Parasailing with the Infinit Logo on the chute right outside the swim zone.

Infinit logo built out of those white rocks on the side of the bike course..(would that be visible from the air near the Timex Time Bonus area?)

Infinit branded vuvuzelas?..wait..everyone hates those things now..

Community sponsor ME to kamikaze the gatorade stations? Ha.

on further thought..I was going to suggest you give out Infinit Bucks to people who pretend to throw up that new Gatorade product..but after tasting it..I dont think you need to pay anyone to do that..


cheers
S.

---

// qui audet adipiscitur

Coffee of hawaii has got the boat on the swim course during training. Why not a submarine? Dive under to taste the infinite beverage.

Rent lava java forthe week

Offer free custom solution for all challenged athletes

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Francois-Xavier Li @FrancoisLi
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." George Bernard Shaw
http://www.swimrunfrance.fr
http://www.worldofswimrun.com

Damn! You must scare the shit out of Nestle! Can you setup a stand in one of the host hotels? Or do like how Adidas does set your truck out side the expo.

find a loop hole and set up your own aid stations on the course

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Jonathan Blyer,
ACME Bicycle Co., Brooklyn, NY

Time for some old fashioned guerilla marketing tactics. You clearly do not need to be inside the expo fence to be successful. There are lots of places to set up. How about another "floating kiosk" like the coffees of Hawaii one? Or maybe a promo involving a year's supply of Infinit to the top Ager male/female. Seems like you could get a lot of mileage out of that sort of thing.

---

===============
Proud member of the MSF (Maple Syrup Mafia)

i like the lava java idea. From what I have read and seen, everyone that is anyone tends to go there at least some point in the week.
M~

Two words: INFINIT Speakeasies.


(I'll take my payment in INFINIT, thanks).

sorry man. i use the stuff! for years now! I love infinit! i mix mine three times stong and carry two bottles on the bike and the run

here is my idea, sponsor me and i will promote you in Kona. I will wear your stuff all week and during my race. i can even hand out stuff or work the crowd of athletes. i will even dress up for the underwear run!

good luck. you have a great product. eventually that is what matters.

LOL, silly isn't it?

Great ideas people. We are seriously reading each and every one.

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infinIT Nutrition
Custom Blended Nutrition Solutions
http://www.infinITNutrition.com

I definitely think you should do something HUGE in Kona....mainly because I will be there and am a huge Infinit fan! Aside from that, I would take this for what it is, you got money whipped by a "competitor."

I am really surprised Gatorade did not require an exclusivity deal (poor lawyering on their part, IMO).

Infinit will continue to succeed as you all have a superior product, superior customer service and superior work ethic. At the end of the day, that is what athletes want and not the mdot logo.

Now again...don't forget, something HUGE in Kona!

Probably an upfair assumption assuming they are paid hourly employees, when you have a vested interest in the outcome.

You're now a Bud Light vendor trying to sell beer at Coor's field - it aint going to happen. Looks like you guys are going to be standing on soap boxes in the public square :-( BUT - you guys are great and have a great product, keep up the good work.

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******************************************************
Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze

  Hmm, seems they really don't want any competition. Frankly, I don't know how you compete with an on course drink supplier but, then again, I don't know a damn thing about anything, lol.. but, I'll take a stab.

1. Is there a way to get a list of participants and spam them ahead of the races?
2. I would assume you can still get a permit and put up a booth/tent near by the race. Obviously, near the start/finish line would be good. I can't see why you can setup in any public area.
3. Host a pre race dinner or contest or message, etc.. at a hotel that is next to the hosting hotel?? All hotels have a conference centers.

Sponsor me. I'm a 5:30/12:00 guy, so people will get a good, long (slow) look at my kit and advertising therein.

OK, that's silly. Fix has a good idea, though I'd take it a step further by suggesting you set up advertising on the floor of the bay, directing people to your booth somewhere else, and to your Web site. I dig Captain Canada's idea, too, though as I said before, I'll get you more exposure and ROI. Set up in a hotel, not necessarily one of the host hotels, but one where you know racers are staying.

And here's where I tread a familiar path (insert pink font): Why do you need customized hydration??? In my day we did these things on bananas and water!!! You'll take what's on the course and like it!!!

