The brief was: WhatsApp is the world’s largest, most secure, and most reliable messaging app. It brings people closer around the world. So how do we announce our partnership and sponsorship with the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team in a way that makes the WhatsApp brand stand out?

As the official messaging partner of Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team, WhatsApp flexed the importance of secure communication with the smallest brand placement in sports history: The WhatsApp Button.

The Button was placed on the steering wheels of the Mercedes 2024 Formula 1 cars. It was used by the drivers every time they needed to communicate with their team. And it allowed WhatsApp to own each of those moments.

The strategy was clear: In Formula 1, every brand tries to feature their logo in the biggest way possible. WhatsApp decided to do the opposite, and feature its branding in the smallest, smartest, most effective way. No brand before had looked into a space as small as the steering wheel.

The Button was branded with the WhatsApp logo and colors. It was only 1cm in diameter, but it stood out from the rest of the buttons on the steering wheel. It built brand awareness and showed fans the benefits of communicating through WhatsApp.

Millions of viewers around the world were able to see the button being pressed by Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell – anytime they needed to talk to their team, giving the brand tons of earned media and coverage.

The Button had to be specifically designed and constructed to fit in the steering wheels of the 2024 Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 cars. It had to comply with F1 regulations and make sure it was fully functional and reliable to allow pilots to communicate with their team.

The button is currently being used by the Mercedes F1 team at every 2024 race. It is shown on TV every time the broadcast shows the interior camera of the car or the camera built-in the helmet of the drivers.

In the first 4 days of the activation, this little WhatsApp F1 button garnered 2.8 millions dollars in earned media, and 1.86 Billion in reach. And all of that organic PR led to our tiny ad on the steering wheel making a big impact in search as it became part of the Google knowledge panel.

The button is currently being used by the Mercedes F1 team at every race, which means, it is being seen by millions and millions of people through TV and online broadcast.