Event Marketing Trend: Year-Round Activation of a One-Day Event
Over the past 10 years or so, major U.S. sports leagues like the NFL have focused on activating and engaging their fans year-round, not just during the regular season. The NFL now promotes their Training Camp, Regular Season, Playoffs, Super Bowl, Free Agency and Draft as individual engagement points throughout the calendar year. Recently, I am starting to see a similar shift in the way the Endurance Industry markets their properties and events. Marathons, triathlons and other endurance races are typically viewed as one-day opportunities for brands to engage consumers; however creative events and brands are looking to generate greater leverage via sustainable, annual revenue streams.
Although an event like the Boston Marathon only takes place on the third Monday in April, most participants run year-round and many are striving to qualify for other top races like, Chicago or New York. Adidas has been a footwear and apparel supplier to the Boston Marathon for 23 years (the coveted Boston Marathon Jacket quickly comes to mind), but in recent years Adidas has been looking for ways to extend their reach beyond that one day in April. Not only do they want to increase their appeal to the qualified runners that compete across the country, but they also want to reach the aspirational audience. Aspirational runners may never qualify for Boston, but running is a huge component of their lifestyle and they will be consumers for life.
For next year's Boston Marathon, Adidas launched their new "Boston365" campaign. This campaign combines their Boston Marathon sponsorship, elite athlete relationships and retail partnerships into a new year-long training program. Boston365 was designed in partnership with Fleet Feet Sports to provide assessment, coaching and training to support participants hoping to qualify for future Boston Marathons.
Whereas the sponsor drove the new year-round platform in Boston, in New York the New York Road Runners (NYRR) club is pushing their partners to activate throughout the year. The NYRR wants to provide an elite experience for every participating athlete, not just on race-day but also in NYRR training runs that take place throughout the year. Ann Wells Crandall of the NYRR was recently quoted saying, “Running is an everyday thing, and so we’re trying to match that with our sponsors support.” This approach means that the NYRR needs sponsors who will not only participate in the ING New York City Marathon on November 5th, but also provide support and assistance for additional NYRR events throughout the year.
Overall, I see this trend as a "win-win-win" for the sponsor, the race and the athlete. This drive towards year-round training support and promotion will help build awareness of the many fantastic endurance events that are offered, while also providing sponsors a means to leverage their initial investment through more year-round activation. Smart sponsors who take advantage of this shift will be able to move their sponsorship far beyond race day to reach the broader endurance market.
April 24, 2012
March 30, 2012
Mixing Business and Pleasure
Because hawkeye sports and experiential (hse) works with national active lifestyle brands, the majority of our clients' events take place all over the country; being a part of last weekend's Rock 'n' Roll Dallas Half Marathon close to home was a nice change of pace for our team. Some were able to participate in the expo and the race itself, while others made sure client activation was flawless as usual. hse clients, Gatorade and Michelob ULTRA, had a presence during the event and provided products that athletes craved on a warm, beautiful day in Texas.
Finish area at Fair Park in Dallas, TX
Friday afternoon, we visited the Health and Fitness Expo at the Dallas Convention Center to pick up race packets and get a sense of what some brands are doing in the experiential space. hse team members Nate DeMercurio and Michelle Sparks ran the full 13.1 miles through the streets of Dallas, while Kate VanHee and Carly Mathews teamed up to run the relay. hse Managing Director, Amanda Dempsey, and Account Director, Jamie Schneider, were there with their little girls at the finish line to congratulate the runners. Jamie oversees the Michelob ULTRA account for hse, which is a series-wide partner of the Rock 'n' Roll Race Series, and was there to lend a hand to hse Client Associate Malisa Sirucek, responsible for quenching lots of thirsty palates in the beer garden.
Rock 'n' Roll Health and Fitness Expo, Left to Right: Michelle Browning, Kate VanHee, Weston Gouger, Michelle Sparks, Becca Ellinor, Carly Mathews
Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon finish area, Left to Right: Jamie Schneider, Carly Mathews, Kate VanHee, Nate DeMercurio, Amanda Dempsey
As the official Celebration Partner of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, the most rocking run on earth, Michelob ULTRA activates at all 24 U.S. races as well as the Montreal event in Canada. The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series brings over 10,000 runners to all 24 of their half marathons across the nation. At the Rock 'n' Roll Dallas event, Michelob ULTRA was able to reach over 5,000 consumers with an ice cold Michelob ULTRA on the warm Texas weekend. Over 14,000 runners participated in the event this weekend bringing out family and friends totaling approximately 25,000 spectators for the event weekend.
