Case Histories
Ironman: Building Prestige and Visibility for the Ultimate
Sports Challenge
Overview:
The Ironman Triathlon, started during a discussion at an awards ceremony in 1977 for a Hawaii running race. The goal was to challenge athletes who had already seen success at a local biathlon (swim/run). The race combined three existing races to be completed in succession: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (112 miles, originally a two-day event) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). What started out as a friendly competition has evolved into the world’s most famous endurance race. Today the competition features a total of nearly 50 qualifying races for Ironman’s two world championship events. In October 2008, more than 1,800 athletes from 46 states and 50 countries swam 2.4 miles in the Pacific Ocean, cycled 112 miles through lava fields and ran 26.2 miles in 90 degree heat.
Objectives:
- Enhance cachet for each of the three Ironman brands: Ford Ironman World Championship, the 70.3 Racing Series, Iron Girl and IronKids
- Drive event participation for each of Ironman’s three brands through media coverage
- Showcase various trends within the sport
- Drive users and web traffic to Ironman.com, IronGirl.com and IronKids.com
Challenges:
- Lack of well-known American triathletes
- Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 immediately follows the Ford Ironman World Championship, limiting media interest
- Marquee event takes place in remote location (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii), making it less accessible to national media
Strategies:
- Create special events and programs to enhance Ironman’s visibility outside of the industry
- Identify and leverage “hometown heroes” —participant human interest stories in major markets
- Integrate notable personalities into the event and utilize as media spokespeople
Execution:
- The race can only accept a limited number of participants a Lottery is in place to help athletes compete in Kona. Catalyst arranged for local media affiliates to capture the moment when athletes learned that they had “won the lottery” and been accepted to compete in the triathlon Super Bowl (a la Publisher’s Clearing House)
- Arranged national media interviews with notable personalities including: Retired MLB player, Jeff Conine, Sean Swarner, two-time terminal cancer survivor and 1st cancer survivor to summit Mt. Everest, etc.
- Pitched trend stories about the increasing number of lottery applicants, the number of athletes ages 70+ competing, and celebrity participation
Measurement of Success:
- Generated more than 720 million media impressions in 2008 (CPM = $0.26)
- Secured coverage in key national and regional outlets including feature stories on Weekend Today Show, The Early Show, Good Morning America, ABC News Now, Sports Illustrated, TV Guide, USA Today, New York Times, Associated Press, etc.
- Drove significant increase in the number of Ironman event participants:
- 60% increase in the number of participants vying to experience the Ironman aura
