NYC Olympic Marathon Trials Marketing Questions

I think the poster is very poor. Boring. Easily ignored.

However, the best poster in the world could do little to drum up interest in this event. Even though the public knows almost nothing about distance runners, what they do know is that Americans don't win important races. This race is just to get a chance to say they made the Olympic team, not a chance to compete for a gold medal. Big difference. Americans might care if Americans start winning. Might.

I'll watch, regardless.

First, it was a requirement or at least a very strong suggestion that the Trials be on a crit course. This came from the Athletes Advisory Committee itself. Personally, I think it's much better for viewing the race (10x vs. maybe 2 max on the NYCM course).

Second, the organization of the race itself will indeed be first class - NYRR does nothing less for its elites, and knows the spotlight is on them. If you want to point to the "no bottles for B's" that came from someone in USATF who gave NYRR bad info. It is a challenging but fair course (I will take some personal pride therein) and at the end of the day I believe you will not hear any complaints from the athletes about how the race was conducted.

As to spectators and broadcasting, that may be a different matter, and is somewhat beyond their control. Hopefully NBC will do a decent job of the webcast; IMO, webcasting such as WCSN is the only viable future for track & running - there just isn't the advertising muscle to make it desirable to the networks or even cable stations.

People often make the specious argument that "so many people run, there's a huge ready-made audience for TV." The fact of the matter is that 90% of runners would rather be running than watching other people run. Toni Reavis, one of the most astute observers of the sport, put it this way: "What I do [for 30 or 40 minutes] ever day has nothing to do with the sport of running. It has to do with the activity of running. There is a clear distinction between the two. But it's a distinction we have yet to come to terms with."

Sad thing is, he wrote that 13 years ago. The more things change, . . .

JimG wrote:

IMO, webcasting such as WCSN is the only viable future for track & running - there just isn't the advertising muscle to make it desirable to the networks or even cable stations.

agree completely.

and your last point is well taken. there are all sorts of things i do that i'm not interested in watching other people do.

chuck d wrote:

[quote]JimG wrote:

IMO, webcasting such as WCSN is the only viable future for track & running - there just isn't the advertising muscle to make it desirable to the networks or even cable stations.

Running may not have the advertising muscle yet, but the olympics always carry advertising muscle. This happens once every 4 years for the possibility to be on the world's biggest sporting stage..Any lay person not interested in running will watch this if marketed appropriately and advertisers will support this. I don't think that we should just resign ourselves to webcasting on a 2" by 2" screen just yet.

NYC,

why spend the money to market the event when you have a successfully marketed (and attended) event the next day? would you open a coffee shop next door to a highly successful one with an already firmly established clientele, or would you choose a place where you'll be more successful? either link it in someway with the real ny marathon, or choose a different time of year, or a different city where you'll get more spectators.

what is a criterium style course? if running through times square means you have to start at 7:30am, don't make the course go through times square. choose a less-traveled part of manhattan and run it there if it means you can run the race at a later time when there are likely to be more spectators.

and the part about my personal schedule was obviously not serious. funny how you gave all of my points equal consideration when that one is clearly absurd.

Disagree. You could ask the 5000 people training with the Leukemia group in Central Park tonight about the Olympic Trials and get 5000 blank stares.

[quote]

Any lay person not interested in running will watch this if marketed appropriately and advertisers will support this.

Just how would that be done?

You must work for the USATF or the NYRR because all of your reasoning is very selfish. What about the magic of running with the crowds of New York through the skyline? Who cares if YOU get to see the race 10 times instead of two. What about the hundreds of thousands that would be watching if it were on the true course?

If it was required to be on a loop (can you say boring!) then why was it not held in the traditional time during the spring? So they can close the streets on Nov 3 but not April 3?

NYRR I am sure will treat the athletes as best they can, it is just since they they annoced this 6 months late it has been a joke.

In the end this is why our sport sucks, and unfortunately it takes away from the athletes. The good news is our top long distance runners are used to being treated this way. Could you imagine how good we would be if we our best runners had the recorces as the NFL or NBA?

But that will never happen as you said...therefore we are left to watch it online or have to wait until the Monday scoreboard in the back of the paper (since there is no room in Sunday's edition).

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and you can find them on this board.

But let's place the OT Marathon in perspective:

1. It's an Olympic Sport. Most, if not all Olympic Sport get very little attention except....drum roll....at the Olympics.

2. The marathon is just ONE of 21 athletic events! Proportionately, many times more effort, resources and monies are invested into this one event. I don't see our sprinters yelling to run the OT 100m down main street USA with with the same prize money structure.

3. As already pointed out - most people don't care about running. And certainly don't care about watching a sporting event where the athletes are doing the same thing for over two hours....the big show stopper...someone moves a little faster then someone else around 1:45 minutes into the athletic competition - WOW - I can't wait to see that!

You want something on network TV for 2.5 hours? Who's going to pay for it? Sponsor dollars are spread thin. Years ago, TV would pay track for the rights to televise events in this country. Now we have to pay TV!!!! Yes, NBC pays the IOC big (HUGE) bucks for the Olympics, but not in this country.

4. The world's largest running organization - NYRR, got awarded the bid. The most experience race management organziation on earth with a professional staff that works in this sport 24/7. They are led by a person with great passion who only wants to do the right thing for the runners. Have they made some mistakes -sure - like the "b" bottle situation - and the fixed the problem. They listen to the runners because that's who they serve.They have dedicated a ton of money into this event always keeping the athlete in focus. And it amazes me that thread after thread, posters continue to attack the event and the NYRR and the event. I would say that most posters don't have a clue as the complexity of hosting an event like this in a major city.

