On Sunday 17th April over 35,000 runners took to the streets of London for the 31st London Marathon. The fact that it is formally called the Virgin London Marathon probably had little significance for the majority of runners. However, for the marketing/endurance hybrids who took part (such as NSUK’s own Rhiannon Price), this may have been more significant. Long distance sporting events are held every weekend. These have a vast array of not only distances and levels of competition, but also event names – all with different meanings, target audiences and auxiliary functions beyond sport itself.
Commercially Branded, Numbers Driven
Events such as these include the aforementioned Virgin London Marathon and the BMW Berlin Marathon. Their unique identifier is that they are branded in a corporate way, citing a large brand name in the title. These events reach out to people who would not ‘normally’ participate in events such as these. Resultantly, these events can be extremely large in size. Due to the popularity and size of these events they often serve purpose beyond a sporting event, with many participants taking part to raise money for good causes.
Sports Branding, Athlete Focussed
The increased popularity of endurance sports now means that brands which are large in the sporting world have the capability to brand events themselves. Examples include the Maxifuel Half Marathon. These events often do not have the reach of corporately branded races and therefore are not always as well communicated to the general public. However, they do have the power to communicate to the sporting community and often serve as a popular event for the enthusiastic athlete. The naming power of these events should not be underestimated, with events such as ‘Ironman’ in the world of triathlon being a global brand in itself.
Tackle Me If You Dare
Some endurance events avoid all commercial branding in their name, instead opting for monikers which reach out to participants and entice them to take on a race with the allure of a name which represents difficulty, hardship and a challenge. Such names include ‘Hell Down South’ and ‘The Cumbrian Killer’ from the worlds of running and cycling respectively. These events hope that through aggressive naming they will attract hardened endurance veterans – albeit in small quantities due to the niche audience they are aiming at.
Location, Location, Location
Some endurance events keep it simple, using only the event location as a prefix. Such events on first inspection may appear to be missing a trick. Or are they? Some events can attract participants without any commercial backing or an aggressive name. Often the attraction of a location is enough. Examples range from the Angmering Bluebell 10k to the Beachy Head Marathon. These events attract the scenery (as well as sporting) driven competitors. Don’t be fooled into thinking that these events are only small scale. Simply having a location based name helps the Paris Marathon attract 37,000 competitors a year, many of whom no doubt are attracted by the thought of going to such an iconic city as well as the 26.2miles of running.
Copyright © 2011 Northstar Research Partners
