"Why the British Grand Prix is a brilliant example of the value of bespoke content"

Introduction

The content landscape is growing increasingly crowded and, with AI tools lowering the barrier to entry, it is more challenging than ever for brands to create content that engages and excites. One solution lies in 3.67 miles of Northamptonshire asphalt. Need I explain more? Yes, probably.

Silverstone

Formula 1’s British Grand Prix took place at Silverstone this Sunday 9 July, and culminated in Max Verstappen claiming his sixth race win in a row. It’s not shaping up to be a classic season so far, as many races have been highly uncompetitive and Verstappen routinely cruises to victory as easily as us slower folk could complete a Sunday drive to a county fair.

But there was enough action behind the leader this weekend – for the other podium spots and lesser points finishes – to keep the race engaging until the very last lap, something that has not been a given this season.

To each their own content

It’s not just the quality of the surrounding cast of drivers and cars that is the problem. Often it’s the tracks themselves – especially those built on streets. City circuits such as Monaco, which follow existing narrow roads, short straights and right-angled corners, have limited overtaking opportunities, and extended periods of these races can see very little action as a result.

The advantage that Silverstone has, and the reason it produces consistently exciting races, is the fact that it was constructed on the invitingly blank asphalt canvas of a disused RAF base. This allowed the track’s designers to create a circuit with very wide sections, long straights and fast, flowing corners. It’s got everything you need for cars to race wheel-to-wheel.

Simply put, the 3.67 miles of the lap at Silverstone can engage and excite more reliably than street circuits because it was designed bespoke by experts to do exactly that. In fact, it is ranked fourth out of 36 in an online fan poll of which tracks have hosted the best races since 2008. For context, the top circuit built exclusively on streets on that list is 15th.

So.. how do we keep our content engaging ?

If you were in charge of F1 and had one chance to engage people with the sport, you would choose Silverstone over a street circuit because it was designed bespoke for competitive racing. Similarly, if you want to get people excited about your brand, the most effective way of doing so is by allowing experts to create bespoke content that is specifically designed to show off your best bits.

This is something for which AI is not yet suited. AI tools are trained to follow patterns and produce outputs based on what already exists in the world, and if you utilise what is already out there, like street circuits, your content is likely to be neither original nor faithful to what makes your brand truly exciting.

AI will no doubt become a valuable tool in the content creation toolbox, but generatively producing something derived from what’s out there will never engage more than what’s been designed bespoke to fit your brand. Like motor racing, content is at its best when it is conceived specifically by experts to excite, and brands that take too many shortcuts may end up getting stuck in traffic.