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-------------------------------------------
"The hero is someone in continual opposition to the status quo. The hero is always becoming himself." Jos� Ortega y Gasset.

"The enthusiasm (absorbing or controlling possession of the mind by any interest or pursuit) is needed before breaking the milestone and not after." Sergio Escutia, on Lukas Verzbicas' subdued reaction to breaking 4 minutes in the mile.

Hey Michael, couldn't you just pay a local or two who live on the course to let you set up in their yard? I would think the road would be public property so technically you probably couldn't be on their since it's the race course, but if you're say 5ft off of it in someone's private property yard I don't see why not?

Talk to Albert and see if you can get on the CoH boat. (I don't remember if you're already there...)

Set up a few "unofficial" aid stations the week leading up to the race - on the highway at the entrance to the Energy Lab, on Pay 'n Save hill, and somewhere down by the King Kam.

Nuun got huge exposure a few years ago by hanging out at the pier (and other areas) and handing out water bottles with tablets of the stuff. They had nice custom printed bottles that said "Kona 2008" on them, so people were inclined to keep them as souvenirs.

If you've got the budget, Infinit cowbells would be kickass.

---

<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
Get Fitter!
Proud member of the Smartasscrew, MONSTER CLUB
Get your FIX today?

race tops and bottom's? Team Ininfinit?

Frankly i see nothing wrong with it. Why not try to shut out the competition? That said athletes like free stuff and cool events. A nutritian seminar, a taste test with the custom options (one issue with your product is tasting all the combos).

Ideally you could get your stuff on the couse but I suspect thats difficult.

Styrrell

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Styrrell

go to Church, fix your karma - you may did something wrong like forgetting to pay performance bonuses to some pros........

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Hare Krishna

You guys need more brand awareness and I think one of the ways to do that is more/better gear. More face time via hats, jerseys, shorts, visors, stickers, etc. For the most part, every novice or newbie I talk to (and even some veterans) have never heard of Infinit before. Most of your clothing and gear is pretty fugly...sorry, but it is. Change up the color scheme a little bit - the bumble-bee yellow, black and white has seen its day. Toss in a free visor, jersey or training shirt to orders over a certain threshold. Better yet, throw in something small for free. 99% of your revenue comes from AGers who are not sponsored, have no loyalty to a specific brand and will whatever looks cool and is comfortable. How many finishers at an IM do you see that have just the plain ol' Sugoi, Zoot, Craft, TYR tri jersey? Wouldn't it be worth it to put a bunch of those people in an Infinit jersey or visor? Give them something to wear that promotes your great product.

I wondered why you booth was gone on Saturday, that just sucks. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what you do in Kona.

On a lighter note, I think I may have heard their product called out by it's correct name a very few times on course. It was almost always "Gatorade"...maybe they should focus on that too.

That is the idea. You don't have to make a huge profit on the technical stuff, but one thing athletes love and need is a good kit. If you price it right, you could have 500 athletes wearing Infinit kits on the course.

Get them made and price them on your web site and offer a deal. "Buy the kit and wear it at Kona and earn free product." If the athlete sends you a picture of them in the kit at Kona they get a discount or some free product. Win/win. Sell them at Kona with the same deal.

Edited to add: I'm sure Emilio could hook you up...
CS

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---

To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

How about a body marking / concierge station?

At IMSG there was a group doing pro-style airbrush body marking (with neat stencil race numbers
instead of sharpie scrawls) . They were doing it for donations to some worthy cause... I wouldn't want
to get in the way of that, but I felt very slick with the nice tats. Maybe you could set that up in a parking lot

You could also look for a place to do any number of concierge style services
- Bike check
- restaurant reservations
- Spectator guides / support

Sponsor a meal somewhere - 'Infinit Pasta feed' has a nice ring

Go guerrilla and figure out a way to support the pre-rides & runs. Some people are in Hawaii for a week
prior to the race, or 3-4 days at other IM events. Set up drink stations for people checking out the course,
or near the bike start. That is several days with a chance to make an impression with folks who will have time
to talk. They could even try a couple different mixes over the course of a few days...

.

---

" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978

I used Infinit for several races I had to travel to and I don't think anyone is driving to Kona so why not set up a booth at or outside the airport? Have an Infinit van that takes athletes to their hotels? Can you set up at the underwear run?

I would pay for this if the kit was high quality stuff. This is a great idea.

