Beach to Beacon Sponsorship Overivew

The Beach to Beacon is a 10K (or 6.2 miles for those that don't operate in kilometers). It was started by Joan Benoit Samuelson, who is a gold medalist in the marathon. I'm almost there...NOT. It is run through the best town in America, Cape Elizabeth, ME. Well known for being home to one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world, if not the most. Over 6500 people ran the race, as they so kindly announced as I stumbled over the starting line. It was a beautiful day, but a little humid, which didn't fair well for my hair or time in the race.

So Yay..the race didn't go so well for me, but the same can't not be said for the sponsors of the race. The efforts  made by both the sponsors and the race committee were excellent. I was extremely impressed with how the logos seemed to be placed in all the right places. The key to good sponsorship execution of an event is strategically thinking about where eyeballs are going to be to ensure that the sponsors get the worth from their dollar. You want to identify where cameras and people will be looking so there is every opportunity for recognition. Below are some of the great placements that I saw from throughout the day:

TD Bank was the race's presenting sponsor. Their logo was all over the place, the first time I saw it was on the race tshirt and my number bib. All places that the runner is consistently looking at as well as these are items that they will hold on for the future so there will be repeated exposure to the logo.

Below is the netting near the end of the race that is a continuum of the TD logo. This was a great placement because there were lots of cameras and media near the end of the race covering the race so the likelihood of catching the logo in a photo or a piece of video that would be on the news were greater.

And this is the money shot right here:

Courtesy of www.beach2beacon.org

*Side note: Congrats to Adidas Group: The women's winner wore Adidas in her winning photo, and the male winner pictured above wore Reebok.
The same goes for these sponsors below who lined the fencing at the top of the hill that they made you walk up after the race was over! As if I wasn't in enough pain, I had to walk up a hill to get water. Torture! But putting the logos here was extremely smart because all runners had to pass by this area, but so did the family and friends of the runners. They all gathered here to meet their runner after the run was over.

Poland Springs was another sponsor of the event. A very smart move for them because water is a natural fit for a sponsorship for a race. Who needs hydration more then a runner of a 10K in humid summer heat? NO ONE! From other events I have been apart of, I know that Poland Springs is a company that is very good about donating water to any race that requests the product. This is smart for them because think about how this investment in donating the water for free is then creating organic brand infinity. This is the type of connection a consumer makes that can't be done through marketing or advertising. The ROI is definitely there for Poland Springs. They did a good job activating as well, making sure Poland Spring cups were used so fans knew where there water was coming from so it was easy for them to make the connection, and they had a set up at the top of the hill where the water was being given out at the end of the race. This inflatable water bottle made them very hard to miss and could be seen from farther away then a simple set up could be seen from. Great way to attract attention to!

Another smart opportunity I saw was that each mile marker was sponsored by a different company. You see this a lot in golf tournaments that each hole is sponsored by a different company, and it is a great way to extend your money making capabilities. Finding creative places to put logos enables the race to make more money because they aren't places where it is a necessity to have logos. Also, a mile marker is a place that everyone was is looking at, you want to know how you are pacing yourself. Good work Beach to Beacon! Delta Dental is featured here, but each mile marker was a different company.

Other mentions, but no photos (I had to focus on running at some point):

•  Nike provided these amazing breathable t-shirts for all runners and volunteers. Again, a great way to promote your product is to actually get it in the hands of the consumer. Next time the runner goes to the store they will buy a Nike over others because they already tried it for free, and if they liked it no risk!
• Hannaford Bros. was giving out coupons. Driving people back to the store, which is a good use of provided space and crowd. Also, a mile marker sponsor.
• Captain Eli's Soda (a sister brand of Shipyard Beer...Pumpkin Head is out for the fall!) was giving out free bottles of Root Beer. Again, get the product in the hands of the consumer to drive them to buy at the store.

My lasting memory of the race will be the sight of the banner marking the finish line, mostly because I couldn't have been more happy to see it, but also because it perfectly displayed all of the sponsor's logos. I apologize but my heart attack as I finished made it difficult for me to capture the moment. Just trust me on this one. All eyes were on that banner so it was prefect placement that wasn't entirely necessary for the race committee to do.

Overall, great work by sponsors and race committee. Sponsoring a race like this allows for brands to connect with runners and the connection with a runner and their sport is extremely special and unique. Runner's are a dedicated (and slightly psychotic) bunch, and when they find something that works they don't tend to stray. Get a runner hooked and you have a customer for life. Also, the proceeds of the race got to charity so sponsoring this race is also way of giving back. Everyone loves to see a company giving back and showing good will. Congrats to all runners, sponsors, and the committee!

Were you at the race? What did you think? Have you seen other races do things well or not so well. Help me stay on track with what else goes on. (get it track, running?) Let me hear your thoughts.

Happy Monday!

Go forth...