Sponsors, Sponsors, Everywhere is a Sponsor

Over the last few weeks a number of sponsors have renewed or announced a partnership with a sports team. Budweiser and the Olympics announced the renewal of the long-standing partnership.  Toys R Us announced a first time agreement with the Special Olympics and Milk became the official refuel beverage for the Ironman series.  Everywhere you look in sports there is some kind of sponsor.  The NBA is even considering allowing sponsors logo’s on the players’ jerseys. 

Do you remember the very bright red with black and yellow uniforms of the University of Maryland?  Yes they were different and many remember they were sponsored by Under Armour. The uniforms of the University of Oregon, done by Nike.  While the super fan and those that watch college football on Saturday’s in the fall know this the causal fan may not.  What the causal fan may know better is the name of the stadium that they watch their favorite teams in.  Citi field in New York, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indi and Pet Co Park in San Diego. 

Pretty much every marathon you run has a sponsor.  The ING New York Marathon.  The Bank of America Chicago Marathon.  The Honda LA Marathon.  Just this month Allstate signed to sponsor the 13.1 Marathon series across the county. 

It is not just ballparks and marathon names that can get sponsored.  Have you ever run a small 5k race where the water stop is manned with people from a local bank?  They are a sponsor.  The back of your shirt from any race will have every sponsors logo, the front may as well if they have a title sponsor, like ING, Bank of America or Honda. 

If you run a half or full marathon, your guaranteed to experience the “official” drink and the “official” pick-me up like GU, Power Shots or Gatorade. 

So what is in it for the sponsors?  Maybe the sponsor is trying to break out into a new market with a new audience or a new product. The sponsor might desire an image boost and by partnering with a non-for-profit they achieve a residual effect based on their good will.  It used to be that sponsors worked with sports organizations that their CEO’s liked so that they could be seen at every event.  That’s not the case anymore and most organizations are looking for a return on their investments. 

For the big and the small sporting organizations, from the major leagues to the little leagues sponsors are everywhere, and frankly that’s a good thing.  Without sponsors the teams on the field might not be as good as they are, or the events we enter and buy tickets for would cost much more.  Without sponsors, little league teams with dreams of making it to the big leagues wouldn’t exist.  So next time your out at a sports event or running in a race, look out for the sponsors names and support them at your next opportunity you never know what good is coming out of that sponsorship. 

Goofy For Disney

Over the last 4 years I have competed in 8 Disney running events, now known as RunDisney.  I love every race for the fun and enjoyable atmosphere, yes if you are looking at qualifying for Boston this is not the place.  If you want to have a great time, love getting pictures and don’t mind running in a tutu or Mickey ears this is the place for your first or 20th run. 

From a marketers standpoint my favorite part about Disney is how they take the information I provide when I register and incorporate it in all of their communications to me.  From using personalized emails with my name, to emails with pictures of me, to a personalized url (PURL) with my picture, time and favorite characters.  Not only is this done through the email and online communication, but also on the race bibs we receive with our chips included.  They understand that I love the Princess and the Frog and ensure that my emails show scenes from the movie.  By having the characters we love on the race course they encourage you to stop for pictures, and one of those pictures is going to be sent in an email congratulating you on your awesome finish, of course with a link for you to buy that picture and more. 

Once you finish you are sure to receive a virtual certificate that you can download with your time and finishing place and of course your name in the color of one of your favorite characters.  You would really be surprised at how many races don’t supply this one great takeaway for free or don’t provide it electronically.  Many only support the top ten percent of their finishers in acknowledging they even finished.  Those of us in the middle and the back of the pack burned more calories over a longer time period but hey what does it matter if we aren’t Boston bound. Disney don’t care as long as you had fun and come back for more fun.

 

One thing that I have seen a lot from races of late is Facebook badges, this is something that RunDisney doesn’t do. This might add a personal touch to the pictures we download and would increase the brand awareness of the great number of Disney races.  Of course incorporating the personalization into the badge would provide the Disney touch that many of the badges are missing now.

If you are looking for a well-executed race that uses the marketing best practices that only Disney does best then look no further than Disney for your greatest competition and your most enjoyable event. There are 5 more events in 2012 waiting for your registration and of course the 20-year anniversary of the Disney Marathon in January 2013. If your crazy like me you’ll register for the Goofy Challenge, a half marathon on Saturday and a full marathon on Sunday.  3 t-shirts, and 3 medals.  Yes it’s Goofy but not Dopey (add a 5K). 

NFL Blackout Rules - What's right, what's wrong

Living in what is considered a small market broadcasting city, I am well aware of the issues around the NFL’s policy to blackout NFL games when the stadium is not sold out at least 72 hours in advance of the game.  While the Jacksonville Jaguars have not had a blackout game for the last two seasons, it is always threaten to happen.  Most weeks during the football season you will hear that the team received an extension to the rule.

