Behind the scenes at Alpine with Christophe Deville, sports-auto communications manager
How does Alpine talk about its commitment to motorsport? We put the question to Christophe Deville, manager of sport-auto communications for the Renault Group.
You probably know that an automaker’s commitment to F1 can be a showcase to boost sales of mass-market vehicles. Returning to F1 in 2010, Mercedes was outstripped by its German neighbors Audi and BMW. The brand with the Star rose to eighth place in the 2020 global sales ranking by manufacturer… ahead of BMW and Audi. In the meantime, Mercedes has accumulated 14 Formula 1 titles, 7 in the drivers’ championship, and 7 in the constructors’ championship.
Will Alpine follow the same path? Born in 1955 in Dieppe in Normandy, put on hold in 1995, back in the game in December 2017 with the launch of its new berlinette A110, (tested in 2019 by the editorial team of Motors Inside), the French brand in 2021 represents Renault’s involvement in motorsport.
The manufacturer already relies on a strong communication team of about ten people. With one of its key members: Christophe Deville, who holds the position of “Head of Press, Digital and Internal Communication for all disciplines in which the Renault Group is involved.” Due to Covid, Motors Inside interviewed him via video conference.
The role of Christophe Deville
Christophe Deville works at the headquarters of Renault in Boulogne-Billancourt. He manages the communication of the Alpine teams, involved in Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Not to mention the FIA R-GT Rally (with the Alpine A110 Rally), the Alpine Europa Cup, as well as media events around the drivers of the Alpine Academy such as the young Frenchman Victor Martins.
« Since 2015, I have also been in charge of the press relations for Alpine’s endurance team: I handle all media requests,” adds our contact, in a very busy schedule.
If he is not Alpine’s F1 press officer for 2021, Christophe Deville knows the premier discipline very well. Entering the Renault fold in 1993 as an engineer, he reoriented himself in 2002 towards the press officer profession. Initially by showcasing Renault and its sister brand Dacia’s production models. A new turning point in 2016: Renault returns to F1, and a job offer is looking for a communication manager for the motorsport side. « I did not take long to accept » smiles Christophe Deville.
Since then, his mission can be summarized by this phrase: to deploy communication plans in motorsport worldwide, with the subsidiaries of the Renault Group. Understand: coordinate and validate the media strategy for Renault’s involvement in motorsport around the world.
Present until now at 5 Grand Prix per season, including Monaco and France, Christophe Deville takes care, for example, of press trips, by selecting a group of journalists to meet the Renault F1 team. An organized press trip, which we told you about in 2019 at the Monaco Grand Prix, with various media, such as motor sports, tech, and lifestyle press. A detailed strategy:
We have identified tech media to explain how our commitment in F1 contributes to the brand awareness of Renault and the development of our future hybrid models, such as the Renault Captur or the Renault Megane Estate. These models share common features with F1 models.
So, does the arrival of Alpine upset the communication strategy? Not really! The objective is clear for Christophe Deville: Alpine wants to expand internationally in the automobile markets.
« We have a real gem with this Alpine brand: it must be presented »
With this striking example: « in 2016, we organized a gathering at the 6 Hours of Fuji with a community of Japanese fans of the Alpine brand. They came driving about ten A110 berlinettes! It is something very powerful, which we must amplify on the circuits.
Today marketed in around sixty sales points in Europe, the Alpine brand wants to develop sales of its A110 model in Europe, but also in Singapore… or in Japan.
For which audience? Our audience is a clientele looking for a chic and exclusive car,” details Christophe Deville. A clientele that doesn’t necessarily dream of buying luxury models but knows the DNA of lightweight and agile Alpine cars.
« Our vocation is to make the public dream by offering beautiful cars. We have already done it in the past from 1955 to 1995. »
« We will perpetuate the legacy of a brand that remains in its place but knows where it wants to go in the future. »
The future indeed, with the development of three 100% electric models over the period 2021-2025 for Alpine, including a B-segment sedan, a crossover, and the replacement of the A110. Alpine is moving with the times, following the success of its iconic blue Berlinette. Not to mention the glory days of rallying, with victories at Monte Carlo in 1971 and 1973, and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning the overall classification in 1978.
We also reach out to the millennial press through the Alpine Academy, says Christophe Deville. It shows young people that they can be part of this Academy to one day make it to Formula 1. Our goal here is to find angles such as the lifestyle of drivers.
But the pandemic has changed things: access to the paddock remains limited for now. Alpine must mainly promote its merits on the internet and social networks.
360-degree communication
Introducing a “360-degree” communication strategy, focusing on social networks and influencers. The communication spectrum deliberately expands to target the youth, with the development of the Alpine brand image on social media. An example of this approach is the recruitment in February of the YouTuber Squeezie (25 years old, with over 15 million subscribers on YouTube and nearly 3 million on the Twitch platform) for a virtual F1 Esports Grand Prix.
We are not going to stop there promises Christophe Deville. The idea of working with this personality has allowed us to reach a larger virtual community, and to address people who may not watch the Grand Prix races. We hope they will be interested!
« We are betting on the future: presenting the Alpine brand to people who could become our future customers. »
To gain visibility in 2021, the Renault F1 Team will need to continue the good results from 2020. Leading the project, drivers Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon will be fully involved both on and off the track. An example is the demonstration by the Frenchman, who drove an Alpine A110S in the opening of the last Monte Carlo rally. But they will also need to shine on the F1 circuits!
We have climbed the ranks since our return in 2016 as a 100% team. The goal is always to catch up with the teams at the top of the rankings to regain the Renault team’s record as an engine manufacturer. If the team progresses, the brand’s reputation will inevitably shine.
The bet for the renaissance of Alpine is at stake from the opening of the new F1 season on Sunday, March 28, to be followed of course on Motors Inside, like the winter tests this weekend!
