Running

In 2011, running became a very important part of my life. When I resumed running in January, I could barely maintain a 10:30 mile for 30 minutes on the treadmill. Now, I go for 13 mile runs because I feel like it. I am excited to see what I can achieve with running in 2012. 

1. Finish my first half marathon.
2. Run a half marathon in 1:45.
3. Break 23 minutes in the 5K.
4. Run 12 races in 2012.
5. Set PRs in the 8K and 10K distances.

Health/Fitness

While running is my hobby and preferred method of exercise, I know that I need to build strength in other areas in order to maintain a balanced lifestyle. I hope to incorporate more variety into my health routine to ensure I am the healthiest I can be.  

1. Try 3 new types of exercise. (I’d like to try The Bar Method, Cross Fit, TRX Training, and Physique 57).
2. Strength train at least 2 time per week.
3. Practice yoga at least 3 times per month.
4. Eliminate sweets/desserts completely for one month.
5. Make 10 new recipes.

Mental/Emotional

Living a balanced lifestyle means improving my mental and emotional health. In trying to develop physically health habits, this area of my life didn’t receive as much attention in 2011. I hope to change that next year.   

1. Read 25 new books.
2. Improve a professional skill (such as CSS/HTML or SEO/SEM).
3. Attend 6 networking events.
4. Read and watch the news daily.
5. Read 3 industry-related books.

I’m glad I took the time to outline my goals before the new year starts – I have a tendency to make resolutions/goals in mid-January. I’m eager to get started as soon as I’m back in D.C. !

What are you hoping to accomplish in 2012?

• Run 5 races including the Army 10 Miler on October 9, 2011 – Accomplished! I ran quite a few races in 2011 – St. Patrick’s Day 8K, Cooper River Bridge Run 10K, Crystal City Twilighter 5K, Run! Geek! Run! 8K, Army 10 Miler, Subaru Thanksgiving Day 6K, and the Hot Chocolate 15K.
• Try 5 types of new exercise - Accomplished! I tried Kazaxé, Bikram Yoga, Vinyasa Flow Yoga, p90x, and Tabata Intervals.
• Improve my knowledge of basic nutrition and apply much of what I learn to my daily eating habits - Accomplished! After reading countless articles and journals on nutrition, I now eat a mostly vegetarian diet consisting of whole foods. In the beginning of 2011, I ate few vegetables and relied on a stocked freezer. Now, my meals are made from fresh ingredients and I rarely pull anything but frozen veggies or fruit from the freezer. I still have a lot of room for improvement, especially maintaining consistency when I’m traveling or on vacation.
• Read 35 new books, five of which are nonfiction - Failed! I only read 22 books this year. I did not expect this goal to be the one I didn’t achieve, but moving into D.C. and eliminating my daily commute played a big role in why I didn’t read 35 books this year. I also devoted a lot of time to my new hobby – running!
• Take a class to learn a new skill or improve an old one – Failed! Outside of fitness and nutrition, I did not take any classes. Finding the time and budget made this challenging.
• Attend a professional conference or workshop – Accomplished! I attended Blog World Expo New York.
• Get involved with a volunteer organization – Accomplished! I began regularly volunteering with Girls on the Run.
• Determine whether I want to get a graduate degree - Accomplished! After a lot of research, I determined that I am not ready to pursue a graduate degree right now. In the future, I might look into getting an MBA so I can improve my knowledge of finance and marketing.
• Travel to 3 new places  - Accomplished! This year, I made my way to three new cities in the United States: New Orleans, Charleston, and Harpers Ferry.

Looking back, I am impressed with how far I’ve come with my health and fitness. These goals have always been challenging for me to stick with, but I had NO trouble achieving the ones I made for 2011. I’m looking forward to challenging myself even more physically next year. Improving my health and fitness had positive effects on all other aspects of my life, from my career to my friendships and relationships. In 2012, I’d like to work on balance – maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle while not ignoring my other hobbies and passions (especially reading).

How did you do with your 2011 goals and/or resolutions?

