The Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix returned the happy roar of Grand Prix Racing to the Motor City in 2012. It’s been a boost for the little island in the middle of the Detroit River and for the city in general, which–like the auto industry that defines it–has been battling tough times with customary grit. The race has worked out well for primary sponsor Chevrolet too, which has announced plans to continue its support through 2016.
If you want to see what made reinvesting an easy decision for Chevy, take a look at the growth of the Detroit Grand Prix property at Embark Digital, a Detroit-based digital advertising shop. Embark makes the case that the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix leapt in value to $2,142, 465 in 2013 from just $21,4000 in 2012. The agency tried to make as much noise in social media as the cars made on the track. It worked on Twitter, where the hashtag #DetroitGP trended for a couple of hours organically during the 2013 race. Twitter can charge $200,000 a day for trending status that’s purchased, so that organic (read free) enthusiasm looks very attractive. And authentic, too–another watchword of success. The 2014 Detroit Belle Island Grand Prix will run May 30 – June 1 and Embark is still on the job. It’ll be interesting to watch the results.
Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, 2013, photo: MichiganAdvantage.org
