New car launches have a habit of being spectacles – albeit boring ones. Admittedly, I have never been to one, but I have sat through numerous films and clip reels of unveiling’s over the years and have often found the dry PR speeches deeply dull. Tales about a company’s past, present and future sitting idly alongside comments on marketing strategies all too often remind me of the university lectures that I slept through for years.
With this in mind, there is a level of intrigue with plans by both Ferrari and McLaren to stream their launches live via their website – not that I wish to sit through a marketing conference, but am curious as to how they intend to make these in any watchable. Toyota tried streaming their launch two or three seasons ago in all its uncut glory and……. it……. dragged……….. onnnnnnnnnn…….
Ten or fifteen years ago, the likes of McLaren and Jordan would organise massive stage shows with the Spice Girls or some other cultural act to unveil their charger – thankfully those days have passed for they reeked of old cheese, but if the teams really want to make streaming their launches work, they seriously need to cut the jabber and dead air that presides over these events.
Ferrari launch tomorrow morning at 9am with McLaren on Friday morning (at 11am, I think), with Renault and BMW Sauber unveiling on Sunday evening. Toro Rosso and Williams pull off the covers on Monday trackside at Valencia with the rest of the grid following in the weeks thereafter.