While the National Anthem played over the loudspeakers and I spotted runners sporting t-shirts with the names of loved ones stationed overseas, my eyes welled with tears. Then, I watched the courageous Wounded Warriors begin running their races and I nearly lost it in the middle of my very crowded corral. People weren’t kidding when they talked about the emotional intensity of the Army Ten Miler… that combined with my own disbelief that I was finally at the starting line of this race made me a little teary-eyed.

Luckily, that didn’t last long. As soon as I crossed the starting line, I felt a huge smile creep across my face. It hasn’t gone away since.

Feeling strong at mile 4.5 of the 2011 Army Ten Miler

The Army Ten Miler  has been crossed off my list of goals. I finished in 1:22:49 – more than 7 minutes faster than my time goal. Kudos to the race organizers for putting on such a fantastic event, to all the volunteers and spectators who made 10 miles feel easy, and – most importantly – the men and women in our armed services who make physical, mental, and emotional sacrifices for all of us on a regular basis.

For three years as a D.C. resident, I kept missing the deadline to register for the lottery that would allow me to secure a spot in the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. This coincided nicely with my inability to break free from the occasional runner label I had given myself. While I was running more frequently since moving to D.C., I would hardly call myself a true runner. I didn’t follow any sort of training plan and still found myself not running for weeks – and  sometimes months – at a time.

Back in January 2011, I decided I was done with that mentality. I’ve never given less than 100% to anything before, so why have I always done it with long-distance running? I enjoyed it and wanted to be committed. So, shortly after the new year, I signed up for a popular 10K in Charleston, SC taking place in early April. For 4 months this winter, I trained at the gym on a treadmill (!) with my best friend for the race. When I started out, I could barely maintain a 10-minute mile, but I kept pushing through, finding enjoyment in this new, challenging hobby. A few weeks before the race, Ashley and I took our training outside to the trails. We bundled up to brave D.C.’s chilly spring weather and ran… and ran… and ran. That day, we covered 7 miles – the furthest either of us had ever run before. When we finished, we felt the runner’s high so many speak about.

After finishing the Cooper River Bridge Run 10K, I grew a bit obsessed. I read books about running. I subscribed to countless running blogs. I purchased a subscription to Runners World. I began volunteering with Girls on the Run (GOTR), a nonprofit that seeks to instill healthy self-esteem in young girls through running.

Outside of work, my life was all about running. And I loved every minute of it.

While volunteering at the GOTR spring 5K race, something came over me. I watched these young girls crossing the finish line with massive smiles, accomplishment and pride taking over their small faces. I wanted that. Coincidentally, that morning, registration for the Army Ten Miler – the largest 10-mile race in the United States – had opened. The ATM has a reputation for selling out quickly so I made a knee-jerk decision to just do it, using the unreliable Internet connection on my iPhone to sign up in the parking lot.

For a couple of days, I was simply excited. Then, I grew uncertain. Had I really signed up for a 10-mile race? The longest I’d ever run at that point was 7 miles. I’d essentially be tacking on a 5K distance to that… did I really have it in me?

Pushing the self-doubt aside, I devised a training plan. I’ve built them before and followed them half-hardheartedly as a high school cross country slacker runner. Would I stick with it? Would I still be running in October – 7 months from the day I signed up for the race?

Well, tomorrow is the Army Ten Miler. I’m still running. In fact, throughout my training, I’ve tackled a few things I thought I’d never do:

• I joined a running group that has introduced me to some of my closest friends.
• I ran 9 miles on a Thursday evening after work because I felt… surprisingly great… while running…
• I ran 11.5 miles on a Saturday morning by myself.
• I ran 9 miles without an iPod in a torrential downpour in Florida. (I never thought I’d be able to run without music, and now music-less runs make up the bulk of my training.)
• I ran every single long run on my training plan.
• I ran 12.5 miles.
• I happily gave up going out with friends on Friday nights to ensure I’d feel my best on my Saturday long runs.
• I spent more money on running clothes than actual clothes. (!)
• I began eating whole foods, including lots of different veggies. (Mom, aren’t you proud?!)
• I ran a 5-mile race and netted a 7:50-mile pace. I never thought I’d secure an average pace beginning with a 7!

