Comparison of Horse Racing Advertizing

It's well known that the horse racing industry in the U.S. is in decline and has been so for a number of years. To the industry's credit, they are trying to market to attract new customers. This post will show video ads made by a couple of organizations to show the different approaches. In my opinion, all the ads show innovative thinking; however, innovative thinking does not always translate to a good result. Take a look for yourself!

Here's the first one:



What the heck was the thinking behind this? I go to a shoe store, get some horseshoe-shaped athletic shoes and I slam dunk a basketball over a horse. And THAT is supposed to make me want to go to a racetrack and bet on horses? Really? This ad for the "Sport of Kings" obviously was conceptualized and crafted by the "Kings of Stupid." You think that ad was bad? You can't see the first one they put out that had a nerdy-looking guy go to the same store and get an energy drink that could easily be confused with some alcoholic beverage stereotypically-aligned with a particular ethnic group in the US (one could guess by looking at the store clerk - same guy in both ads). After drinking, the nerd started acting like a lunatic. That ad was SO BAD, you can't even see it anymore - it got pulled off of YouTube.

Where in these "Hoof Locker" ads does the viewer get the hook with regard to attention, interest, desire and action to go to the races? I can't see it, sorry.

Now here's another ad that at least gets the message across about horse racing and racetracks:



Now, this is funny and not stupid or ethnically repulsive. There's a one-minute version of this ad also available for view on YouTube. This ad may not get you to the track, but the viewer has no doubt that this ad is about horse racing and the experience of going to the racetrack - hey, you might get to catch a horseshoe! This ad is much better than the "Hoof Locker" ad.

The same group also put out this ad, which I think is the best of the bunch and communicates the benefits of going to the track the best. It highlights the social aspect, fun with friends, younger people, good food, a chance to win, a clean facility, upscale dining environment, getting up close to the horses, the jockeys, etc. - the complete experience. Overall, the last two are much better than the first. What do you think?



There are other posts on this blog that discuss horse racing, which I recommend you peruse. The most recent can be found here, here and here.