Runners enjoying ice cold Michelob ULTRA at the finish area
Runners posting photos on Facebook from the Michelob ULTRA Finish Line
The Michelob ULTRA activation footprint at the finish area
Going on 8 years, the Michelob ULTRA sponsorship continues to bring an impressive Post-Race Party footprint. The footprint consists of a 24' Michelob ULTRA stage, 50' inflatable dome, 16' inflatable image columns, tents, interactive kiosks with the ability to post race photos on Facebook and, of course, ice cold Michelob ULTRA. The Race To The ULTRA tour consists of 80+ events through out the year, including running and cycling events, such as AMGEN Tour of California and staple events, such as OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini Marathon and ING Miami Marathon. Each year, the Race To The ULTRA tour reaches over 6 million spectators and participants and distributes over 300,000 samples of Michelob ULTRA throughout the United States.
Having expanded Race to the ULTRA to two teams that travel the nation for the 80+ events, hse's role is to evaluate and negotiate partnership contracts, manage tour travel, communicate with local wholesalers and event partners, and manage all day to day activity of the tour. hse is focused on providing Michelob ULTRA with the promotion and activation needed to become the leading superior light beer in the beverage market.
March 23, 2012
(Not) Getting Our Feet Wet
A few members of hawkeye sports and experiential's (hse) team recently visited the GORE® corporate offices and labs in preparation for the 2012-2013 GORE® Mobile Tour event kickoff. The hse team consisted of Client Associates Lindsey Patterson and Nate DeMercurio, along with mobile tour team members Billy Gallagher, Joe Torreano and Harald Zundel were fortunate enough to tour many of the testing facilities and labs, and discovered there is much more than meets the eye at GORE®.
To most outdoorsy people, GORE® is synonymous with GORE-TEX®, the waterproof, breathable fabric technology that keeps us warm and dry when the weather doesn't cooperate. Surprisingly, GORE-TEX® is only one piece of the greater GORE® Company, which uses it's proprietary innovation of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (quite a mouthful, ePTFE for short) for pretty much anything you can imagine. From gaskets to massive marine ropes, space suits to medical solutions, GORE® products are everywhere. The reason being: ePTFE is chemically inert and not susceptible to heat and cold like polyurethane materials, which means it's one of the most durable barriers in existence.
How is this applied to jackets, gloves, pants and other things that protect us from the elements? The ePTFE membranes in these products have microscopic pores 20,000 times smaller than a water droplet, yet 700 times larger than a water vapor molecule. The result provides a waterproof barrier that allows moisture vapor to escape and the garment to breathe - pretty amazing stuff! And because the ePTFE membrane is not susceptible to heat, it actually BENEFITS the garments to put them in the dryer to revive the Durable Water Repellant (DWR) coating that beads the water on the outside. We were allowed to test this first-hand in the rain room at the GORE-TEX® offices (pictured above), as well as see the extensive testing processes all GORE-TEX® products go through before they are available to consumers on the market.
hawkeye is excited to kick-off the 2012-2013 GORE® Mobile Tour next weekend with the GORE-TEX® Grand Traverse in Colorado. The tour will be at 24 other events throughout the year. A big thanks to GORE® Associates Deb Dixon and Eric Bell, as well as the other Associates around the facilities, including founder William H. Gore's youngest daughter, Betty, for showing us an amazing time and providing fascinating insight into the world of GORE®.
February 27, 2012
Running USA: State of the Sport Marathon Report
Running USA released the annual State of the Sport Marathon Report over the weekend, detailing trends in the sport of running over the last year. It appears the amount of marathoners in the US continues to increase, however it has decelerated compared to previous years. Growth slowed from 8.6% in 2010 to 2.2% in 2011, however the 2011 total still reflects a record high in marathon finishers, as well as total US marathons run (estimated 720). Participation in the half marathon distance has grown substantially and may be causing, or at least taking advantage of, the slowed growth in the marathon distance. The emergence of alternative races (ex. Spartan Race, Warrior Dash, Mud Run) and the growth of other endurance sports (ex. triathlon) may also be impacting growth in the fight for athletes' time and money.
The ING New York City Marathon remains the largest marathon, not only in the US, but around the world with 47,133 finishers in 2011 - an all-time record. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon had the second largest number of finishers in the world (35,755) with the Virgin London Marathon slightly behind in third (35,126); the prestigious Boston Marathon was the third largest in the US (23,913). Over all, 16 marathons saw more than 15,000 runners cross the finish line in 2011, the first time that has ever happened.
From a survey of nearly 12,000 runners, results showed those active marathoners (having completed a marathon in the last two years) averaged running more than four times per week, purchased four pairs of running shoes throughout the course of the year and 83% spent at least $100 on apparel.
