» Brawn’s brand exposure worth US$255M!

No wonder Virgin baulked at sponsoring Brawn next year! They’d be paying a fortune!

The total brand exposure enjoyed by Brawn GP in 2009 was worth at least $255 million, according to the media analysis company Margaux Matrix.

Unlike the bulk of the competitors, fielded by carmakers and commercial enterprises like the Red Bull drinks company, the exposure is of limited value to new champions Brawn, whose core business is grand prix racing.

But the commercial success of the achievement must be giving pause to the Japanese car manufacturer Honda, who sold the outfit to team managers headed by Ross Brawn amid the brunt of the slump in new car sales late last year due to the economic crisis.

Margaux Matrix came up with the $255m figure by analysing the race broadcasts of the initial 15 grand prix this season against advertising rates in 18 countries.

The Brawn cars were featured in nearly nine hours of international coverage in those races, which was more than the famous Ferrari team and three times greater than Honda’s exposure of 2008.

Here’s hoping this exposure gets some new sponsors flocking at Brawn’s door and into F1 long-term!