Fuller Finds Failure in the Formula One Field

Simon Fuller, the brains behind Brand Beckham and one of the world's biggest TV franchises, Pop Idol, finally has a blot on his copybook.

Fuller came up with the Earth Dreams concept — an environmentally friendly message which the formula one team Honda Racing took to the track in 2007 after a glitzy launch at the Natural History museum. Chris Shaw, a brands expert, was hired to lead the negotiations with potential sponsors but despite winning a green award for the idea, Honda's association with Fuller's 19 Entertainment effectively ended before the 2008 season began.

Now, 21 months after the Earth Dreams launch, Honda's parent company has pulled out of formula one to "protect its core business activities" and without a title sponsor signed to support the concept.

Honda's commercial director, David Butler, claimed yesterday: "Honda is not withdrawing because of a failure to sell commercial partnerships." Butler says Honda Racing had been preparing the announcement of a "multi-million-dollar" partnership in January and insisted he is in advanced talks with two potential title sponsors.

Whether Honda Racing's parent might have taken a different decision had sponsors been queuing to associate themselves with Earth Dreams only 12 months previously will never be known.