What many don’t realize that the NFL did not instill this rule, but that Congress passed the legislation back in 1973.  Prior to 1973, the NFL blacked-out all home games during the regular season and during the playoffs.  According to recent tapes released during Nixon’s presidency, the President wanted to watch a Washington Redskin’s game that would have under normal circumstances would have been blacked-out.

According to an SBNation the blackout rule was derived when the NFL made most of their money from ticket sales.  With the financials changing to have most of the revenue provided by the broadcasting rights, the rule is under investigation by the FCC.  The FCC will rule on the need to change or not change the blackout rules, as they are set today.  The review will take place this week on February 27, 2012. 

Here in Jacksonville, some people are hoping that the rule will not be lifted.  That sounds strange doesn’t it?  I agree, except that the tipping point could be reached and teams in smaller markets, like the Jacksonville Jaguars, could pick up and leave for a city like LA.  What would stop them from going if ticket sales go down and heading to a city that can afford to put a winning team on the field, one that in the end would create higher revenue from Ticket sales and broadcasting or so that is what the proponents say? 

Florida is hit hardest by the NFL Blackout rule with 3 teams in the state with low attendance and a higher percentage of blackouts occurring.  So 2 Florida lawmakers are fighting to end the blackout rule.  Since each of the teams used or requested public funds over the last 30 years, the Senator’s, according to a recent report in Tampa, Florida, want to ensure that customers in those markets fans or not are given a better chance to watch their favorite teams.  It will be interesting to see what decision the FCC comes to and where we go from here. 

We have learned from MBL Baseball that broadcasting allows teams to be competitive.  The question remains if the NFL could change this so that smaller markets can compete.  I am very interested in what the FCC has to share. 

A Marathoners Assumption of Risk

On February 12, 2012 I ran the National Breast Cancer Marathon in Jacksonville, Florida.  The weather was very different than a normal February day in Florida with temperatures never reaching higher than 40 degrees and a wind chill unheard of, at 20 degrees.  Friends suffered hypothermia and dehydration along the course reminded me of the legal and liability issues around marathons.  Runner safety should be the backbone of every running event, but we have all been a part of or heard of event that went terribly wrong.

With a registered field of 45,000, the 2007 Chicago Marathon was looking to be a great race.  The elite athletes proved this by having two of the closest finishes in the history of the marathon, but what was happening behind them would prove to be a future case study for race directors and lawyers. 

There is really no way to articulate what happened that day or who was at fault.  So many worlds collided in one event that questions have arisen on who is liable for the wrongs of an endurance event.  Runners World magazine describes in detail the “Melt Down” that occurred that day.  The weather topping 92 degrees in the sun, the lack of water at water stations due to faster runners using more than what was forecasted, the race director cancelling the race in what has been deemed to late for the conditions, runners not recognizing their own bodies telling them to stop, EMT’s in unfamiliar locations with limited directions and overwhelmed emergency rooms in the area, all of these created a snowball effect creating a disaster with 1 death and over 300 people treated at area hospitals. 

Every participant signs a waiver of liability, essentially waiving the right to assumption of risk. Just like purchasing a ticket to a baseball game does for foul balls.  The question is does this cover negligence on the part of the race organizers or the volunteers if you are at the back of the pack during a marathon?  Do you sign away your rights to have water available in extreme heat or that the ambulance driver will know the way to the emergency room?  The Sports Law Blog questions all of this and how much warning does a race organizer have to give?  The expo had announcements that it would be extremely hot and that participants needed to ensure that they took every precaution.  Is it then the participants’ responsibility to ensure that they have enough water and Gatorade to make it through the first part of the race?  In my opinion it is.  I feel that as a casual back of the pack runner, it is my responsibility when running a Marathon or Half-Marathon that I have trained well and am prepared for the race.  If it is hot, as it was in Chicago, then it is my responsibility in signing a waiver of liability and assuming a risk that I dress appropriately and ensure my own hydration needs are met.  As with the Florida marathon in the cold, it was also my responsibility to ensure that I was dressed appropriately and stayed hydrated.  While I don’t think that those running up front of a race should use all of the resources I think in extreme conditions it will always be a calculated risk that happens. 

I think that the best thing that the race officials did is stop the race.  Do I think that they could have done more, sure?  I think that they could have worked to start the race at an earlier time given the forecast.  Would this have made participants angry if they wouldn’t have started on time, yes but most waivers signed by runners give the organizer the ability to make changes?  Changing the start time in advance would have proved to be a smart idea.  Every participant has to retrieve his or her own bib number at the expo, communicating the change here would have been appropriate.