Other interesting findings from the report:
- Overall participation continues to skew 59%-41% male over female
- A higher percentage of females aged 25-34 participated in marathons (35%-25%) while the reverse is true for males aged 45-54 (24%-18%); age 35-44 is nearly equal
- Boston continues to attract (filter) the fastest runners as 68% percent of finishers crossed the line under 4 hours (median finish time - 3:44:58)
- The Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco had the highest percentage of female finishers (92% - not surprising or surprisingly low?) while the San Francisco Marathon had the second highest percentage of male finishers (67%)
- Two marathons debuted in Japan with over 20,000 finishers each
- There was a record-tying 26 US marathons with ov
er 4,000 finishers, equal to each of the last two years - There was a record-breaking 94 US marathons with over 1,000 finishers
- The US has averaged more than 26 inaugural marathons per year over the last 10 years
To read the whole report, visit Running USA.
February 24, 2012
Gamification
In January 2012 we reported on the 10 marketing trends to watch and trends #6 (experiential embraces technology) and #7 (Gamification) were taken to the streets in late 2011 for Gatorade at the Nike Women's Marathon and Half Marathon in San Francisco.
The challenge: Provide athletes with a memorable experience that set the stage for their upcoming race and helped them understand the importance of sports nutrition while running.
The solution: We created The G Series PRO Sports Nutrition Zone race simulation and connected runners to the brand through gesture control technology ("GestureTek Cube") that allowed athletes to step into the screen and test their sports nutrition knowledge in an interactive way.
Gatorade products are heavily rooted in science, and as such, hawkeye designed and programmed the simulation to have a sleek, realistic feel with a link to the scientific principles behind sports nutrition. To begin, runners would be introduced to a Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) representative and tap the "Start" indicator on the floor mat.
Once they had received the instructions, the simulation started with a pre-race scenario that prompted runners to select they would eat/drink prior to running by tapping their foot. The zone meter on the right side of the screen would register the appropriate relative amount of carbohydrates, electrolytes and fluid.
After selecting an option before the "race," the screen would change and the runner would step into the shoes on the starting line to begin the race simulation.
The road began moving and nutritional items slowly moved toward the runner, whose task was to select the appropriate products with the necessary nutritional elements to keep the zone meter on the right at optimal levels. For example, selecting only water would raise the blue fluid meter, but the carbohydrates and electrolyte meters were unchanged; if the athlete selected G Series PRO Endurance Formula, all three meters rose to reflect the nutritional benefits provided by that product during the race. During the entire simulation, which was timed to be a "sped-up" 3:30 marathon, the GSSI representative provided sports nutrition insight and recommendations based on what the athlete was selecting.
Once the race ended and the athlete crossed the finish line, the Post-Race screen displayed items for athletes to choose as they would for race recovery.
A final screen would show totals of consumption before, during and after the "race", at which point the athletes briefly received a valuable, overarching sports nutrition consultation from the GSSI representative.
As you can see from the photo below, the simulation was popular. Gatorade was able to present the science of sports nutrition to athletes through an innovative, interactive and personal medium, while providing the athletes with advice and information from experts on the topic.
February 22, 2012
Back to School
I was recently invited back to my alma mater, SMU, to speak to a bright, young class of Sports Management students. Professor Michael Lysko was kind enough to ask me to speak to his students about hawkeye, my career and how to succeed in the business of sports.
As I prepared to visit the class, I reflected back… what did my mentors teach me? What have I done to get where I am today? What can I share with these students to help them become valuable contributors to a professional organization? How can I help them find a job they will love?
I started the lecture off by sharing my favorite memories from Super Bowl XLII, the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, and numerous NASCAR races, marathons, and various other sporting events I have been professionally involved with. Their eyes lit up as I talked about all these events, but those looks quickly changed when I mentioned a few of the 100-hour work weeks! Thankfully, they perked up again when I began to brag about how great hawkeye was… the cutting-edge brands, the exciting competitive events, the face-to-face interaction with consumers, and of course, the benefit of wearing jeans to work instead of a suit.
Most importantly, though, I focused on communicating my personal principles for success…
- always be networking,
- stay abreast of the current news and emerging trends in your industry,
- even if you weren’t a math major, learn to love the numbers that matter to the success of your business,
- and above all… always remain focused on engaging the fans.
Ultimately, I explained to them that working in sports can require a lot of long hours and heavy lifting (and sometimes for little pay), but there is no better reward than seeing your vision and effort come to life through a smile on a fan’s or consumer’s face.
At hawkeye, we often say that our advantage is our people. Going back to school for a day reminded me of how important the passion and effort of the upcoming generations will be to hawkeye’s future success. Many thanks to Professor Lysko for the opportunity to speak to his students, and hopefully I was able to help inspire them!
hawkeye sports & experiential SMU alums
February 21, 2012
Colors of Achievement
Who knew running could be so colorful? Last Sunday, hawkeye Sports and Experiential team member Becca Ellinor took part in The Color Run with a group of friends at Fair Park in Dallas. The concept was to start out clean white and progress along the course, getting doused with different colors of paint at various points along the way. The result (Becca in the middle):
The only color Kate VanHee saw on Saturday morning was brown, as in mud - everywhere! Kate ran the Cross Timbers Half Marathon, the "oldest trail run in Texas" out by Lake Texoma. She braved the cool, wet, slippery conditions to finish the brutally difficult (14 mile) race as the 3rd fastest female overall - congrats Kate, way to go!
