#TeamCooperTire and #MRTI – the story behind the hashtags

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During the 2014 Mazda Road To Indy season. series tire provider and multi-series title sponsor Cooper Tires introduced the #TeamCooperTire hashtag program on the popular social media platforms Twitter and Instagram.

This year Mazda Motorsports is also joining the party with the #MRTI hashtag.  It’s a short and simple addition that is already being used by drivers, teams and series media members.

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There can be little argument that the motorsports landscape has changed over the past few decades.  Gone are the days that a driver only has to bring his helmet to the track.  They still need to be quick, but they also need much more in their toolbox.   A sponsor is now looking for results AND a driver that is engaged and represents their brand well.  With the amount of money and brand goodwill involved it’s not surprising that engaged drivers like James Hnchcliffe and Helio Castroneves are popular with fans and sponsors.

With that last point in mind, the goal of the #MRTI and #TeamCooperTire hashtag program is for Cooper Tires and Mazda to provide a series of guideposts that will help Mazda Road To Indy drivers tell their story (branding) and connect with and increase social media followers.   Both of those functions are key to attracting a personal fan base and also gives a driver a chance to show off their personality to potential sponsors.

The career benefits are enough to make a driver and team want to participate in the program, but Cooper Tires and Mazda have gone a step further and will be providing prizes to the teams and drivers.  The MRTI season has been divided into six different contest periods and if a driver/team passes all of the provided guideposts in that period they will entered to win a prize, which includes one of their sets of Cooper Race Tires for free.

Fans will also have a chance to benefit from this program by:

  • Having a central place to find MRTI content.  Searching the two hashtags on Twitter and Instagram will guide you to content created by drivers, teams, the series, media and partners.  Drivers are encouraged to post behind-the-scenes action, so that you, as a fan will have fun way to follow along with the stories and lives of the drivers as they strive to reach the Verizon IndyCar Series.
  • The potential to win prizes, and who doesn’t like giveaways?  Last year, MRTI drivers were able to give away a set of tires as well as other Cooper Tire prizes to their loyal followers.  Make sure to be on the lookout for fun contests from your favorite MRTI drivers.

Last year, the use of the #TeamCooperTire hashtag helped create over 60 million impressions and aided in growing series related Twitter accounts tremendously during the season.  Growth of Twitter accounts was a follows:

  • @IndyLIghts: 180%
  • @TeamCooperTire: 65%
  • @ProMazda: 59%
  • @USF2000: 31%

Don’t forget to follow Team Cooper Tire on Twitter and Instagram.

Don’t forget to follow Mazda Racing on Twitter.