rolex as the sport’s official timekeeper, twinkled on his wrist. A leather-clad Louis Vuitton trophy trunk, adorned in the fashion house’s signature monogram and holding the World Championship Drivers’ Trophy, dominated the frame behind him. ‘Victory Travels in Louis Vuitton’, a plinth holding the trunk boldly declared.

This year, the first stop on that trunk’s 10-month, 24-race voyage is the Australian Grand Prix – a milestone event not just as Melbourne returns to its traditional role as the setting of the season opener, but as the first major branding experiment of this eye-catching new partnership. Incidentally, after decades aligned with Australian legacy brands like Qantas and Fosters, it’s now named the Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix – the first time a fashion house has ever served as the title sponsor of a Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing during the Formula 1 pre-season testing at Sakhir Circuit in … More Sakhir, Bahrain on February 26, 2025. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images

When my favorite Cashmere Wolf, Bernard Arnault, chairman of luxury behemoth LVMH Group, watches Max Verstappen navigate treacherous corners at 180 mph during the Formula 1 Bahrain circuit, he does so with an eye towards his calculated $1.5 billion, 10-year investment into a competition rapidly growing in popularity. Like the Group’s 2024 Paris Olympic Games sponsorship, this unprecedented partnership, announced in late 2024 and aligned with the sport’s 75th anniversary and season, represents far more than logo placement on fast cars. Three distinct LVMH maisons—TAG Heuer, Louis Vuitton, and Moët & Chandon — each now play carefully choreographed roles in what amounts to luxury’s most ambitious sporting investment in Arnault’s latest exercise of strategic narrative layering.

Arnault orchestrated TAG Heuer’s takeover from Rolex the role of official timekeeper for Monaco’s Grand Prix; integrated Louis Vuitton’s bespoke trunks as carrying cases for Formula 1 trophies; and ensured Moët & Chandon’s omnipresence across newly rebranded races, Formula 1 TAG Heuer Monaco GRAND PRIX; Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian GRAND PRIX 2025; and Formula 1 Moët & Chandon Belgian GRAND PRIX 2025.

These LVMH brands will peacock on 24 global stages across nine months—stages that drew 1.5 billion cumulative TV viewers last year with an average viewership of 70 million per race—reaching a sundry audience that may never have entered a Louis Vuitton boutique or considered a TAG Heuer timepiece. With these spectators skewing younger and more diverse than traditional luxury consumers, Arnault clearly has his eyes set on future customer cultivation, something many luxury brands often eschew in favor of those who can afford their products today.

With Formula 1 now making scheduled Grand Prix stops in my Miami backyard for the next 15 years, I ventured onto the tracks last month to understand the sport’s growing entanglement with luxury. What I discovered were strategic partnerships navigating a balance between a rich motorsport tradition, a lifestyle signature, and a technologically savvy fanbase increasingly led by women.

MORE FOR YOU

Inside Aston Martin’s Formula 1 Strategy for Heritage Storytelling

KEITH, SCOTLAND – OCTOBER 30: (EDITORS NOTE: This image is a composite, and has been digitally … More retouched) The Aston Martin AMR24 is showcased inside the historic Still House at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Keith, Scotland, on October 30, 2024. This unique setting celebrates the newly announced global partnership between Glenfiddich and Aston Martin Formula One® Team. (Photo by Guido De Bortoli/Getty Images for Glenfiddich) Getty Images for Glenfiddich

“Formula 1 is really having a moment,” Rob Bloom, CMO of Aston Martin Formula 1, told me over a dram of Glenfiddich 50YO Simultaneous Time, part of the single malt scotch whisky brand’s Time Re:Imagined collection, and the rarest of the scotches Bloom and I would taste that evening. “There are still new people discovering Formula 1 today. This growth is attracting newer, younger fans skewing female, particularly in places like the US, which is brilliant to see.”

After racing McLarens at the McLaren Track Driving Event, followed by a MIAMI GRAND PRIX® Track Preview Experience & Paddock Tour, both courtesy of Chase Sapphire Reserve, I traded my track day sneakers for heels and a Donna Karan silk dress as I headed to the Mandarin Oriental for an exclusive dining experience with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team to sample Glenfiddich’s impressive lineup.

The dinner was part of Aston Martin F1’s multi-year partnership with the scotch brand, announced at the November Las Vegas Grand Prix, where Glenfiddich unearthed a rare cask from 1959 – the very year Aston Martin debuted in Formula 1 – to create a commemorative single bottle expression. In aligning origin stories, both brands enlisted the marketing strategy of borrowed equity from each brand’s legacy to augment their respective audience. In this well curated pairing, an Aston Martin enthusiast and a Glenfiddich connoisseur both share a love of the artisanal, of precision engineering, and a deep appreciation for heritage, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of distinction.

“The growth mindset that exists in the team is that we’ll never settle,” Bloom said. “There is that ongoing pursuit of excellence and betterment. Even when we win a race, the only thing we’re thinking about is the next race and the next win. Which in a way is addictive. It feeds you and everybody in the organization lives with this growth mindset.”

