Driving digital marketing transformation: the evolution of customer engagement in formula 1 under Liberty Media
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2025-11-26
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Pereira, Luís Henrique
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This thesis examines how Formula One, under Liberty Media, shifted from a broadcast-centric business model to a customer-engagement paradigm rooted in digital platforms and always-on fan interaction. The study combines a qualitative content analysis of official social media channels (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube) with a fan survey (N = 153) to assess both the implementation of engagement tactics and their effects on emotional attachment and willingness to pay. Customer Engagement (CE) practices are operationalized through a structured coding framework adapted from Harmeling et al. (2017), and a CEx ratio is introduced to measure the intensity and combination of CE attributes within individual posts over time. The findings reveal three interrelated outcomes. First, Formula One has undergone a structural transition toward a CE-oriented communication model: since 2015, engagement-driven content has surged, now accounting for more than 95% of analyzed posts, while the increasing CEx ratio (from approximately 1.1 to 1.5 between 2015 and 2023) highlights a deliberate move toward deeper, multi-faceted fan interactions. Second, this shift has been closely associated with the growth of a younger audience segment. By leveraging platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, Formula One has effectively expanded its reach among digitally native fans, fostering stronger emotional ties with drivers and teams and surpassing engagement growth observed in older age groups. Third, survey evidence supports these patterns, indicating that fans perceive a marked improvement in engagement and accessibility over the past six years, reporting stronger emotional connection to the sport and a moderate increase in willingness to pay following Liberty Media’s digital transformation. From a managerial perspective, the study demonstrates how Formula One has repositioned itself from an event-based broadcaster to a dynamic, year- round engagement platform that integrates interactive content, behindthe-scenes storytelling, and narrative-driven entertainment. The thesis contributes a structured and replicable lens to evaluate Customer Engagement implementation and outcomes in a real-world sports context, highlighting how engagement intensity and content design can support long-term value creation. Limitations include sampling windows, selfreported measures, and platform scope, while future research may explore longitudinal effects on loyalty, monetization, and the transferability of engagement-driven strategies across different sports industries.