Case Study: Turbocharging Social Media for the Detroit Grand Prix
We are beyond excited to share the story of our partnership with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. It has been a dream come true to have the opportunity to tell the story of the Motor City and this electrifying event. The results are in, and we think it’s safe to say that our months of hard work and strategizing have paid off tenfold.
“It was a fantastic weekend in Downtown Detroit and we were so happy to see so many fans join us for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear,” said Michael Montri, President of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. “From the racing on track to the packed grandstands and the strong viewership and social media coverage, it was a memorable three days in the Motor City and we appreciate all the support from our 95 partners – the most we have ever had at our event – as well all of our fans, to make this year’s Grand Prix so special.”
Read on to see how we did it!
The Challenge:
With a late start in March, we had a tight timeline to rev up the Detroit Grand Prix’s social media presence and drive engagement. The goal was to expand their audience and increase reach while drumming up excitement among fans and partners to drive ticket sales.
The team at KARMA jack chose the direction of focusing on community first, rather than just provided driver content from INDYCAR, to make the story of the Detroit community the primary focus. This included capturing content at a dozen or more events leading to race weekend for driver, community partner, Detroit brands and influencer interviews.
Leading up to the event was one thing, but RACE WEEKEND was its own beast. Having a team of 20+ content creators and team members across the 1.9 mile track helped leverage key moments and live-action updates. From autograph signings, impromptu celebrity appearances, even getting clearance from government officials to fly a drone and capture rare moments in less than a 30 minute window—we were prepared to take on any challenge.
Posting and engaging to educate and entertain was paramount. However, having an army of videographers, photographers, and iPhone content creators was the saving grace. Our Creative Director ran operations for the event from the historic Ren Cen to make sure every event was hit, every moment was posted, and all creative content was captured, organized, and ready to deliver.
End of Day & End of Weekend Videos:
In addition to the slew of social media content, the sponsors and partners of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear were contractually owed End of Day videos for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This meant capturing high quality content, running SD cards to a designated editor who would edit for 10+ hours a day and have an approved deliverable ready to go each night.
The team knowing the tight turnaround was working directly with the Detroit Grand Prix partner and PR team to go through rounds of edits, then post content on all social channels as well as curate emails to the partners.
During the process, the team discovered deeper interaction with partners and educational information on HOW and WHERE to post the content would deliver an even greater reach.
The Results:
Social media metrics for the Detroit Grand Prix reached an all-time high in 2024:
- Social channels delivered a total reach of 10.5 million during race weekend with over 576,000 total engagements.
- INDYCAR video views on YouTube measured 1.79 million during the Detroit Grand Prix weekend, representing the second-highest total of any NTT INDYCAR SERIES event this season after the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500.
- We achieved 1000% social media growth, turning casual followers into passionate fans.
- Targeted ads helped drive ticket sales and boost event attendance, with grandstands sold out on Sunday.
- On Instagram alone, we saw a year-over-year increase in the following categories:
- Plays: 912.11%
- Reach: 26.63%
- Shares: 1867.04%
- Reactions: 616.52%
Top Performing Posts
Our Approach:
Collaborative Partnerships: We leveraged Instagram Collab posts to increase visibility and engagement. These posts allowed us to share content across multiple profiles, reaching new audiences and driving interest. We introduced the event to new fans and built strong relationships with sponsors, stakeholders, and brands.
The Human Element: Anyone who has ever worked with KARMA jack knows we don’t take a transactional approach with our clients. You’re a part of our family from day one, and the team genuinely cares about creating impactful content that drives your success.
We made sure our content reflected this sentiment. Strategically writing shot lists, interview questions, scripts, and gathering requested assets at each event to make sure we had thoughtful content to drive growth on social media and across other Detroit Grand Prix channels.
People-Focused: From community events with your favorite INDYCAR and IMSA drivers to highlighting the history of this turbocharged event, we considered what fans want to see to create engaging and exciting posts that brought them closer to the action.
Having business leaders from companies like Priority Waste and Rocket featured in content helped further the shares, engagements, and comments, as well as as giving partners a bigger role in the campaign.
We’re proud to report that we earned a 5-star review from our friends at the Detroit Grand Prix!
“The team at KARMA jack has done a terrific job helping us market and promote the Detroit Grand Prix,” said Merrill Cain, Communications Director for Team Penske and the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.
“KARMA jack came on board as a digital marketing partner with us in 2024, helping us create content and manage all of our social media channels. They have been a pleasure to work with and have made a huge difference for us. We have seen our social media reach and engagement grow exponentially across all of our channels. They do a great job not only with content and creative ways to market our event but also tracking and reporting that demonstrates to our partners the impact they’ve made with our brand. We highly recommend working with the KARMA jack team and we look forward to continuing to grow with them in the future.”
You can read more about the results of the 2024 Detroit Grand Prix here: https://detroitgp.com/news/Detroit-Grand-Prix-Delivers-Strong-Results-in-2024/73224
It’s been a wild ride–and there’s only more to come! We owe a huge thank you to the KARMA jack team and Detroit Grand Prix partner Gardner White for powering this initiative. We’re thrilled about the impact we’ve made together and look forward to more opportunities to help businesses grow and achieve remarkable success in the future.