Guess who won the brand race in this year’s F1?

This post is sponsored by Isentia.Singapore will continue to host the only night race in Formula 1 at least until 2021. This decision came through against a backdrop of dwindling ticket sales and growing uncertainty, especially after Malaysia pulled the plug on its Grand Prix last year. From a Singaporean perspective, Isentia witnessed interesting and significant differences between online conversations and real behavior on the ground.What netizens said vs. what happened on the groundPrior to the race, there was a lot more skepticism about the race’s renewal as most felt that the race had lost its shine as a lucrative business opportunity for Singapore. But things took a turn for the better, with more than 260,000 people turning up at Marina Bay Street Circuit this year, a 19% increase in attendance rate as compared to 2016. On the ground, excitement around F1 was well captured by key influencers who turned up for the event. They leveraged on Instagram to showcase the enjoyable time they had, citing reasons like the opportunities to view the race up-close as well as the top-notch music performances.With the stellar line-up of off-track entertainment accompanying the thrilling track action of the night race, F1 Singapore is truly an event that extends well beyond the parameters of the race itself.“Its unique offering as an iconic and highly anticipated night event might very well be the perception-changing factor," Casey Koh, Isentia’s Insights analyst, said.Singapore Airlines – the real winner of F1’s brand race“The relationship between F1 and brands goes beyond just having logos on cars. It’s an opportunity for brands to communicate to their consumers,” Han Meng, Insights Analyst, Isentia, said.Isentia also monitored the race on F1 brands’ share of voice (SOV) in the digital space. Among all the F1 brands, Singapore Airlines (SIA) stood out with a 13% increase in SOV, driven mainly by calls for the flag carrier to continue its title sponsorship. To some, it seems, SIA is more than just another brand.“Singapore and partner sponsors’ association with F1 have turned them into recognized and popular global brands, not only offline but also on the digital space,” said Rufus Wong, Insights Analyst, Isentia.This reveals a deep connection between SIA’s brand equity and Singapore’s country equity.SIA’s title sponsorship is as much financial as it is symbolic. F1 contributes positively to Singapore’s country equity, or the Singapore brand. As an iconic national brand, SIA was the real winner of the brand race (against major automotive brands) in one of the most anticipated events of the year.This post was written by the team at  Isentia.