+1 on the unofficial aid stations the whole week of ironman.

+1 on the sponsorship for the first AG accross the line, or how bout first american AG across the line

+1 on handing out stuff the week of

  Get a t-shirt cannon and shoot out Infinit shirts! Sponsor a bike "inspection" tent. The inspection or tuneup/repair lines are always long at these IM events..

Hey Mike,

They serve coffee at Lava Java. That's where all the tri geeks hang out. If you are on Lava Java private property, WTC can't stop you from doing anything....Lava Java can sell coffee, sandwiches and Infinit...just work a deal with those guys :-).

Other than that, what do the Sherman Anti-trust say ????:

The law attempts to prevent the artificial raising of prices by restriction of trade or supply.[5] In other words, innocent monopoly, or monopoly achieved solely by merit, is perfectly legal, but acts by a monopolist to artificially preserve his status, or nefarious dealings to create a monopoly, are not. Put another way, it has sometimes been said that the purpose of the Sherman Act is not to protect competitors, but rather to protect competition and the competitive landscape. As explained by the U.S. Supreme Court in Spectrum Sports, Inc. v. McQuillan:

"The purpose of the [Sherman] Act is not to protect businesses from the working of the market; it is to protect the public from the failure of the market. The law directs itself not against conduct which is competitive, even severely so, but against conduct which unfairly tends to destroy competition itself." [6]

Looking forward to seeing you in Kona and there will be Infinit in my bottles to get me through the day!

Two airplanes flying overhead trailing flying banners.

The first one reads:

THROWING UP WITH POWERBAR?

The second one reads:

THROW DOWN WITH INFINIT.

---

-------
Joe

That's freeken awesome.

---

infinIT Nutrition
Custom Blended Nutrition Solutions
http://www.infinITNutrition.com

Get your peeps to be bike aid station volunteers. Slap Infinit stickers on all of the Perfrom bottles.

Just giving you some love.

I am not surprised at all by the actions of the WTC and am surprised they have not done it sooner.

It is one thing to have an "official" drink that is carried out on the course, but when you start barring competition from the Expo?

Those actions say ONE THING in my eyes... Our product sucks, so we have to JAM IT DOWN THE ATHLETES THROATS.

I have used Infinit custom mix... Still not quite right for me, but from feedback I have seen from some, I may have gone too high on the carbs which caused GI issues. That being said, I like the Infinit company, idea and product, as well as an athlete, I would rather have choice and access to products such as EFS, CeraSport, Cytomax, Infinit, etc., ESPECIALLY at the Expos, so if I am traveling and have issues with the Rocket Scientists at TSA, that I have a potential backup if need so I have my nutrition available and don't have to depend on the course...

Especially with events like Louisville that ran out and endangered the lives of athletes...

Again... Not surprised, and a major bad sign when the only items available at M-Dot events are M-Dot items... ESPECIALLY when it comes to what goes in my body.

The could license Horse-Piss as the Official drink of Ironman, and just because it has an M-Dot logo on it does not mean I am going to suck it down.

To each their own. Some people may love it. I don't I found it foul, but that is just me. I am for choices, especially when it comes to nutrition.

Best of luck

X2. Shirts with this too...

x2 or 3 or whatever on selling the Infinit kit. If you made it look cool I'd buy it. Hell, I still wear a visor you gave away to me 5 years ago.

"...of the 10 year contract."

That junk is gonna be on WTC race courses for 10 freak'in years? I just passed out!

Actually...I think that crapola is not gonna be around that long ;-)

Bring back the Gatorade...and fast!

Pretty soon they will instruct volunteers to refuse to hand bottles to people that call out "Gatoraide" at all the aid stations. I can just see a thirsty rider reaching out, calling gatoraide and the volunteer yanking the bottle out of rider's reach at the last second for using the wrong term....

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______________________

I guess you're not going to get a reply to this post from Infinit.

I'd run a twitter campaign where people had to walk around and find you for discount coupons/giveaways while you are wearing Infinit clothing @ the expo. I'd do something on FB as well.

I'd get a T shirt made that said something like INfinit guru ask me about infinit nutrition and stroll the expo.

I'd get some banners and put them up where you are staying.

I'd set up an infinit aid station(s) near where people do the morning swims and runs with small samples and coupons.