Each of these achievements is exciting and empowering. As I sit here with a little less than 24-hours until I cross the start line of the Army Ten Miler, a race I’ve been working toward since May, I am filled with nervous anxiety. There are questions and concerns racing around in my head, but the excitement is slowly seeping in and pushing any fears out the window. I’m already flying a bit high on race day adrenaline.

Tomorrow morning, I will pin on a bib (crookedly, I’m sure), lace up my shoes, set my watch, and finally run a 10-mile race (with 30,000 of my closest friends). It won’t be easy, but it’s not supposed to be. If it were an easy feat, it wouldn’t be a goal I’ve had on my mind for four years…

Azuka Bom, Founder of Kazaxé

Boutcher, known professionally as Azuka Bom, has created a fitness phenomenon in a large community center basement, affectionately referred to as ”The Underground”, in Alexandria, Va. Her product, Kazaxé (pronounced ka-za-shay), is an intense 60-minute dance fitness class that yelp.com reviewers describe as “Zumba on steroids… it becomes an addiction.”

But, Azuka doesn’t have her Yelp ratings memorized. She doesn’t spend hours monitoring the reviews that regularly pop up on the crowd-sourced site. In fact, she doesn’t even have a business account despite the company contacting her several times.

“I was shocked to see how many great reviews people had left on there, without even having to ask,” Azuka said.

LETTING THE CUSTOMERS DO THE TALKING
When it comes to word-of-mouth marketing, Azuka and Kazaxé make the perfect case study. Five years into her business, Azuka has done no paid advertising or marketing.

“We let the customer talk for us.”

And talk they do. Kazaxé has 49 reviews on Yelp with a perfect average rating of 5 stars. Earlier this summer, she reached the maximum number of Facebook friends allowed (5,000) so she launched a business page that already has 2,436 fans. Every update posted to the social network generates “likes” and comments from users.

Her father, Dave Boutcher, stressed the importance of three things that enabled Kazaxé’s positive WOM success: a fantastic product, excellent customer service and incentives.

“Incentives have to be truly free. They can’t be given while expecting something in return,” Dave explained.

To build awareness for Kazaxé in its early days, Azuka offered her students a deal:

bring five new people to class and receive five free classes.

“There was a woman who never paid for classes,” Azuka remarked. “She used to walk around the shopping center, looking for people wearing tennis shoes. She’d go up to them and say, ‘There’s this amazing fitness class you have to try. Just come with me!’”

The goal, according to Azuka, was to get people to try Kazaxé one time. Once they took a class, she knew the product would speak for itself and they’d most likely return. The team believed so strongly in Kazaxé that for more than four years first-time students could take one Kazaxé class free of charge.

The incentives worked. Word spread about the hot, new workout that felt “more like a night out than a fitness class,” and soon the staff at the Underground had to turn students away because they had reached the 435-person building capacity. Now, there are caps for the number of students who can take each class and, rarely, do classes fail to sell out.

Even as I sat talking with Azuka a full hour before her next class, a line had begun snaking its way around the large, open space where Kazaxé is held. The Underground was filled with people of all different races, body types and fitness levels waiting patiently to dance with Azuka and her team.

BUILDING THE ONLINE COMMUNITY
The buzz surrounding Kazaxé started organically and has only been amplified by social networks and the Internet.

“I started out before Facebook and Twitter. I only recently started using them,” Azuka noted.

At that, Dave gave his daughter a knowing look. “Sometimes, I think, she uses it a little too much – says things that make me wonder, ‘does she really need to share that?’”

Azuka explained she is an open book online, but she thinks that’s why her customers are so loyal and committed to Kazaxé. They know they are part of a community where they are “seen as people, not just dollar signs.”

Never, she said, does she want to be only promoting Kazaxé and pushing her product on social channels.

“You see so many companies pushing and pushing, but you rarely see actual interaction taking place on their Facebook pages. Where are the conversations?”

Visit Azuka’s Facebook page and you’ll see there is no shortage of genuine conversations taking place. A recent post about how Kazaxé is different than Zumba garnered 28 “likes” and 26 comments, another post showing the effects of cat allergies on her eye received 22 comments.