I applaud every organization that takes the time to improve our sport and the NYRR is at the top of the list.

I think the OT Marathon will be a exciting event and will definitely be there.

Why not give the Trials its own day since it's an entirely separate event? Also, nowhere in America are you going to get more spectators that the most densely populated city in the country on a weekend when an extra 20,000 runners are in town.

Research "criterium" and then read JimG's post above and you will understand why it is a different course.

NYRR wanted to make their course a little unique, and if starting in front of St. Patrick's... passing Radio City Music Hall... then running through Times Square is part of their vision, then so be it. Also, a little diversion before repeat loops of the CP is a good time. Not to mention that Mary's vision includes media coverage, which includes the Today Show, which requires starting the race while it's on.

Also, there are many more reasons to start at 7:30. NYC in November can still be a little hot, though not always. Starting earlier will never make it too cold, but it will help avoid too hot.

Either way, it is what it is, and nothing is going to change.

It is funny that you would criticize my sense of humor when you clearly do not have one at all.

anyone find it a bit strange that the NYC Half Marathon (Presented by Nike) got live TV coverage in NY but not the Olympic Trials.

Here is the solution...Run the OT marathon on the track. Make the Standard 2:12 with the B standard 2:14. Maximum 18 runners are allowed into event (unless more then 18 have the A standard).

You might even put in a rule that if you get lapped you are DQ'd unless you are in the top 3 (which is who the USATF cares about). Problem solved.

They can do it on the same day as the 50k race walk!

How about this for a marketing strategy...

You realize that the SPORT of marathon running in this country is currently only followed by a small group of loyal fans.

It seems as if the potential to grow is very strong as you have a large population of marathon participants and/or people interested in human sporting achievement (witness Tour de France during Armstrong years) but without a US champion/star and/or a Maria Sharapova style beauty the general population sees the marathon trials in the same way I see the US Bobsled championships... interesting.. but I'm going to turn the channel in 5 minutes unless someone crashes.

Now, do you try to use your marketing dollars to lure the casual sports fan who may or may not turn out. Or, do you use your marketing dollars to create a website with video and original text so that the hardcore and loyal fans are going to get everything they want? Do you invest in training groups and in creating the best trials experience for the athletes so that a great race/product is put out there for the hardcore fans. This is what politicians call strengthening their base.

If you have a strong base, you are perfectly positioned to turn your customers/fans into marketers themselves. In the world of Facebook, MySpace, YouTube etc.. the major media outlets matter less and less. Everyone has the ability to bypass their filter.

Just today, I had my office mates cracking up at the "Black Cactus" videos on Flotrack. I can guarantee you no one who watched the video had heard of Abdi before, but several of them later asked me questions about the marathon trials.

If every single hardcore fan, shared their passion for the sport with just one other person the growth in popularity of the SPORT of marathon running would be exponential.

Instead, everyone gripes about how the NYRR and USATF should market the sport to the masses for them.

Good luck with the griping. I'll be out cheering in Central Park.

Yes, and we should all share our enthusiasm with others- that would be called Running Evangelism, right? But really, how many of the people you run with no nothing about the trials and the build up, just each person saying something may get one more person to watch and start to follow the sport. -I agree with Watson.

I think you make a lot of great points. What is easy to overlook is that NYRR has such a broad constituency - they put on events for the world class, but, on a very day-to-day level, they are nurturing running on a grass-roots level. There are probably hundreds of NYRR members who have never attended an elite event, or thought of running as a sport in its own right. Watson makes a great point that just because some tactics such as Chasing Glory target a niche demographic, it doesn't mean they aren't expanding and galvanizing our fanbase in a significant way.

how much coverage do you actually see during a live marathon on a network? i would think there is less than 30 min of actual "racing" shown on ABC for the NYC Marathon

It's all back-story ,etc and no one cares about that stuff regarding people who likely won't make the team...

the TdF is exponentially more exciting on most days, with relentless attacks, team tactics etc..throughout its race than a marathon..

the men should be happy..those who make the team can still grab the paycheck of a spring marathon if they want (or big $ at some lesser distances) and the ones who don't can cash in during both the fall and spring season...

It's too soon for this race anyway. No one outside of the running community is thinking about the Olympics yet. Hell, most people probably don't even know where they are. It's like a year away. No one cares.

NYC, do you have some kind of connection to the event, part of NYRR perhaps, that you defend it so vehemently? you attack my lack of sense of humor, when it was you who demonstrated the inability to detect sarcasm.

In the time it took you to tell me to research criterium, you could have simply told me what it is. thanks for the help on that one.

and most people who are marathoning on sunday are not coming into the city to watch one the day before. they're probably resting up, staying off their feet, so they can run their own, rather than watch a 2+ hour event. even the recreational marathoner visiting the city is more likely to spend the day before taking in the sights of nyc.

No one cares about ballroom dancing yet it gets great ratings.

People understand drama. People understand the Olympics, training 4 years for 1 event. People even understand to some measure how damn hard the marathon is. These three things would make for great Tv.

I'm not asking for network TV. There are 200+ cable stations. The USOC, NYRR, and USATF should have the race on one of them. They can pass the blame around all they want but the bottom line is the race is not on tv.