I'd collect email addresses to increase the size of my mailing list doing a pre kona sale, after kona sale and then another sale prior to the start of next season. Actually I'd do something a bit different where it was an exclusive sale only to that list generated at Kona so you can measure roi on that sort of thing.

One of the failures of many companies that sponsor IM's is failure to convert all the face time/knowledge given/brand awareness at the expo into future sales.

Take the sunglass comapny that sponsors WTC. I don't know which one it is, can't recall at all. I've watched in person 2-3 events and raced 2-3 events in the last 12 months where they where the sponsor. That's just piss poor marketing that they can't brand being a title sponsor into increased recognition or revenue. (personally I think sponsorship of events is a low roi activity in general). Wait is it Rudy project? No beings with a S right? what ever company it is, they have failed to cause me, and I suspect others, to remember who they are.

While you can't expo, you can garner that face time through guerrilla marketing and be nearly as successful if not more successful then some of the people who are IM sponsors.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Great job to your crew at IMC. Had a chance to try several of your options at the Bike Barn.

Like the Airport shuttle idea but may be a problem.

How about setting up at the Kona pool? Pool parties.

Have to have a presence at Lava Java.

Last year the 'beastmilch' peeps were handing out t-shirts and temporary tats at every morning swim. Saw a ton of the all week.

O.k. Here are some ideas...

Get a bunch of HOT Hula girls and have them hanging out at the airport handing out LEIs made of small packets of Infiniti mix.

Have free Rick-Shaws to help get people around and have sample packs on the back to hand out and talk about.

So this isn't crazy or over the top, but I did see Infinit for the first time at a race expo this past weekend at the Big Kahuna half. The expo itself is really small, maybe half a dozen booths, but the local bike shop was there and they were selling Infinit. So even if you can't be there yourself, maybe you can get one of those booths that carry everything to have Infinit on sale. And if one of your own employees happens to help out at that booth that day, so much the better.

That would be so awesome...

[rider approaches]
[volunteer holds out bottles]
[rider yells "Gatorade!" and makes motion to grab bottle]
[volunteer: "yoink!" and pulls back bottle]

---

<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
Get Fitter!
Proud member of the Smartasscrew, MONSTER CLUB
Get your FIX today?

beastmilch always makes me laugh. I can never get to their site from work as it is banned as "Obscene Content"

Gotta love dumb proxy filters

My wife and I were in Kona in 07 and it must have been right after Power Bar kicked GOO out IM. GOO rented a house on Ali'i Dr. just before the 5 mile turn. I witnessed so many athletes pro's and AG's pull goo's from their race belts in show of support for GOO. The house was plastered with banners and supporters all over the yard all day.

Hello InfiniT 1 and All,

I will be using InfiniT at Kona ..... the whole way.

Whether you have a booth or not is immaterial to me.

If you had a 'location' in Kona where I could get more InfiniT so I did not have to haul it with me it would be convenient if I knew about it in advance.

There are probably enough other non Mdot triathlon products (that would like to have a presence) that could form their own alternate 'Expo' center ..... and be profitable for whoever ran it.

Reputation of being an 'outsider' works in politics - might fly for sports drinks.

An 'Outsider' that is the 'In' drink.

Remember when Harley Davidison died and went to the pearly gates? ...... and said ...... I would like to speak to God.

He was granted and audience and said ...... you know ..... one inventor to another ..... I have noticed that the women you made from Adam's rib tend to wobble at high speed ........... God listened and then tapped few keystrokes to Google on his computer ...... Well, God said, it says here that a lot more men are riding my model than yours.

Is an Mdot sponsored booth really important to get product out the door?

Good luck,

Cheers,

Neal

---

Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster

find out how serious they are: call advertising in LAVA Magazine and inquire about placing a full page ad in their next issue. Let us know their response.

I like the java idea, too. I wish you al the best, don't give up the good fight. You will prevail!

1. Rent a convention room at a hotel and organize a triathlon expo the weekend of IM events.

2. See if you can rent the Chalkbot. It should be free 11 months out of the year.

3. Give shorts with "INFINIT" printed on the butt to girls who volunteer for the race.

I would agree with putting as many AG'ers in Infinit kit or have Infinit stickers/shirts. You could give 20% off to every athlete wearing some type of Infinit gear. Athletes tend to pay attention to what other people are using and word of mouth is a powerful thing. I personally feel that this would have way more impact than a booth at the Expo. P.S. I use your product in two custom formulations and think that it is great stuff.