The balance in the type of posts (a majority of them are not about the product!) and the relatability of her content have allowed Azuka to cultivate a highly engaged community of ambassadors who are constantly spreading the word about Kazaxé and The Underground.

EXCELLING AT CUSTOMER SERVICE
Building the extensive community of fans who actively share positive reviews and stories about Kazaxé would not have happened without remarkable customer service.

“Every day, remember the name of one new student,” Dave shared the advice he gave Azuka when she was first starting.

What started out as a joke has become a philosophy in The Underground, where Kazaxé classes are held 6-days a week.

Even with Kazaxé’s success and increasing number of students, Dave continues stressing the importance of treating customers well, which was demonstrated when he created and distributed customer service handbooks to the entire Underground staff.

“Good businesses are built on relationships,” Dave notes. “Focus on the relationship; build the trust. If your customers trust that you’re taking care of them, they’ll take care of you.”

An integral part of the Kazaxé team’s customer service is ensuring they regularly give back to the community. Each month, Azuka hosts a 2-hour long class called Megaxé and donates all profits from the event to local charities.

“We’ve had people tell us that they looked at other studios and classes, but chose us because of the charity work we do,” Azuka said. “That’s important to me, to all of us. We are big on community, on keeping all of this as human as possible.”

Even surrounded by hundreds of other people, patrons still feel like part of the Kazaxé family. Whether it’s a person’s first class or fiftieth, Azuka makes everyone feel welcome. She gives all students her personal cell phone number, letting them know they can contact her any time with questions.

That sort of personalization is what drives Kazaxé’s success, enhanced with the word-of-mouth customers so freely provide online and offline.

“Whatever you want to do, you have to go into it with an open heart,” Azuka says. “If you want it for the right reasons, if you’re passionate, if you’re being yourself, it will happen. People react well to that.”

For more information about Kazaxé, please visit http://www.azuka-bom.com. Classes take place 6-days a week and only cost $5. (Yes, you read that right – $5…) You can also interact with Azuka on Facebook and Twitter.

Unless you are an athlete, you probably haven’t heard of nuun. As an avid runner, even I hadn’t heard of nuun until late May of this year. That’s when all my favorite running bloggers starting posting about this seemingly obscure product. My interest piqued, I did a bit of digging and discovered that nuun is an electrolyte-enhanced hydration product.

“Okay… I don’t get it,” I thought. Yes, the product is certainly relevant to runners. But it didn’t look big enough for all these major blogs to start posting about it almost simultaneously.

Through some additional research, I learned the reason so many blogs had mentioned nuun was a contest of sorts had been announced:

Nuun is putting together an ALL FEMALE, ALL BLOGGER team for the 30th anniversary running of the Hood to Coast epic relay event

A blog post on the company website provided more information about the contest, which asked bloggers to submit creative applications on why they should be chosen for the Nuun Hood-to-Coast team. Those selected for the team would have everything taken care of during race weekend, except for travel costs to and from Seattle.

Image from the 2010 documentary "Hood to Coast"

As the bloggers began submitting applications, they began promoting their entries through their own, very established social channels. I was hard-pressed to browse my Google reader that week without seeing mentions of the Nuun Hood to Coast team.

In late June, Nuun announced the bloggers who had made the team – and to everyone’s surprise, the company ended up selecting two teams comprised of 20 bloggers (and four nuun employees).

As a runner who one day hopes to compete in a relay as exciting as Hood to Coast, I was excited for all those selected, eager to read their posts as they trained and planned for the event.  As a communications professional, I couldn’t help but admire nuun’s genius campaign. Through the initiative, the company handpicked 22 influential fitness bloggers with large communities to be ambassadors for nuun in the months leading up to Hood to Coast.

When nuun announced its teams of bloggers, I added all the blogs I wasn’t already reading to my RSS feed.  Since then, I’ve noticed weekly posts from each of them covering their training, packing plans, team bios, information about their specific relay legs and, of course, the nuun product. A couple of weeks ago, nuun sent the bloggers a care package filled with products. Around the same time, the company provided a 25% off promotional code the women could share with their readers.

