Racing's brand new approach looks doomed as clouds gather
British racing's marketing strategy is fine in theory but not in practice, says Ian McClean
Jimmy Fortune (left in blue cap) had to work hard to get Virtual home in the Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes at Newbury ahead of Alexandros (centre), and Twice Over (Tom Queally)
'If racing were a publicly quoted company, after that announcement the share price would have fallen 30 per cent."
That was the verdict of prominent racehorse owner and City businessman Andy Stewart on phase one of British racing's rebranding exercise announced last week.
London-based consultancy Harrison Fraser was paid £250,000 and spent six months researching with numerous review groups in an attempt to generate a marketing strategy that would broaden racing's appeal and create "a more lucid and dynamic message".
The reception received from racing insiders since announcing its findings and the bones of its future strategy on Monday has been decidedly mixed.
In summary, the message from the consultants is nothing more than the message racing has been hearing -- and so knows too well -- for years. In a nutshell, racing is losing market share and to stem the steep decline it needs to extend to a fresh audience that includes young girls, men and groups of friends, online fans, young families, those with teenage children and older couples, and children.
Marketing initiatives are not new to British horseracing -- in recent years we have seen many come and go. Remember Showcase races? Lunchtime Attheraces? Discover Racing? The Summer Triple Crown? And where currently is the much-vaunted Sovereign Series?
One of the fundamental problems with promoting racing historically has been in adequately defining itself in the eyes of the consumer. The fact is that horseracing defies what is described in Al Ries's seminal work The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding as The Law of Singularity which states that: "The most important aspect of a brand is its single-mindedness. What is a brand? A singular idea or concept that you own inside the mind of the prospect. It's as simple or as difficult as that." So what is horseracing? Is it a social day out? Is it a betting medium? Or is it an athletic sport? Racing legitimately qualifies in all three categories, which is a great thing in terms of scope -- but a disaster for branding.
Worse still for racing, each of the three brand propositions will be supported by different sections of its multitude of interest groups which rarely unite. So if you are a racecourse you promote the social element. Bookmakers promote the betting and the governing body will want to promote the sporting aspect. However, whilst all individual intentions are admirable, the strength of a brand lies in becoming synonymous with a single category. Brands that spread themselves across categories lose brand focus, identity, and ultimately market share. And it is market share that all racing's vested interests have as a common interest.
Already storm clouds are gathering over racing's future. BBC is slimming down its coverage and national newspapers are questioning the continuing inclusion of racecards and diluting written coverage down to levels of tennis and rugby league. Imagine a future where racecards disappeared altogether from the daily news, events got little editorial coverage and TV coverage was limited to satellite stations just like showjumping and wrestling today. Then all of us who are passionate about and proud of the sport of horseracing would be worse off -- whatever our parish today.
Yet categorically I can predict that this latest rebranding initiative -- like all its predecessors -- will fail. It will falter not because of the ideation, but because of the implementation -- just as before. Racing is at war not just with other sports but with all forms of entertainment media competing for the punter's pound. And if it's a war, I am reminded of the old adage that nobody ever followed a committee into battle.
But after the announcement of the rebranding strategy by Harrison Fraser came the clincher of how the strategy would be implemented over the next five years. Through not one, not two, but seven committees. At a time when we desperately need -- as Brough Scott described it -- capitalism, not communism.
Andy Stewart's pronouncement centred not around the intent in the initiative, but around the execution. "This is the time when they could have been revolutionary. You've got to break down doors, and if you say you're going to make this a proper business, you've got to do that, and take the pain and changes every business has got to make."
And it's not just the committee structure per se, it is the make-up of those committees, full of the same old faces. How can they consider, for example, a Betting Committee made up of nine members, with no representation from Betfair -- the one company celebrated for a track record in establishing a new breakthrough category within a seriously traditional sector?
Furthermore, there is nil representation from related interests like Channel 4 or the Racing Post, who might be in danger of presenting some sort of alternative external perspective. On the point of diversity,
the swarm of committees is made up mostly of white middle-aged men -- which seems at peculiar odds with the brief to "engage a younger new audience".
"Nobody is going to do anything about it; going hiring their mates and getting into a committee room and saying this is the solution because it's not," says Stewart.
Project leader Rod Street, former chairman of the Professional Jockeys' Association, defended charges of cronyism by saying: "It's been said racing needs a Bernie Ecclestone. Well we can't get him so we've got to work with what we've got."
Two quotes attributed to Einstein spring to mind in the current context. The first is his definition of madness, "Continuing to do what you've always done and expecting a different result." The second, "You cannot solve the problem with the same level of thinking that first created it."
I suppose in the absence of the need for inspiration, courage or leadership the whole initiative might stand some chance.
