Vuse Drives Art And Innovation At St. Petersburg Grand Prix Race Weekend

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., April 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vuse continues to drive art and innovation with the kickoff of the Vuse Design Challenge, a first-of-its-kind opportunity, and the commissioning of local artistic activations for this weekend's race on the streets of St. Petersburg. In collaboration with several artists, Vuse is inspiring creativity with the unique Design Challenge experience, the creation of two art installations at the Tampa Convention Center and the painting of an Arrow McLaren SP (AMSP) INDY Car trackside.

The Vuse Design Challenge, which is part of Vuse's broader partnership with AMSP, gives age 25+ nicotine consumers who are aspiring artists the chance to not only design an INDY Car paint scheme but to see it live on the track. The contest winner will see their design adorn the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP INDY Car on the track in Nashville at the inaugural Music City Grand Prix and receive $10,000 in prize money, along with a VIP experience at the race. Design entries can be submitted via vusevapor.com/design.

"We're thrilled to launch this innovative challenge to inspire our adult nicotine consumers and give them an opportunity few people have had before – to design a real race car," said Leila Medeiros, Senior Vice President of New Categories for Reynolds. "Vuse's consumers and their creativity inspire us to provide unique opportunities that spark originality."

Adult nicotine consumers will be able to vote on their favorite designs to narrow down the selection for the panel of judges, who will ultimately choose the Vuse Design Challenge winners. These judges are experts in their respective fields, including Jason Brueck, a digital designer, Leah Tinari, an artist and illustrator, and a team from McLaren: Louise McEwen, Director, Brand and Creative and Simon Dibley, McLaren Design Specialist.

Vuse's passion for ingenuity doesn't stop at the Design Challenge. The brand will continue to fuel originality with local-art activations, including:

• Local artists Jerry Cahill and Ya La'ford each designing an art installation at the Tampa Convention Center leading into race weekend
• La'ford painting an original design on an AMSP INDY Car at the track on race weekend

"Arrow McLaren SP is honored to work with Vuse during the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on their painting with purpose initiative. It is important that INDYCAR leave a positive impact in the cities we race in to show our support for the local community," said Sam Schmidt, Co-Owner of Arrow McLaren SP.

The art installations in Tampa go beyond originality and incorporate sustainability as Vuse plans to paint with a purpose. Not only will the artists use materials that would otherwise be thrown away, but the brand will donate the art installations to the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, a local nonprofit arts organization. This way, the artwork beautifies the city for race weekend and into the future. La'ford's art will go to the St. Petersburg Museum of History and Cahill's will also be displayed at another local gallery.

"We are committed to being thoughtful and purposeful in our strategic partnerships, and these paintings are an example of that," said Shay Mustafa, Senior Vice President of Business Communications & Sustainability for Reynolds. "Enabling artists to share their talent with the community is a great cause that becomes even more impactful when done with sustainability in mind. From repurposing items to a donation to a great local organization, these Vuse activations play an important role in driving towards our vision of A Better Tomorrow™ for consumers, society, employees, and shareholders."

The Vuse brand integration is part of a broader enhanced partnership deal between BAT, R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company's ultimate parent group, and McLaren Racing, as a continuation of the global partnership with the McLaren Formula 1 team, of which BAT is a Principal Partner.

Keep up with the Vuse Design Challenge at vusevapor.com/design.

Media Contacts:Brittany Lockard, Sr. Manager, Brand & Innovation Communications, R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company[email protected] 

About Vuse and R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company:The Vuse brand combines tobacco expertise with innovative technology to provide adult vapor consumers with alternatives to traditional tobacco products. Vuse products are marketed in the United States by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company (RJRVC), an operating company of Reynolds American Inc., a member of the British American Tobacco Group. RJRVC remains committed to responsibly marketing Vuse products. To learn more about R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company, visit www.rjrvapor.com. To learn more about Vuse products, visit vusevapor.com.

About Arrow McLaren SPArrow McLaren SP represents three determined entities – Arrow Electronics, McLaren Racing and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports – who joined forces at the end of 2019 in a strategic partnership with a clear aim: to compete for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship and the Indianapolis 500. Arrow McLaren SP fields two cars in the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES: The No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet piloted by Pato O'Ward; and the Vuse No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet piloted by Felix Rosenqvist. The team will also field Juan Pablo Montoya in the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Follow the team on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube at @ArrowMcLarenSP and online at www.arrowmclarensp.com.

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SOURCE R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company