The best part? The bloggers’ posts never seemed overly promotional. From what I read, they did not feel taken advantage of or under-compensated. Instead, they were all genuinely excited to be a part of nuun’s team, which made me – as a reader – excited about Hood to Coast and even got me to check out the nuun product website several times. In fact, I’m planning to make a trip to Washington CitySports soon to pick up my own tube of nuun as I hit the homestretch of my Army 10 Miler training plan so I know the program gained nuun at least one new customer…

Kudos to the nuun team – this certainly made for a great blogger engagement program. To all the runners, good luck this weekend!

While I was browsing the HLS website, trying to decide if I could fit it into my budget this year, I noticed that Quaker Oats is a Gold Sponsor of the 2011 event. Several other health-focused brands are listed as sponsors – some well-known, others I’ve never heard of before.

Companies know the importance of getting their products and services in front of online influencers at conferences. In my day job, clients constantly ask for calendars of industry events where they should have an official presence. Unfortunately, the larger the conference, the more difficult it can be for brands to break through the noise.

I’ve worked with clients who have spent millions of dollars on booths, panels and marketing stunts at big conferences like CES and Comic-Con, only to see their messages get lost in the onslaught of media coverage that typically arises from these types of events. With Twitter users, bloggers and mainstream outlets producing content constantly throughout the conference, a fantastic client mention in an article or Tweet could get pushed down (and lost) within a few minutes.

At the conferences, hundreds of companies can be squeezed together into the ever-important exhibition hall – competing for the attention of attendees in the same space as their competitors.

So, how do companies ensure their efforts (especially the dollars spent) are worthwhile? Here are a few recommendations:

1. If you’re giving away swag, make it memorable. People love free stuff so it’s not surprising to see conference attendees making their way through exhibition hall booths, grabbing up anything free left out on company tables. Unfortunately, this usually results in a bag filled with branded pens, jump drives, and notebooks that might get used but  won’t necessarily make a person go out and purchase your product (especially if the product you’re selling isn’t a pen, jump drive, or notebook…). Instead, try handing out a piece of swag that will spark memories about your company. At a fitness event, it makes more sense to hand out high-quality branded water bottles or subtly-branded yoga mats than pens and jump drives. Yes, it’s a more expensive swag, but it’s likely to be more effective since the consumer will most likely use it during an activity that relates back to your product or service.
2. Provide an experience that is relevant to your product/service. While reading recaps of BlogHer 2011, I noticed quite a few fitness professionals offered free classes or demos that allowed attendees to fully experience what they are trying to sell. Many bloggers reviewed the classes on their websites, providing additional promotion for the companies after the conference ended. I also like the idea of food brands hosting live-cooking events at their exhibition booths, which can provide a great opportunity to connect with the conference community in a memorable, relevant way. I believe this is more effective than say, hiring male models dressed as construction workers to stand in your booth.
3. Be strategic when planning panels. Some companies sponsor panels or have employees speak at conferences.  When executed well, this can provide great brand exposure.  Unfortunately, if poorly planned, this can also have a negative effect on corporate reputation. Though it might seem like common sense, it is imperative to put significant time into planning the panel, I’m always amazed at how many panels often seem thrown together at the last minute. To ensure attendees leave your session with a positive impression, make sure the panelist is  engaging with the audience, being open and honest about the presented topic (and not merely pushing the product!), has clearly thought about answers to tough questions, and is staying on message as much as possible (without sounding like a corporate robot).

What other recommendations do you have for brands planning to attend or sponsor a conference? If you are attending a conference, what would you like to see brands do to better engage with you?

“Oh, anywhere is fine… AS LONG AS IT’S NOT A CHAIN!”

In recent years, I’ve noticed more people bemoaning the idea of big corporate chains, turning instead to local small businesses. I find this particularly true in the fitness world – most of my friends who are runners swear by their neighborhood running specialty stores while shunning bigger retailers.

One global chain that hasn’t fallen victim to this trend is Lululemon Athletica.

The company is headquartered in Vancouver and has 142 locations across Canada and the United States. In 2010, when the recession hit North America particularly hard, Lululemon experienced significant growth in net revenue – +57% according to an earnings press release.