How about setting up a tent where the “unofficial” practice swims are? Since the areas are "public access points" they can’t really say anything about it.

Mike -

The name of the game is business. And your product is clearly superior, so you just need to get people to use it, then the are done and hooked like crack ;-) I even tried to go away for a while (sorry), but the lure back was strong :0

How about just have a ton of athletes in InfinIT tri singlets, jerseys, shorts, etc. You get tons of on course advertising, people will ask them what they use, etc.

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____________________________________
Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

You guys and gals rule. I have a ton of eyes looking at this thread and we are getting some really really good ideas. Keep em coming...

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infinIT Nutrition
Custom Blended Nutrition Solutions
http://www.infinITNutrition.com

If you use this one... All I would like is some free product.

This one says it all...

This picture


and the tagline

Just because your run isn't explosive...
Doesn't mean your runs don't have to be... IM Perform

You can also use a porta potty...

or INFINIT - Custom nutrition so your PERFORMance does not go to crap.

 

If you could get us some iron-on Infinit logos that we could iron on our own race kit I would go for that.

and also a sticker to put on our bikes.

Simple hot chicks handing the stuff out.

---

Looking like a color blind super hero!
Damn triathlon.

I like that. Iron-ons would work and be very cost effective.

Infinit shuttle busses for the week of the race! "Need something reliable? ride with Infinit" There I even gave you a slogan

Become the official Sponsor of the Underpants Run.
Get a bunch of undies printed up and give them out. These are the only press pictures of the race we care about anyway ;-)

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This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time. - Fight Club
Industry Brat.

I'd go with the "lunch truck model". It seems to be all the rage these days and you can just park it legally. Samples, purchases, signage and portable sounds like a decent deal.

On-course INFINIT stations for the Epicman Kona on Wednesday?

Wow. Hmmm.

Well, you were nice enough to visit us for a product training here at TriSports.com a few weeks ago and I enjoyed your presentation and I like your product and the ethos of your company.

You'll prevail.

By prevail I don't necessarily mean "conquer" but you may even do that. One word: Apple.

Consumers love an "alternative", they like the little guy and they like a valid product. Now, at least in appearances (little guy, alternative) you are that little guy, that underdog.

I say take the high road. In what advertising you do, tell the story: "The product so good it was banned", "No. 1 independent drink preferred by Ultra-Distance athletes." "Not even Iron can keep us out". This is just an awesome tag line waiting to happen. Remember the Apple ad with the guy throwing the hammer?

This is a chance: Fight "The Man". People identify with that. People love a (perceived) underdog.

On the flip side, don't forget to sell your product on its own virtues. You have success for (predominantly) two reasons:

1. Your product is valid and unique. It delivers, it works.
2. You guys work hard in marketing and in maintaining the quality and integrity of the product.

This is America. That will work.

Cervelo grew because they had a valid product, were in the right place at the right time and did a good job educating dealers and consumers about their valid technological superiority. Do the same.

Posting here is an excellent start. Don't stop. When a person puts a post up here that says, "The drinks at the aid station at Ironman made me sick..." Jump on it. don't take the low road and bash the competition. Instead, educate: Tell people about sports nutrition and hydration. Ask questions. Listen. Interact. Be a champion of the sport and of sports nutrition. People (smart people) will see you for who you are- a good guy trying to help and sell a good product that works. People will respond to that by trying your product. Once they try INFINIT the product speaks for itself.

Yesterday I put up a post about how Ironman and the brand has benefitted the sport. They have. If it weren't for Ironman the market to even consider selling your product would be smaller, probably substantially smaller.

If you haven't read The Art of War, now is the time. It is filled with insights on how to fell a larger foe, how to absorb energy and use it, and to prevail even in the face of insurmountable odds.

This is an opportunity. It's also a fascinating case. I look forward to revisiting this thread three years from now when you are massive, your product is even better and we tell the story of this thread and laugh.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

go out the night before the race and write INFINIT on the road all over the place. LIke they do in the tour! BIg huge white letters.

give free infinit bucks to the athletes that are there for the week who love your product (I do-but won't be there) and have them wear attractive, professional T-shirts giving out samples, or offering info.

you guys have a great product, you won't get screwed, it might actually benefit you!

