The Comeback of the Modern-Day Grid Girls
Over the weekend at the BP Adelaide Grand Final, you might have seen something a little old-school on the grid… with a very modern twist.
Yep – I brought grid girls back.
Not as wallpaper.
Not as token “pretty faces.”
But as strategic brand assets for my motorsport clients in one of the most competitive and crowded spaces in Australian sport.
I know the topic can polarise people, so I wanted to break down why I chose to use grid girls, how we did it differently, and what actually happened as a result.
Motorsport Today: It’s a Battle for Attention
In categories like Aussie Racing Cars and the support categories at major events, you’re fighting for attention on every level:
Against other cars and teams
Against the noise of the main game
Against everything else on social media
Sponsors aren’t just paying for a logo on a car anymore. They’re investing in attention, brand recall and content.
My job at Coleman & Co PR is to turn race weekends into media, marketing and commercial opportunities, not just lap times. Grid girls were one part of that strategy at the BP Adelaide Grand Final.
Why Grid Girls – And Why Now?
For my clients, I used grid girls because they:
1. Create instant visual impact
On a busy grid, you get a split second to stand out. A cohesive group of brand-aligned grid girls around a car or sponsor signage is visually striking.
It draws the eye in person, in TV shots, and in fan photos.
2. Make sponsors more memorable
The goal isn’t “look pretty and smile.” The goal is:
When people think back to that race, they remember our car, our sponsors, and our presence. Styling, positioning and choreography were all designed
so car + sponsor logo + grid girls were framed together.
3. Attract a different audience segment
Hardcore motorsport fans will always be there. But my clients also want to tap into:
Casual event-goers
Lifestyle-focused audiences
People who love the experience as much as the lap times
Grid content performs incredibly well on social because it sits at the intersection of sport, lifestyle, fashion and events.
4. Produce high-value content in a tiny window of time
The grid is chaotic and fast. With a properly briefed grid team, we can capture:
Reels and TikToks
Hero shots for sponsors
BTS content for drivers and brands
…all in the few minutes before the race starts.
How We Did It Differently
I wasn’t interested in recreating a 1990s version of grid girls. The approach was very intentional.
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Every woman on the grid was treated as part of the brand experience, not a backdrop. They were briefed on:
Who the sponsors are
Where logos needed to be visible
How to interact with fans and cameras
The tone of the day: fun, approachable, professional
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Outfits and signage were chosen to:
Align with team and sponsor branding
Photograph well from multiple angles
Look polished and premium – not tacky
We weren’t just dressing people; we were designing moving brand assets. -
We mapped out beforehand:
The key shots we wanted
Short-form video concepts we could film on the grid
How the content would be used post-event
That meant when the girls hit the grid, we weren’t winging it – we were executing a plan.
What We Saw from the Weekend
I’ll save the full metrics breakdown for another post, but from the BP Adelaide Grand Final we saw:
Grid girl content ranking among the top-performing posts from the weekend
A noticeable spike in profile visits and new followers during and immediately after the grid activation
Sponsors gaining extra branded assets they could reuse across their own social channels and marketing
Comments and DMs about the vibe, professionalism and presence of the team – not just the race results
Most importantly, it gave my clients something many teams struggle to generate consistently:
A clear, visual point of difference.
The Elephant in the Room
Can grid girls be controversial? Absolutely.
Can they be done in a way that aligns with modern values, respects women and still delivers commercial outcomes? Also absolutely.
For me, the non-negotiables are:
The women are treated with respect, paid fairly and properly briefed
Styling is confident and on-brand, not degrading
The activation serves a strategic purpose for the client, not just nostalgia
When those boxes are ticked, grid girls become:
A job opportunity for models and brand ambassadors
A high-impact marketing tool for teams and sponsors
A legitimate part of the entertainment and event experience
What This Means for Teams and Sponsors
If you’re a driver, team owner or sponsor looking at the grid and thinking, “How do we stand out without blowing the budget?”, here’s the truth:
You don’t just need more logos.
You need presence.
Used well, grid girls can help you:
Capture more attention on the grid
Generate content that actually gets watched and shared
Create stronger brand recall for your sponsors
Turn a race weekend into an ongoing marketing asset
That’s why I used grid girls for my clients at the BP Adelaide Grand Final – not for tradition, but for strategy.
Curious About a Modern Grid Strategy?
If you’re a driver, team or brand and you want to explore a modern, intentional grid activation backed by proper PR, content and commercial thinking, this is what we do at Coleman & Co PR.
We don’t just show up on race weekend.
We build visibility, content and ROI around you.
Coleman & Co
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