How did a store that sells a high-end, expensive product to a niche demographic fair so well in an economic downturn?

I believe it comes down to the community-centric model that makes Lululemon stores feel less like those of a faceless, international brand and more like the little shop around the corner where employees remember customers’ names and clothing preferences.

It begins with the company’s employees.  Sales representatives at Lululemon tend to exemplify the famous company manifesto.  They are athletes – runners, yogis, Pilates instructors, personal trainers – who are trained in goal-setting.  Most locations prominently display their staff’s short and long-term goals in the store, reassuring customers that they are buying athletic wear from people who actually “get it.”  Every Lululemon location is featured in the “community” section of the company website, inviting users to join email lists specific to their selected area, allowing stores to engage with nearby customers.

Beyond the point-of-sale, Lululemon is known for its ambassador program. Each store selects local talent, usually yogis or runners, to be ambassadors to the community.  This group receives Lululemon gear at a discounted price that they model around town, but they are also encouraged to organize community activities such as “fun runs” and free yoga classes.

I can testify to the success of the in-store activities. When I started training for my first half-marathon, I knew I needed to find a running group to stay motivated. I learned that the Lululemon in my neighborhood hosts a weekly run club so I signed up without ever having visited a store.

After my first run club – which begins and finishes at the store – I stood around chatting with Lulu employees, ambassadors and other runners.  Of course, I was surrounded by athletic gear emblazoned with the company’s logo.

Somehow, I managed to walk out of the store that night without buying anything (probably because I was too embarrassed to try on anything while covered in sweat…)

A couple days later, I popped back in and tried on a few pairs of running shorts… and ended up buying some.

And, now, I am one of the countless athletes who swear by Lululemon’s running shorts (I’ve already purchased two more pair).  Without the Lululemon run club, I might not be a customer at all, let alone a loyal one who often sings the store’s praises to anyone who will listen.

So, while people might prefer using local businesses for some products and services, Lululemon demonstrates how global brands can still benefit from tying themselves to the communities they serve.

–

What large chains do you think do a good job of supporting local communities? Do you think this has an effect on revenue?

Josh Cox gets his run on in Washington, D.C.

As a marketing professional, I have to say the event was a complete success.  Four days later, I’m still thinking about the fun run and what I learned about running from Josh.  I have a deeper sense of loyalty to both the running store (Pacers) and Lululemon (which, of course, causes my bank account to weep…).

In addition to this, I have signed up for my second half marathon – the Rock ‘n’ Roll USA.

When I first heard about the event late last week, I wasn’t quite sure why Pacers and Lululemon were bringing American record holder and former Bachelorette star Josh Cox to town to run with our group.  I figured it was just another perk of living in the second-healthiest city in America.

As the notifications and reminders about the run with Josh starting pouring in from Facebook, Twitter and email, I began piecing together more information. The Competitor Group, which owns the Rock ‘n’ Roll series of races, was putting on the event in order to spread awareness about the “newest race coming to Washington, D.C.”

Several people smarter than me put two-and-two together to determine a Rock ‘n’ Roll event was making its way to the Nation’s Capital.  The Pacers/Lululemon fun run with Josh Cox would be a way to formally announce the news about the Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Half Marathon and Marathon directly to the vast D.C. running community. This would happen the same day a major press conference would be held.

Now, that’s a pretty ingenious way of tapping into your target audience, isn’t it?

What the Event Sought to Accomplish

• Raise Awareness for a New Race – The Rock ‘n’ Roll series is taking over the National Half and Full Marathon, an event that has racked up some negative press in recent years.  In order to market new ownership of the race, the Competitor Group needed to raise awareness among the running community since they will most likely serve as ambassadors, recruiting friends and family to also run the race.
• Secure Large Number of Registrations  – As with most races, directors hope to reach capacity prior to race day.  Kicking off the process with a high number of registrations in the first 48 hours is a way succeed in this area.