Under Bloom’s marketing leadership, the brand is leveraging F1’s burgeoning popularity by actively engaging with new audiences through lifestyle integrations and collaborations, such as with Glenfiddich. Beyond just winning races, Aston Martin F1’s marketing strategy is towards continuously exalting the brand’s image to an impassioned community.

He continued, “The sport itself is having a real moment. It’s not just about that amazing tech racing story and the growth mindset and the competitive nature of the sport. It’s actually about an extension into culture and lifestyle, and the fact that F1 shows up in everyday currency.”

This cultural expansion has fundamentally changed how luxury brands approach Formula 1 partnerships. “Aston Martin’s brand is ultimately a lifestyle brand,” Bloom stated, “and what we want to do as a brand in F1 is to make sure that we show up in a way that is more than just the sport.” Aston Martin F1 has recently collaborated with The Rolling Stones and DJ Dom Dolla to extend racing culture into the music, fashion, and nightlife territories luxury consumers inhabit.

“We want to get measured on how we bring people into the sport and our brand image,” he added. “Whether you’re wearing The Rolling Stones hoodie or drinking a glass of Glenfiddich, you should be able to experience and enjoy that as an extension of your celebration of two brands coming together.”

When Formula 1’s Technology Meets Passion at 200 MPH

Globant Co-Founder Guibert Englebienne interviews Jonny Haworth, F1’s director of commercial … More partnerships at the Globant and F1® Miami Garage Event Lilian Raji for Forbes

“What’s really interesting is that as fans come in, they’re younger, they’re more diverse, they’re more female and the challenge we have is that their interest in the sport spans everything,” Jonny Haworth, F1’s director of commercial partnerships discussed during the Globant and F1 Miami Garage Event panel at the Miami Autodrome Paddock. “The deep technology, the cars, everything that goes on the track all the way through to the culture and the lifestyle that goes on with drivers. And our role is to try and engage each of those audiences in a completely different way.”

This diversification challenge is precisely where technology partners become essential to luxury brands’ F1 strategies. Globant, through its multi-year Official Partner agreement with Formula 1, is using engineering and data to lean into human emotions. F1 has now gone from a niche automotive competition watched mostly by enthusiasts into an immersive experience accessible to global onlookers.

“Technology was getting into our pockets and therefore was changing the way we could connect 7 by 24 with the brands that we love, creating an emotional bond,” Guibert Englebienne, Globant’s co-founder said. “You need to make it memorable. It’s a big investment for people to come here. So our vision is that technology can be used to improve that, to expand, to bring some gravity to the sport, and the combination of engineering with data with a very human oriented company.”

Formula 1’s fundamental marketing objective, according to Donna Birkett Baida, the organization’s director of marketing, is to “make people fall in love with it, with our sport and with our brand.” She likened this to the complexity of human love, aiming for both “incredible highs and passion” and “a level of comfort.” The ultimate goal is to create “moments that are so memorable” and drive engagement, “really bringing people… from just being aware of our brand and that latent interest in our brand to actually genuinely falling in love with it.”

Globant is now developing a Formula 1 customer-facing app to enhance fan experience while providing data to devise continued engagement opportunities. “What I love about the app—and we’re still in the conceptual stages—is that it’s going to move us from being reactive,” Baida shared. “Which is really important because we have to be with our fans – react to their behaviors, requirements, and needs – but moving us much more towards being proactive and trying to anticipate what their requirements are and give them the best possible Formula 1 experience.”

Formula 1’s Gender Evolution Creates New Opportunities for Luxury Engagement

Tag Heuer clock during the Formula 1 pre-season testing at Sakhir Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain on … More February 26, 2025. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images

Shifting from efficiency to intimacy was exactly what Formula 1 needed to court new audiences, particularly the female demographic reshaping the sport’s identity. This growing female F1 fanbase is inspiring entirely new forms of artistic expression within the circuit.

Take Samantha Zimmermann, a fine artist whose motorsports realism captures both the technical precision and emotional sensations evoked in racing. Working primarily in oil paint and graphite pencil, Zimmermann has found her niche painting live at major IMSA and HSR events.

“Lyn Hiner, Anita Lewis, and I were invited to display our work within the Paddock Club,” Zimmerman shared with me in email. “In addition to having art on display, we are also doing live painting demonstrations throughout the weekend! Guests who visit the marketplace space within the Paddock Club will also be invited to participate in the paint-by-numbers feature.”

LVMH was undoubtedly betting on this demographic shift when structuring their billion-dollar F1 investment. TAG Heuer has been actively cultivating the sport’s female future through its partnership with F1 ACADEMY™, the all-female single-seater racing series designed to propel women toward motorsport’s highest levels. “We have a unique opportunity to fundamentally change our industry, driving female participation at every level of motorsport,” Susie Wolff, a former F1 test driver and managing director of F1 ACADEMY™, said in TAG Heuer’s brand magazine.

Since becoming F1’s official timekeeper, TAG Heuer CEO Antoine Pin reports traffic in stores has increased by double digits, forcing the brand to increase production on the car-related models. The timepiece manufacturer’s position jumped from 15th to 11th among top Swiss watch brands by sales in 2024.

