The Borg-Warner Trophy™ goes Social

A trophy so legendary, it can’t be confined to race day—so we’re making it iconic all year long.

  • Few brands possess an asset as iconic as the Borg-Warner Trophy™—a 6-foot-tall symbol of racing excellence featuring 111 sculpted faces of Indy 500 winners since 1936. Traditionally showcased only during race weekend, BorgWarner knew that the Trophy deserved far more than a few days in the spotlight. With a vision to honor its rich history and dedicated fandom, together we activated the Trophy into the centerpiece of a social-first strategy, allowing its stories to shine year-round to racing fans and beyond.

    We started on X, then grew the Trophy’s presence across multiple channels, engaging with a wide spectrum of race world entities (including drivers, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar, and broadcast networks) and trophy peers like the Larry O’Brien NBA Trophy and the Stanley Cup to spark engagement beyond motorsports. On site, the L|A Social Studio captures an entire year’s worth of content over just one race weekend at the Indy 500, fueling an always-on, social-first calendar. This includes:

    • On-the-ground media production with drivers, teams, and fans to create evergreen assets.

    • Real-time coverage of race weekend, maximizing excitement when conversation peaks.

    • Meme-driven and community-first content designed to keep the Trophy relevant long after the checkered flag.

    • Cultural and moment-driven activations that repurpose Indy 500 footage in fresh, engaging ways throughout the year.

    Results: The Trophy Takes the Podium

    • Social engagement surged—with total cross-channel engagement up 438% and audience growth of 44% in 2024.

    • Race weekend ‘24 delivered a 67% boost in impressions from ‘23, clocking over 100k organic impressions.

    • Impact extended beyond the Trophy channels, driving record engagement on BorgWarner’s corporate LinkedIn and an increase in Careers page traffic.

    • By transforming the Indy 500 from a single event into a year-round conversation, BorgWarner strengthens its legacy, audience connection, and brand leadership—all while making the wait for #IsItMayYet a little more exciting.

    PR Daily Social Media & Digital Awards 2024, Best Use of X

    Photo Credits: Walt Kuhn, Michael L. Levitt, and Joe Skibinski

Two large trophies, one in the shape of the Stanley Cup and one smaller, are displayed on a race track at night. The larger trophy is silver and reflective, with a figure on top holding an object. The smaller trophy resembles a stack of coins with a bowl on top. The background shows a racing track with grandstands and a lit scoreboard or sign, with pink and purple lighting effects.
The Indianapolis 500 winner's trophy features a shiny silver statue of a woman holding a checkered flag, set against a blue sky. In the background, five fighter jets fly in formation, leaving trails of white smoke.
Two smartphones displaying social media content related to the BorgWarner Trophy at the Indianapolis 500 race; one screen shows the trophy's Instagram profile, and the other shows a mascot in a racing suit.
Group of race car drivers posing together on a race track with a large trophy in front of them, grandstands and a blue sky in the background.
Young man and woman standing next to the Stanley Cup at a racing event with a crowd of spectators and race track in the background.
An Instagram post on a phone screen, showing a racing car on a track with a crowd in the stadium background, at a motorsport event.
A race car driver wearing a red cap and a yellow racing suit with sponsor patches kisses a large trophy after winning a race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with flowers and checkered flags in the background.
Photo of the BorgWarner Trophy, a large, shiny, detailed trohpy with a checkered flag at the top, displayed outdoors at a race track with grandstands and spectators in the background.
Blurred image of a yellow and black race car speeding on a track with streaks of white, gray, and blue motion lines in the background.
A split-screen image showing a video game menu on the left and a smartphone displaying a photo of a trophy on the right. The game menu features emojis and text related to the Indianapolis 500 emoji challenge, with icons such as fire, rock, steering wheel, swimming, trophy, sparkles, pizza, sun, arrow, house, refresh, and corn. There's a social media comment overlaying part of the left side, discussing the emoji challenge and a glittering trophy in the game. On the right, the smartphone captures a shiny metallic trophy with a figure skating on top, against a blue sky background.
A digital display showing images of IndyCar drivers and humorous captions. The central message is 'What we think everyone would bring to Thanksgiving dinner.' Including comments and playful captions about famous racing drivers and their favorite foods, with a background of a race track and part of the stadium.
A crowd of people at a racing event gathered around a shiny trophy. Several individuals are taking photos of the trophy, which is tall and ornate with a statue on top. The scene appears to be at an outdoor venue under a bridge or overpass.