February 16, 2012
Giving Back
At times we get wrapped up in the logistics, branding, operations and strategy of building our clients' brands through race experiences. It's nice to be reminded how good it can feel to focus on simply giving people something to smile about along the way.
The very first Hot Chocolate 15K/5K Run took place in Dallas over the last weekend. This race began in Chicago in 2008 and has grown to seven cities for 2012. One of the fastest growing race series' around, the Hot Chocolate Run is sponsored series-wide by Ghirardelli Chocolate and claims it will draw 200,000 across all races in 2012.
Just so happened the Dallas race course passed right in front of one of our houses, and a few of us decided to get out and cheer on the athletes. Despite temperatures in the low 30's, music and dancing (and wigs) were on display to give runners a boost just after the halfway point. It was a great opportunity for us to see an event not as an organizer, promoter or athlete, but as crazy, running super fans - and we may have had more fun than they did!
September 08, 2009
Getting Ready For the Kiawah Olympic Distance Tri
The photo is at the “turn around” point for the Kiawah island triathlon coming up in a couple of weeks.
Now training for the Olympic distance triathlon at Kiawah Island. Went to the beach this past weekend and met several people who have done the Kiawah tri in the past. Interesting thing…they have been practicing: running in and out of the ocean – had not thought about that. I’m definitely going to wear a wetsuit for Kiawah. They are allowed in spite of the water temperature rule and I will take all the help I can get. (I’m wondering what it feels like to apply PAM cooking spray to your body before you get in the wetsuit so it comes off easier in the transition…does it repel sharks?) Spent Sunday morning riding the bike course on Kiawah – yeah, just a little longer than a sprint distance!!!. Would love to have done the run course, but my leg is still jacked up from last weekend’s Lake Norman Tri.
My whole focus in the next three weeks preparing for Kiawah is endurance – not speed. Swimming at least a mile every workout without stopping, biking more than 30 miles and will hope to start running soon. Then I think the key will be combining biking and running…my God, that’s like next week! How will that happen with my travel schedule…who knows?
Oh well, the focus is on just finishing my first Olympic/International distance triathlon. As someone said, “We aren’t competing, we’re completing” and I couldn’t agree more!
Did a 32 mile bike and a 10K run Labor Day. Actually a run/walk – I’m scared to death to aggravate this nagging calf thing – I did it, so I know it can be done! Do you find yourself ever thinking back on running pain-free, before the injury? Yeah, can’t wait to get back there again and get the miles up. But for now, with the triathlon looming, I’m getting more nervous than I anticipated and now is when the endurance needs to peak before the race week taper. The plan is to do another brick this coming Saturday and keep up the 2,000 meter swims, and oh, yeah, reserve a wet suit!
August 31, 2009
The Cumulative Effect of Swimming, Biking and then Running is not to be Underestimated!
Completed my first triathlon Sunday morning!
After the Nicaragua surf trip, seems I tapered down not only my training, but also my blogging. It was a pretty light training week leading up to the Triathlon. Ran on Monday morning, missed swimming Tuesday due to travel and biked Wednesday night, traveled Thursday, no workout, Friday was a rest day and Saturday tried to get in some running intervals and a easy bike. Damn, if I didn’t aggravate my Achilles tendonitis… but no way was that going to stop me from running Sunday – which by the way, I’m paying for the week after the tri
The number one thing? Seriously, the cumulative effect of swimming, biking and then running is not to be underestimated! I am really glad I did the “mock” the weekend before just for the mental boost knowing you can do it, because you have. The transitions were surprising (and exciting). My transition times were pretty good, but coming out of the water and running to the bike left me a lot more winded than I imagined. It wasn’t until a mile or two later on the bike when I felt like I got my wind back.
What did I learn from my first tri?
- The swim was far more physical than I was expecting based on my four open water swim training sessions.
- Give yourself plenty of time to spot your bike coming out of the water and coming in after the bike. I found counting racks worked best for me.
- Practicing transitions was very helpful
- I think it’s important to start combining event training. That is, on either Saturday or Sunday mornings, bike and run, even if you have to walk the run. Focus on endurance and combine bike/run or swim/bike. The challenge will be finding the time.
- Everybody is really nice (except maybe on the swim!)
- Having your body marked, the people cheering at the transition area and hearing your name as you cross the finish line is really cool.
- It’s easy to get bitten by the “bug”! I’m wondering now the best way to keep it up during the winter…