As a runner in Florida, I often experience the conditions like those at the Chicago Marathon.  There are races that I won’t do any more because I see how participants are treated and how race officials are prepared.  Race directors should look at what worked and what didn’t at the 2007 Chicago Marathon and should learn from them before any more people get hurt.  That said runners should take responsibility for yourselves just as you do on a training run and make sure you are prepared for anything. 

David and Goliath in Endurance Sports

An interesting thing happened this week in endurance sports and the companies behind the technology we use every training and race to make us faster and stronger.  Whether you are just an avid runner, a part-time runner or an elite runner you have a pair of shoes that are your favorite.  You also have thoughts around what can make you faster or feel more confortable during the run.  If you are also a triathlete you have technology that goes beyond just shoes.  You buy the best that you can afford for your bike and your wetsuit.  Just a few seconds saved in a transition can make you better than the person next to you who you have been competing against the last three seasons.   

What if you work for a company who makes bicycles, wetsuits or running shoes?  As your running through the streets of Chicago and an idea to limit blisters that always come up in mile 20 of your run pops in your head.  You decided that you think you know how to build a better shoe or bike and quit your job.  Your job is in the marketing department so your thoughts really don’t make any difference for your company if you have them or now.  You don’t design their shoes you just market them and wear them.  You decide to take your idea to a design shop and build a contraption that stops blisters at mile 20 helping people get beyond the marathon wall.  Your idea takes off and is now being worn by runners all over the Chicago Marathon.  Does the running company you work for own the idea you had? 

That’s what Specialized bicycles thought when they filed a lawsuit against the founders of Volagi bicycles.  Two avid riders who just happened to work for Specialized when they had a thought about technology that would improve the comfort of the bike while riding for long periods of time.  Anyone who has done a Century Ride or an Ironman knows how uncomfortable a bike can get.  The founders of Volagi were sued because they signed a confidentiality agreement that covered their thoughts while they worked at Specialized. 

Both Volagi and Specialized believe they are winners in the race, I mean lawsuit.  Specialized proved that the founders of Volagi breached their contract with Specialized but were unable to prove the Volagi owners stole the Intellectual Property that Specialized believed they did in the design of the Volagi bicycles.  For his part in the breach of contract Volagi founder Robert Choi is fined $1 that is owed to Specialized.  The question in the end is if Volagi is really a winner as they claim or if Specialized bankrupted Volagi with the lawsuit making it now impossible to continue to market and sell the bikes they create. 

Regardless, I am sure each one of us will continue to find new and improved ways to make us for comfortable as we train for our marathons, half-marathons, century rides, triathlons, and Ironman’s.  Train on. 

On the Run with Chris Twiggs

      This week I had the privilege to take some of Chris Twiggs time for a short discussion on the Endurance Sports Industry.  Chris is the National Program Manager for Galloway’s Training Programs. Chris is also the Founder and Co-Program Director for the Jacksonville, Florida Galloway Training Program.  In addition, he sits on the Board of Directors for the 26.2 with Donna, the National Breast Cancer Marathon held every February, where 100% of the proceeds go to the fight to finish breast cancer.  One of the reasons I enjoy getting but early on a Saturday morning and running is due to Chris’s magical spirit and unbelievable knowledge of what it takes to get mostly middle aged women, some a bit overweight, to run a half-marathon or marathon, without injury in 7 to 4 months, all while making it fun.

            Chris Twiggs got into running and endurance running less than 20 years ago.  He was going to graduate school at Florida State University, working 3 jobs, one teaching at a community college in Gainesville, Florida when his new bride, an avid runner, told him about a new Marathon that would be held at Walt Disney World. Chris’ new wife wanted the two of them to do this together and as is typical with Chris’ personality he said sure.   Chris picked up a book at a local bookstore read it and started to follow the training schedule.  The problem with the schedule was that it was not practical for anyone who worked full-time and lacked time to run 13 miles on a Wednesday.  Chris muddled through the training and half way through determined that he would do another marathon but it would not be using the training in this particular book.  So he headed back to the bookstore and found another book, this time by Jeff Galloway, an Olympic marathoner.  It just happened that Jeff Galloway was a speaker at the first Walt Disney World Marathon, and Chris and his wife stopped to listen and get autographs from Jeff. 

            During his speaking engagement at the Disney Marathon, Jeff Galloway was introducing a new way to run using a run/walk ratio.  Chris and his wife decided to try this new method out.  Using walk breaks Chris went from a 4:15 marathon to a 4:01 while Chris’ wife went from a 4:14 to a 3:38, qualifying for the Boston marathon. They became instant believers in this new method. For their third marathon the two run the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington DC. Chris was just in the process of finishing another of Jeff’s books this time more of a novel.  As fate would have it Jeff Galloway rode in the bus back to the airport with Chris.  As an English Professor, Chris had taken note that in the back of the book Jeff had asked for feedback on how to improve the book.  During that bus ride Chris went out on a limp and asked Jeff if he could provide feedback. Three months later Chris and Jeff came together yet again at the Disney Marathon where Chris provided Jeff with feedback on the book.  A few short months later, Chris received a call from Jeff asking him to start a Galloway Running program in Gainesville, Florida. Unfortunately that didn’t work out but Chris took Jeff’s offer and started one in Greensville, South Carolina.  Chris enjoyed it so much that when he moved to Jacksonville, Florida he started a chapter in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach.  The Jacksonville chapter has grown from just 20 people to well over 500 in just a short 7 years.

