Scuderia ferrari hp and ibm partnership launch
Enterprise technology meets the passion of Ferrari FANS
CLIENT – IBM
PROJECT – Scuderia Ferrari HP and IBM Partnership Launch
ROLE – Creative Lead, commissioned concept work
BACKGROUND
IBM's partnership with Scuderia Ferrari HP represented a once-in-a-lifetime creative opportunity — a high-profile partnership announcement and app launch that coincided with Lewis Hamilton's first season on the Ferrari team and the 75th anniversary of Formula 1.
CHALLENGE
How do you introduce a technology brand to one of the most passionate fan bases in sports, honoring the team’s history without feeling like a corporate intrusion?
CONSIDERATIONS
Differentiation: The 10 teams in F1 all have a similar visual presence – motion blurs, bright colors, and high-octane energy. Scuderia Ferrari HP could capitalize on its European history, luxury branding and sophistication.
Talent & Access: Per the partnership contract, we would have limited time to shoot on the track and limited access to talent (drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc), so the anthem video concepts couldn’t revolve around them alone.
CONCEPT 1
Ferrari is a unique team in F1 because they have a devoted fan base called “tifosi.” They are as passionate about racing as IBM is passionate about its tech. The new Scuderia Ferrari HP app would be the perfect blend of these two passions, tech and racing, and would be used by the fans to follow races and connect with the team throughout the season.
SOLUTION 1: THE TIFOSI OF DATA
We positioned IBM as "Tifosi of Data" – not just a sponsor, but a fellow passionate supporter. IBM is the invisible force fueling Ferrari's success from behind the scenes, just as the tifosi fuel the team from the stands.
The visual language centered on dramatic red smoke clouds — a nod to the word "tifosi" itself, derived from the Ancient Greek typhos, meaning smoke or vapor. Billowing clouds obscure the car, the app, and the IBM/Ferrari logo lockup before revealing them in dramatic fashion to evoke mystery, passion, and the invisible power of data coming into focus.
The concept extended across every touchpoint: a social livery reveal series, an in-app experience with animated smoke transitions, IRL car displays at IBM Think conference and One Madison global headquarters, Innovation Studio demos, and exclusive co-branded merchandise — all unified by a single campaign line: Invisible Power. Visible Impact.
CONCEPT 2
In Formula 1, milliseconds determine outcomes — a 2.5-second pit stop, a 4-second acceleration from zero to 160 kph, 100 GB of data transferred in a single second. How could we translate that precision and speed into a fan experience that felt as exhilarating as the race itself, while making IBM's role in powering that experience tangible and emotional rather than purely technical?
SOLUTION 2: THE POWER OF DATA
"The Power of Data" drew a direct parallel between the data systems driving Ferrari's performance on the track and the real-time insights powering the fan experience in the app. Every second that counts for the driver counts equally for the fan — and IBM is the connective force making both possible.
The visual treatment was mechanical and cinematic — emphasizing circles, revolutions, and the stretching of time through slow-motion sequences. A red data wave became the unifying visual element, flowing from car sensors through mission control to the app and into the hands of fans worldwide. The concept extended across social, broadcast integrations, experiential activations at IBM Think, and a short-form anthem featuring Lewis Hamilton with the campaign line: Driven by data. Powered by passion.