Good Luck...

hand out blank poster boards/sticks (race week) with your logo in the corner- people to use to make signs for athletes, similar to what Janus does. Could hand out at coffee shop, etc. They would like it cause it would keep customers in the shop for longer.

Guerilla marketing will do a lot for you, and I highly recommend you confab with Albert at Coffees of Hawaii. He's done a great job of building awareness in Kona during race week.

I'm a user of the product, and had a great race a few weeks back at IM Canada, partially because I finally got the nutrition right. The power of your product is its' customizability, tailored to the athletes particular needs, with the ability to be flexible to adjust for race conditions. Why not set up a custom mixing station at or around Lava Java, where people can come up and get a free bike bottle filled with a customer mixture on the spot? If I recall, there are a number of vacant stores in the Coconut Grove mall area, the volleyball court, and some large grass areas. You could mock up a board with the 'sliders' on it, have an athlete tell you that I want X calories, X sodium and so on, and mix it for them on the spot.

Other ideas: sponsor the underpants run, handing out tightie whities with the Infinit Logo on it; custom bike bottle with 'Kona 2010'; hand out the free samples you had in Canada at the pier, with a sticker directing people to your custom mix station; sponsor some of the triathlon podcasts (can't cost much) and so on.

The thing that clicked for me with Infinit, and why I won't use anything else, is the drink can be whatever I need it to be. That's powerful. That's the message you have to get out, and what must be supported by whatever actions you decide to take in Kona.

Bummer, but....how about giving away free Infinit bottles for all Infinit users to use on the course....IM might ban you from being on the course, but not sure they can ban participants from bringing in colorful bottles that say Infinit all over them....

Also- read Mao Tse Tung's treatise on guerilla war. It is an example of how to prevail in assymetrical conflict. At these events, you must strike and fade into the night.

At Hawaii this year, consider the "choke points": Why do terrorists favor airports as targets? A high concentration of folks in a small area engaged in dynamic behavior. Target the airport. People in T-shirts. Samples being handed to obvious athletes. Bottles being handed out. Coupons that direct people back to your website. Banners were allowable. Flyers in rental cars.

You get the idea. Work the choke points. Use weapons (marketing) that highlight your validity. Never bash. Only work your own strengths.

Yeah- we're inspired...

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

There are lots of good ideas here, but what you need is a theme/campaign to tie it all together, similar to Ben & Jerry's amazing "What's the doughboy afraid of?" campaign, back in the early 90's when Haagen Daz tried to get their distributors to not sell Ben & Jerry's. Interestingly, Haagen Daz is now distributed by Nestle!!!

If you can come up with a slogan or theme, then you will leverage all these other great ideas. I don't know what that theme is, but perhaps you can tie it to some of Nestle's other products, wh/ include Purina, Pro Plan, etc.

Victor

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================================
blog
twitter

We'd love an Infinite sponsored aid station on the QueenK for Epicman Kona....maybe we can have Folan do the the "finish line" too. I'm glad someone else made the request first :-).

Infinit could also do the "official Unofficial drink count" at Kona. Basically as guys leave bike check in, just ask them on the street what they are using for their personal drink....you're not at the expo, you're just asking people what they are using as they walk down Alii drive after checking their bikes. The hard part will be to catch all the competitors as they leave....if you don't get all of them, you won't have a proper count....this could get tricky

Then publish the results on the Infinit website....."Top Sports Drink Used by athletes at Kona"....

Dev

That's a great idea. I say we need a tag line contest here. Winner would get an INFINIT T-shirt, some INFINIT custom blend sports nutrition product and an INFINIT hat.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

A house on Alii Drive full of banners and people always seemed like a smart idea to me as a base to do the other things people are recommending. It will be an upgrade from those years in the Royal Kona. Like the idea of undies with INFINIT on the rear. Good luck bruh and to everyone doing Epicman Kona (and the race on Sat)!

I think tee shirt handed out is a great idea. Maybe get them printed with" INFINIT performs".

This news alone would make me want to buy some INFINIT which is something I have never done before.


.