            Because of Chris and Jeff’s relationship Chris once told Jeff that if the National Program Manager position ever came open he wanted the opportunity to take the position.  As fate would have it, again, in 2011, Chris became the National Program Manager for over 90 chapters of Galloway Training Programs across the United States and now internationally.  As National Program Manager, Chris provides all of the marketing materials, training needs and advice that a local chapter needs to become successful.  In our discussion, Chris mentioned that the most successful chapters have not one but two Program Directors and work with local running stores or health organizations like the local YMCA to gain membership and the support that is needed to grow and sustain a chapter.  Those in trouble are usually chapters where there is no one in the waiting to take over the reins.  It is Chris’ responsibility to help out as best he can to ensure that there is a succession plan and that a chapter is set to succeed.

            I asked Chris about what he believes makes a successful Marathon Director and a successful marathon race.  It was interesting to hear his response. Based on Chris’ assessment there are two types of Race Directors, those that are considered Professional Sports guys and the Passionate runner who becomes a Race Director. The Professional’s own the equipment and put on races weekend after weekend.  They care less about the runners experience and more about putting on a race that starts on time and ends on time.  They have the routine down and everything is turnkey.  The Passionate Race Director worries about the participant’s experience.  They want everyone to have a good time.  They want them to come back because it was fun not profitable.  A Passionate Race Director’s race may not make as much profit as the Professionals but the race most times is more successful in the eyes of the runner and may be around for a longer time, year after year.

I also wanted to get Chris’ feedback on some of the larger races that are out there and understand why he feels that some races are so successful and why some right now are receiving such negative feedback yet are continuing to see huge volumes of runners and continue to draw people year after year.  Chris’ assessment of this is that some of these larger races that are in their first years draw 30,000+ people are put on for the first time runner and not the avid runner, who knows from experience what they like and don’t like from an event.  Many races won’t recover from some of the mistakes that these races have experienced recently.  If you advertise a “scenic route” you have to deliver on that promise, cutting costs by running through lesser traveled sections of town and calling that scenic won’t cut it for the repeat runner.  The little things like having enough T-shirts, medals and water are important to runners.  Smaller races won’t recover from these mistakes. 

One of the trends in producing marathons is to use a cookie cutter approach and come into a city with a plan that has worked in one city and use the same methodology for all cities.  It just doesn’t work and leaves the runner with some extremely bad impressions. The problem is that these same races are bringing in millions of dollars to the cities they are held in and making millions for themselves while runners suffer.  In 5 years it will be interesting to see where we are and if races like the 26.2 with Donna will be more successful as a home grown, home town feel then the big cookie cutter approach guys. 

I could have talked to Chris for many more hours and feel a great privilege that he took time out of this day to talk with me.  If there is one thing I learned more than anything from my conversation with Chris is that if you want something or your interested in something let people know.  You never know who might be sitting next to you on a bus to the airport.  

Attracting Fans in a Down Economy

As we go through the process of an election year, we are all reminded that we are in a “down” economy or a recession. The entertainment industry has seen lower box office revenue and as prices go up at the gas pump and in the grocery isles we are all feeling the pain in the wallet. That is with the exception of many sports teams. A recent article by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta spells out how many teams are not experiencing the same issues of the entertainment industry and sports are still bringing in the fans despite the economy. The Florida Gators are one of those teams that are not experiencing any issues with the down economy.

          

Living in Florida for the last year and in a city with a football team often rumored to be moving to Los Angeles, I can see the creative ways that teams are attracting fans to sporting events. The Jacksonville Jaguars created a program called "Teal Deals" for their season ticket holders. Teal Deals offers $2000+ discounts at local merchants and restaurants. A program like this is a win-win for everyone.

Things like Groupon and LivingSocial, also called daily deals can work for sporting events and running events. Your daily deal might not be a discount on the entrance but a limited opportunity at the expo. Creating a “runners” experience at the expo or on race day won’t take from your registration fees and can provide additional revenue opportunities on race day. Think an exclusive VIP tent with massages and heat before and after a Half Marathon, a place to meet friends and family where you can also offer concessions, merchandise and registration for your next event.

A down economy makes business look for creative ways to drive traffic into their stores and restaurants. Sports teams and fitness events are no exception.