With Formula 1 now attracting over 800 million viewers annually—40 percent of whom are women—the sport’s unique combination of technological sophistication, global reach, and cultural expansion creates opportunities for luxury brands to access passionate communities where, as with the pursuit of luxury, precision, innovation, and excellence are already expected. The racing platform serves as both scientist and laboratory in teaching brands how to win over consumers prioritizing experiences over products, authenticity over exclusivity, and emotional connection over transactional relationships.

MIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 04: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing … More RB20 leads the field into turn one at the start during the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 04, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) Getty Images

Formula 1 Key Takeaways

Formula 1 Is Luxury’s Most Sophisticated Customer Acquisition Platform

While other sports offer visibility, F1 provides 800 million passionate consumers who are aligned with standards that truly make a luxury product. LVMH’s investment accesses communities where luxury values are intrinsic, aspirational – and create breadcrumbs leading to that eventual first LVMH product purchase.

Shift Technology From An Efficiency Tool To An Emotional Bond Creator

Guibert Englebienne’s technology insights, particularly towards the ubiquitousness of our smartphone dependency, explains why tech partnerships like Globant’s are more about intimacy than data. F1’s upcoming fan app will help move customer relationships from reactionary to anticipatory, allowing the marketing team to stay consistently ahead in designing opportunities that delight fans.

Cultural Expansion Is the New Competitive Advantage in Sports Marketing

Rob Bloom’s assertion that F1 “shows up in everyday currency” via lifestyle partnerships introduces a new paradigm attracting luxury investment into sports marketing. The motorsport now functions as a cultural catalyst, where brands can extend racing’s intensity into diverse entertainment realms.

The Female F1 Audience Is Reshaping Marketing Focus

From Samantha Zimmermann’s trackside artistry to TAG Heuer’s F1 ACADEMY™ partnership, the sport’s accelerating female demographic is inspiring new forms of engagement with a fanbase often largely ignored in male dominated industries. Susie Wolff’s acknowledgement of having “a unique opportunity to fundamentally change our industry” should make luxury brands traditionally catering to men take note.

Formula 1 Is A Goldmine For Luxury Partnership Synergy

When premium brands engage F1’s ardent enthusiasts, they’re connecting with consumers who inherently appreciate precision and excellence. There’s a natural affinity conventional marketing can’t manufacture and traditional paid advertising rarely achieves. No amount of thoughtful ad copy, beautiful billboards or storytelling commercials can match the rapture of being trackside. Brands within range of the experience become associated with the emotion.

Baida’s F1 mission to “make people fall in love with our sport and our brand” represents a seismic shift from luxury’s once pragmatic exclusivity to a now fervently passionate inclusivity. When TAG Heuer reports double-digit store traffic increases and jumps from 15th to 11th in Swiss watch rankings because of the Formula 1 partnership, particularly at a time when tariffs are upending the Swiss watch industry, it reaffirms emotional connection as luxury’s most recession-proof currency.

Britain’s historic Boat Race is getting a boost from Chanel.

The luxury fashion house has stuck a deal to replace cryptocurrency firm Gemini as the sponsor of England’s historic rowing competition, Reuters reported. Starting on April 13, 2025, the event, which takes place every year on the River Thames, will be renamed the Chanel J12 Boat Race inspired by the French Maison’s ceramic watch. The company will also serve as the official timekeeper for the match between Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

The sponsorship is slated to run to at least 2029, commemorating the Boat Race’s 200th anniversary. It also marks Chanel’s inaugural push into sports; the brand did lean into its activewear roots, though, for its latest high-jewelry collection, which was unveiled in Monaco. Its founder, Gabrielle Chanel, an avid tennis player and equestrian, famously began selling sportswear made of humble materials including jerseys and tweed in 1913.

“We knew when we first met, on June 10—the same date as the first ever Boat Race in 1829—that they understood the appeal of our event and we’re very confident that their involvement will help us take the event to new places and new people, as well as enhancing it for our millions of existing followers,” said Siobhan Cassidy, chairwoman of the Boat Race Company, in a statement.

Chanel is just the latest luxury brand to throw its hat into the sports-world ring. Most notably, LVMH sponsored the 2024 Paris Olympics, designing everything from trophies and medals to trunks and uniforms for the Games. Altogether, the Bernard Arnault–owned group poured a whopping $163 million into the international event. And earlier this month, the conglomerate inked a 10-year sponsorship deal with Formula 1, which will kick off next year with the Melbourne Grand Prix.

As for other high-end companies under the LVHM umbrella, TAG Heuer was rumored to be replacing Rolex as F1’s official timekeeper, and you can expect the motorsport’s drivers to be showered in bottles of Moët & Chandon on the winner’s podium. Louis Vuitton, meanwhile, has had a longstanding history with the America’s Cup. This year, the prestigious sailing race added Louis Vuitton as the title partner and sponsor of the Challenger series, which ran from August to October in Barcelona.