He uses INFINIT:

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

This is off-topic...why do you feel the expo and Kona are so important to your market?
Realistically, I see Kona once a year. I might go to an expo once a year as well. Furthermore, I would never buy and use product like nutrition from an expo.
On the other hand, I swim/bike/run with members of a tri club several times a week. These are guys I know, trust, and look up to. When they talk, I am prone to listen partially because 4-5hrs of riding is a long time to ignore somebody). Furthermore, training is when I am willing to try things. For example, a friend suggested EFS during a couple of our rides and offered to let me try some. I tried it, liked it, and bought it.

I guess my point is, let IM have the expo. Sponsor tri clubs. Pick a couple Kona-bound members from various clubs around the country (or world-wide?), set them up right with nice kits that advertise your product, and let them in on good deals that allow them to let other members of the club try your stuff.

Or if you really want to do something big at Kona...I am thinking Boston Tea Party style dumping of the Powerade drink into Kona Bay the night before. Dressing up as Indians is a must, bow and arrows optional.

replace the red stars with M-Dots on the tanks, put an INFINIT shirt on the guy. Do it quick and post it on forum before it gets pulled. Don't forget to just list the nutritional content of one of your formulas at the bottom. Nothing more. Speaks for itself.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Get Tiger Woods as a sponsored athlete, I heard he is available....and cheap. He might have a vendetta against Gatorade anyways after they dropped him. And he gets plenty of media attention.

I see the ad now, tiger in an Infinit hat, with naked hot chicks all around him, having to drink Infinit to have the stamina to keep all the girls smiling.

I thought you have hired the greatest marketing firm in the USA for quite a while now to help you out. So shouldn't it be Johnny Rocket's gig to handle it?

If you want to hit back, you have to hit them the only place they care about... The Wallet.

I definitely agree that positive message can be the way to go, though some of the "dirtier" slogans and ideas are just plain funny.

Even better... why not Hijack the event?

Get a bunch of fellow expo people, rent a place/location close buy and have seminars, give aways, and more importantly BETTER PRODUCT.

I have been to two expo recently and found the logo and event merchandise tired and boring. It would not be to hard to come up with better designs and draw traffic based upon having better merchandise. I can tell you that everyone I saw wearing Pre-WTC Timberman gear got asked where they got it. The gear was night and day, as well as creative and not just a logo thrown on a basic bike jersey etc.

I also have a USEABLE, Alternative, NON-TRADEMARKED name that you could co-use or Hi-jack the event with which takes all the bullets out of their lawyers guns (at least it is worth investigating)

Since you are not using Ironman, M-Dot, etc., you are free to create and sell products. Now I know your business is custom nutrition, but with the right gear, better items, and similar vendors, you could generate quite a loyal following...

Best idea to me so far is sponsoring the underwear run and handing out the gear to be worn and having all those drawers with the Infinit logo.

LOL...Yoda speaks.

.

---

infinIT Nutrition
Custom Blended Nutrition Solutions
http://www.infinITNutrition.com

Personally I don't see doing something BIG at Kona as a great strategy. For the most part, you have people at the pointy end of the curve, probably with years of experience, and who have their nutrition worked out. Further, I would think that most of the people there have been around the scene long enough to know about you, and are either using your product or have decided against it for some reason. As such, I don't see a huge ROI for you in winning converts - kinda like bringing coals to Newcastle. So other than the protest statement for being banned - I think it is a money loser. Focus on the other WTC events where you have more of the great unwashed masses who may not have heard of anything other than gatorade or powerade.

Of course, this is also an opportunity to team up with some independent races - B2B is pulling in nearly 2000 people now, the Rev3 market is looking good, and there are a few others out there that pull good crowds especially at the 70.3 distance. You could have something like "Infiniti - for athletes who think" and appeal to those that choose to not do WTC. You could possible even co-opt the current tea party "Don't tread on me" flag, with the snake coiled around your product logo. Same applies to working outside WTC venues.

One of the biggest issues I see with the product is the web only nature. My personal example - I do not do well on gatorade. So when I was looking around I came across EFS in our local shop (Founder was involved in setting up the tri shop here). So I have easy access to replacements - prices are comparable to yours and no shipping costs. You are very dependent on word of mouth referral to get people to your website. Product on the ground gives people a chance to experiment and compare. Many people will do better learning about a product if it is on hand, so perhaps you need to consider a distribution market as well.

