Pit stop 2.0 – Motorsports within the communication mix
Communication is key. Therefore, we decided to upgrade our website to a whole new level. Also we are present on various social-media-channels, we want to introduce in today’s article.
Since June, the online presence of joanneum racing graz has been shining in new splendor. The main reason for this is the new website, which has been revised by the design department and which, above all, wants to bring the internationality of the team to the fore. “Finally, we have switched to two versions – one in German and one in English – because many of our users are not from German-speaking countries,” Florian Schantl, who has had the PR department of the student motorsport club under his aegis since this season, explains. It has not been an easy year for the PR team, the traditional competitions in summer fell through due to COVID-19, since September the restrictions to fight the coronavirus were omnipresent again.
Still they want to communicate “positively”, explains Florian. “We want to look ahead to a better future. Through our social media channels, we communicate a lot of the team’s plans for the coming months and years, at the same time we try to stay corona-compliant, especially in our visual language,” the Journalism & PR student states. So even if pictures from pre-COVID times are published, the communications department makes sure that the impression of social distancing is always maintained. “We want to set a good example in this time.”
The channel they communicate primarily visually on is Instagram. It’s the team’s account that has seen the greatest growth. Soon they want to break the 10,000-follower mark: “That would be the next big milestone for us as a team,” says Florian, who knows exactly why this channel works so well. “We are very close to our fans there, interact strongly with our followers.” Accordingly, it often happens that there are requests via Instagram from other teams who need help with certain technical questions. “Of course we try to help wherever possible. But of course we can’t reveal any technical details about our current cars,” says Florian, alluding to the fact that the jr21, which is scheduled to start competing in the summer of next year, can only be presented to the general public with the roll-out.
Roll-out 2021 uncertain
This will be done with the traditional roll-out, where parents, fans and sponsors will be presented with the new showpiece from the student racing team. “As we all know, we had to cancel the presentation in 2020 and there are still a lot of question marks for next year,” the 19-year-old explains regretfully. It is not yet possible to say without a doubt whether the event can be held online or in the FH JOANNEUM Audimax. “Of course, that doesn’t make planning any easier”, Florian explains. The team has already reacted to this uncertainty by postponing the presentation of the new car – a new date has not yet been set.
Of course, Florian says, it would also be good for the sponsors to be able to hold an event in their presence. “The roll-out and the Sponsors Day are certainly there to say thank you to our supporters as well,” explains the Bachelor student. The latter could also be held in the turbulent year 2020. Much to Florian’s delight: “That was really good timing and is remembered very positively by the team as well as the sponsors.” Until the next meeting, the team will have to make do with maintaining contact via social media. Since spring, this has been done in a much more targeted way, as the team has created a new LinkedIn account. A platform that, in addition to the Facebook page, is primarily designed for interaction with the team’s supporters. Florian: “With our sponsor posts, we want to create further added value for our supporters and show how generously regional and international companies support us.”
