How Louis Vuitton Took Over Sports
LVMH is spending $300 million a year on sports — but it’s not just advertising. Today's newsletter breaks down how the luxury giant is creatively rewriting the industry's sponsorship rules.
McLaren’s Lando Norris won the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix in May, but LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault stole the show. After spending time in the Red Bull garage with Christian Horner and Max Verstappen, Arnault walked the pit lane. Flanked by an army of intimidating security guards, a mix of athletes, celebrities, and wealthy attendees jockeyed for position to snap a picture of the world’s fifth-richest man.
But this race wasn’t about Arnault personally; it was about his portfolio of brands.
As part of a recently signed sponsorship deal with Formula 1 valued at $1 billion over 10 years, LVMH’s size and scale were on full display. Drivers raced past TAG Heuer-branded timing clocks. Paddock club attendees sipped on Moët & Chandon while the drivers sprayed each other with it on the podium. Even Prince Albert of Monaco got involved, grabbing the trophy out of a Louis Vuitton case before handing it to Norris.
The Monaco Grand Prix was the perfect example of how multiple LVMH brands can coordinate to dominate an event’s branding ecosystem. However, this coordination wasn’t an accident; it’s part of a wider marketing strategy that LVMH has spent years developing. LVMH integrates its 75 brands into global events — the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Cup, and Olympics — to drive billions of dollars in sales through sports.
Notably, these integrations expand far beyond what you would see with a traditional sponsorship. Rather than paying for access, LVMH positions itself as part of history with a unique approach. Tiffany & Co. spends months hand-making trophies for some of the world’s most popular sports leagues, and over 1 billion people watched the World Cup trophy go from a Louis Vuitton case into Lionel Messi’s hands in 2022.