Grapevine: Pop guru to revamp Honda image
Pop marketing guru Simon Fuller has signed a deal with the Honda team, which will see the man who invented 'Spice Girls' and 'American Idol' give the Formula One team a new image
Fuller's 19 Entertainment company entered a five year deal with Honda, although what the Briton has in stall for Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello remains to be seen.
Fuller is considered a pop culture and marketing genius, with his Pop Idol concept licensed worldwide already bringing his company over one billion US dollars.
Honda and Fuller did not reveal details on what exactly Fuller will be doing, but team chief Nick Fry said Fuller's contribution would go beyond just the Honda team.
"The competition now for an audience is not just within motor racing but comes from [TV series] 'Desperate Housewives' and Chelsea Football Club," Fry told the Times newspaper.
"We want kids to grow up saying they want to be a racing driver when, at the moment, they want to be pop stars or footballers."
The news of Fuller's involved in Formula One was enthusiastically welcomed by F1 commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone.
"I am delighted to see the Honda Racing team partnering 19 Entertainment," Ecclestone said.
"This is exactly the direction teams should be taking to broaden the entertainment and sporting appeal of Formula One to a global audience."
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