Why the Event Worked

• Celebrity Access – Providing area runners with the opportunity to interact with a high-profile running celebrity like Josh is sure to grab people’s attention and make them more likely to show up to the event.  This worked particularly well because Josh’s first marathon was the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego so he was able to share his experiences with the series and why he enjoys running these races so much.
• Cross-promotional Efforts – This event was not only a huge promotional effort for the Competitor group, it was also a big win for Pacers and Lululemon.  It’s safe to say that joining forces with local stores most likely created a larger turnout than if Competitor had tried putting on an event by itself.  These stores are recognized within the community and both have established methods of communicating with hundreds of runners.  By working together, all three sides could leverage their existing audiences to combine into one mega-event, which generated buzz for all involved parties.
• Right Audience – Putting on a half-marathon and marathon means targeting athletes and seasoned runners.  Competitor hit this out of the park in all aspects – from centering the event and announcement around a group fun run and brining in an elite runner.
• Tapped into Audience’s Existing Habits – I think one of the main reasons this event worked so well, particularly given the shortened promotional period, is because both Pacers and Lululemon already host weekly fun runs that see a high turnout.  Combining the Competitor announcement with these already scheduled runs made it easy to reach the target audience without having to get them to fit in another event into their calendars.
• Timing – The timing of the event couldn’t have been better.  It was held the same afternoon as the full-blown press conference, which meant there was already some buzz by the time all the runners gathered together at Pacers.  This allowed some excitement to build and also sustained conversations that might have otherwise started to die down after the morning’s presser.  Additionally, Rock ‘n’ Roll significantly decreased the registration cost of the race for 48 hours, which was also announced at the fun run.  That right there is what put me over the edge when deciding to sign up.  Without the discount, I probably would have sat on registering for a few more weeks… letting the excitement of the event wear off, which decreases the odds I’d actually sign up for the race.

What Would Have Made It Even Better

• Longer Promotional Window – As I said above, I only began hearing about this event a week ago.  With so little information available at that time, it wasn’t clear at first who was hosting the event or that Competitor was even involved.  Had I had more time to prepare and been given more information, I probably would have invited more of my running friends to the event and promoted the fun run via my own social media channels.
• Digital Outreach – I’m a pretty avid reader of D.C.-area fitness and running blogs, and I don’t remember seeing anything written about the fun run on any of these sites.  D.C. has a thriving health and fitness blogging community that is very active in the blogosphere and on Twitter so getting these people on board could have added an extra element of promotion for the event.
• On-site Registration – Maybe I missed this or it wasn’t announced, but I was shocked the Competitor group didn’t have computers set up to register people on-site at the fun run.  I live right down the street and by the time I got home I was already wavering on whether I should sign up!

Have you experienced any successful hyper-local events like this one?  If so, what was your reaction?  Do you think more national companies should tap into local events in this way?

Fresh from my quick jaunt from D.C. up to the Big Apple, I spent my morning commute today reviewing the notes I took while at Blog World.  Though the topics covered in the panels ranged from mobile marketing to blogger outreach to Facebook, I found recurring themes scrawled on each of the pages:

• user experience = driving force
• knowing what the user wants
• relevancy
• understanding the community
• who is the audience and what are they looking for

In notes from one session, I emphasized this statement (with a star and underlining so you know it’s important!):

User experience should be a guiding force; relevancy is integral to success

While this thinking seems straight-forward enough, it’s always nice to be reminded of the core concepts that should drive any communications campaign.  With so many new, shiny technologies available to marketers, it can be easy to lose focus of how these tools actually fit into the active lives of end users, or – you know – your or your client’s customers.

Yes, innovation is a good thing.  The digital era is providing seemingly limitless opportunities for PR professionals and marketers to interact with consumers in a variety of ways, but the customer experience should never be sacrificed in the name of innovation.

As industry professionals, we need to be asking the right questions before jumping in:

1. Is this easy for the target audience to use?
2. Is it relevant to their lives first and our campaign goals second?

Over the next few days, I’ll be highlighting how these concepts popped up in the Blog World panels I attended, which focused on mobile marketing, location-based services, Facebook News Feed optimization, blogger relations, and content creation.

(*Again, all content posted to this blog is mine and mine only.  These thoughts do not represent those of my employer, Fleishman-Hillard.)