hawkeye Sports and Entertainment

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. 

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.

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.

GestureTek Cube running the G Series Pro simulation

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.

Start Screen

Screens detailed instructions for the simulation as well as the "gesture" technology

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.

Pre-Race selection screen

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.

Athletes would step onto the (Nike) shoes to begin the race

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.

Sports nutrition items began moving toward the athletes, who could step on them to select

The zone meter on the right of the screen reflected certain nutritional levels of the selected items

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. 

The post-race selection screen offered items to choose to begin the recovery process

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.

Summary screen displaying what the athlete consumed during the simulation

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. 

Runners lined up to watch and take part in the simulation

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

Endurance Rocks at Super Bowl!

When you think about the Super Bowl, I imagine healthy, active lifestyle isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. And it shouldn’t. But I can assure you, Super Bowl week it is all about endurance!

I’ve been fortunate to attend 15 Super Bowls in my life, a self proclaimed veteran. Each and every time I’m amazed at the experience. I also typically require a week of recovery when the final whistle blows! This past week in Phoenix has been a great reminder of what the single biggest week in sports has become – the ultimate endurance challenge!

Like any good race, Super Bowl week requires dedicated training and experience to perform at your very best. From that moment we arrived at the Westin Kierland Hotel (host hotel for the New England Patriots), this year’s race was on. Navigating my hotel required exclusive credentials, at this event ACCESS IS KING! I make my through secret service like security and get an escort to my room. Tom Brady hops on the elevator and gives me a nod. He knows I’m a veteran by the credentials hanging around my neck and the look in my eye. He respects the years of training and commitment to the event represented in my “lanyard”.

As I get off the elevator, my phone rings, Brady glances over and offers best wishes and I return the nod. Although schedules are pretty well outlined before arriving in Phoenix, flexibility and altering course is the key to a successful Super Bowl The call is good - access to the Commissioners Party and the Sports Illustrated party has been granted! This will require a few schedule adjustments but an important addition, my clients will be pleased. The parties (and a few meetings) during the week are almost more important than the game itself.

“What game?” says super agent Leigh Steinberg! Over the past several years, the entertainment world has laid claim to Super Bowl week. The live performances and VIP guest lists at events like Maxim Magazine, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Victoria Secret, Westwood One, ESPN and others have dominated the scene. This has also resulted in party ticket prices that rival the Super Bowl. I just heard that some corporate executives paid as much as $4000 for tickets to go to the Maxim party this year? Like I said, access is king and I am happy to be on the inside of the sports and entertainment business.

Traffic in Phoenix is backed up all over the city. The king of endurance, Dean Karnazes would probably hop out and run the final 10 miles to our first stop! Not my crowd, this is the first night and we are in for a long evening, so pacing is everything. I get on the phone and check in with my “source”. A local luxury magazine, 944 has developed the hot spot for the week and 50 Cent is due to play later – wow, later? It turns out this is the hottest ticket in town and our guy just landed 10 VIP passes for my group. The endurance challenge is underway…….

The next two days are a repeat of similar routine; like a bad version of the “Groundhog Day”. Mixed in during our daylight hours are a variable mix of productive meetings, Jerry McGuire want-to-be discussions and even a couple of real deals? The only exercise attempted was a short run interrupted by Homeland Security, didn’t even get to break a sweat!

Saturday night is the big night on the Super Bowl party circuit. I compare it to Mile 17 at the NYC Marathon; a grueling, uphill battle where many people hit the wall. Westwood One dinner with Boomer and gang, the Commissioner’s Party for a little more food and drink, Sports Illustrated for some old time memories, Maxim just because and back to 944? Is it possible? In previous Super Bowl marathons, my endurance capabilities actually peaked during this vital stretch. Not this year! After giving it my best shot and leading the way for a good part of the evening, I opted to sneak a cab at the first sign of an opening – if I didn’t hit the wall I had certainly bounced off it at a high speed!

Super Bowl Sunday always brings on a rush of reality. The awakening - we remember why we are here in the first place and begin to focus accordingly. We are in the home stretch and confidence resumes. As I pack my gear for Game Day, there is a sense of familiar accomplishment. I remember the look Tom Brady gave me as I exited the elevator days before, wondering if I could survive # 15?

Well Tom, I’ve did survive another Super Bowl endurance challenge. I just don’t know if you did?

Merrill Squires