Memorial Day Weekend: Saucony Fun Run and Lessons From My First Bike Crash

This long weekend served up the perfect mix of “doing nothing & doing something,” leaving me refreshed and ready to tackle a busy summer. My two highlights from the weekend were a Saucony-sponsored fun run with my local running store and my first biking accident (I’m okay!).

Yesterday, I kicked off the Memorial Day holiday at 7 a.m. with a Pacers fun run around D.C.’s National Mall. Starting early allowed us to beat the heat and the tourists. Our group leader planned a route that would take us past many of the iconic memorials and monuments, bringing a somber reminder of the real reason we had a day off yesterday.

Before we started the run, we got to hear from Jeff Caron, Saucony’s DC/VA field rep who partners with local running stores to plan lots of great events like yesterday’s outing. Everyone had the opportunity to try some Saucony shoes on the run, and I, of course, had to sport the lime green and hot pink Kinvara 3s.

The brighter the colors the faster you run, right?

These community events continue to have a positive effect on consumer engagement by doing two important things (among others): 1. they give the brand personality and 2. they allow product testing in the natural environment.

It’s no secret that I love events like these, mostly because it shows there are real people behind big brands. Yesterday, Jeff’s passion for Saucony and the sport really shined, making our group feel a little bit more connected to the company. Additionally, after the run, Jeff connected with many of the runners on social media channels, which will help sustain the relationships he built and allow Saucony and running-related communication to happen naturally and easily in the future.

Since I’ve gotten more involved with the running community (instead of just being a solo runner), I try to take full advantage of events that allow us to test out shoes and other products so I can make better informed purchases.  Going for a full, outdoor run is so much better than doing a quick, forced jog around a store.

“Finding Our Strong” Outside the Lincoln Memorial

I currently run in the Saucony Kinvara 2 and have been eager to try the newly-released Kinvara 3. Being able to try the updated model during yesterday’s 6-miler proved the shoe still fits my foot well, even with the updates. Now, I can safely say that I will buy the new version at some point in the near future (what a marketing success story!).

After such a great start to my morning, I knew I wanted to keep the fun going. My friend and I decided to bike on the Mt. Vernon Trail out to the waterfront in Old Town, Alexandria and back.

We made a couple stops on our way home and were approaching a 20-mile ride when someone abruptly swung open his car door into the bike lane. With no time to react, I slammed into the door head-on and flew off my bike, landing in a heap on top of the bike in the middle of the street. Luckily, I had been wearing a helmet and no cars were driving down the road… otherwise it could have been much, much worse.

In those few moments immediately after the crash, I could only think about the intense pain in my hip and what it might mean for my running. At first, I was unable to get up or move. Looking back, I now realize this was because of shock, but it is still a terribly frightening position to be in as all the horror stories I’d heard about cycling accidents flashed in my mind. I tried to figure out just how badly injured I was, and after a few moments, I could stand up with the help of my friend and the driver.

As soon as I realized I’d be okay, I felt such relief, mainly because I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t run. Is it sad that’s what I worried about first?

I tried my best to assure the driver that I was fine – he was really, really worried – and we checked out the damage to the bike. The poor bike sustained much more damage than I did, but that’ll get fixed soon enough.

The driver made a comment that stuck with me. He said, “We really take the bike lanes for granted. I’m still not used to them, and I need to always, always check.”

It’s so true – bike lanes aren’t common in a lot of places and it’s easy to forget they exist, which can lead to preventable crashes and accident.

Today, I am very sore and quite bruised, but mostly, just feeling lucky and blessed. You can bet I’ll always wear a helmet and will be much more observant when on a bike and when opening car doors. I hope this will remind everyone out there to do the same!

 

 

 

Be Memorable: How to Have an Effective Brand Presence at Industry Conferences

This weekend, quite a few of my favorite health and fitness bloggers made their way to Philadelphia for the 2011 Healthy Living Summit (#HLS). HLS features several networking opportunities as well as a full day of panels covering a variety of topics that further educate members of this extensive online community.

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?

International Race Series Finds Success with Local Running Event

Earlier this week, my local running store partnered with athletic apparel retailer Lululemon to orchestrate a pretty exciting event for DC-area runners: a fun run with running superstar Josh Cox.

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?