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Jim
"In dog beers, I've only had one"
http://www.shakercolonial.com/
Creating custom made furnishing to your requirements

A thought for your slogan

"BANNED 'cus it's BETTER"

I can see that plastered all over water bottles, tee's, hats, foam cuzies, underpants (especially the undies)

---

This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time. - Fight Club
Industry Brat.

I agree with this.
start with some distribution of your ready-made mixtures. Make sure you have a flier or some other material with every bottle that lets consumers know that they can customize it any way they want on your website.
I'd been racing for years before I heard of you...word of mouth.

Get the word to the masses in the LBS's and other stores. Make sure the education is there too.

"Thank you for your purchase. We appreciate your business. In an effort to keep our consumers informed, please be sure to visit our website where we have event-specific mixtures as well as fully customizable blends for your nutrition and taste needs."

They banned you...good for them, bad for you. You got screwed...don't follow that up by making an emotional decision that will end doing little for your business at best, hurting your bottom line at worst...and possibly getting your company sued.

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________________
Blogging

 
I think all the sports drinks companies just sell overpriced maltodextrin, or glucose, or fructose.. or whatever....

I buy a big tin of powdered ice-tea from the grocery store, tastes great and it works just fine. I buy Mars bars multi-packs for solid nutrition.

Total cost of nutrition for my last IM was less than $5.

For training, I mostly go healthy with homemade Muesli bars, and diluted fruit juice in my bottles.

FTR, Powerbar products are JUNK FOOD. They have more processed crap and chemicals than my ice-tea and Mars. Nestle should be ashamed to sell that to athletes...

Not a real big surprise given that most of the volunteers on the course were calling the official drink Gatorade most of the day in Madison.

I think doing Iron-on's is a quick and easy way of getting your logo out there to the masses for little to no cost. I know at AG Worlds in Australia 2006, they did this and it took no more than a minute per person. People can bring their gear (race or not) and have the logo placed on there. It will last a long while.

The larger the logo they place on their uniform, the greater % they get off on their next order. On the chest in huge letters, 50% off your next order. 2" x 2" between the shoulder blades...20% off your next order.

Also, people LOVE temporary tattoo's. But have people actually put them on the athletes/spectators, etc. It makes sure that they get up on and will last through race day.

...

---

Owner/Head Coach for Endurance Concepts
http://www.EnduranceConcepts.com
Sponsored by: Cadence Bikes & Multisport & Brooks

Use Ti T'war's quote "BANNED 'cus it's BETTER" on one side of underwear with Infinit on the other and hand out for the underwear run

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____________________________________________________
"I like you. I'll gladly sit down and have dinner with you after the race. But when the gun goes off, I pretty much hate you, and I want to stomp your guts out. That's racing." -Rappstar

http://train4autism.org/

just make sure the bus is on time!

team up with a triathlon time like Endurance Nation and see if you can loop that one

---

Member HED, Cervelo, De Soto Mafia

Che was too busy killing people to consider what he drank.

Che Guevara T Shirts vs. The People Who Wear Them.

---

--
Paul Lantinga
Sable WaterOptics from See Worthy
paul@sablewateroptics.com

Hmmm. Good point.

Marketing= double edge sword.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

It sure is - we had to totally abandon our 'free range silicon' marketing campaign.

---

--
Paul Lantinga
Sable WaterOptics from See Worthy
paul@sablewateroptics.com

Getting a ton of e-mails from "industry people" with the same or similar issues. Makes you wonder what could be done if we worked together. Hmmmmmmm

---

infinIT Nutrition
Custom Blended Nutrition Solutions
http://www.infinITNutrition.com

give-aways:

temp tatoos at the Pier daily
swim caps at the Pier
Infinit underpants, give them away at the Underpants run Thursday morning.
rent out the old and perhaps still vacant Hard Rock Cafe and throw a party there.
set up a tent at the entrance/near the energy lab and give away product, ice-cold samples will win you friends.
give away stuff at the Friday check-in, it's public property beyond the Pier.
associate yourself with one of the local stores to use their space as Infinit central.

Announce that Infinit is giving away some prize that all triathletes would want. Although I use your product, I'm talking about a non-drink related prize. Maybe an Apple iPad or Bose stereo.

Only way for folks to register for the prize is to come to Infinit party location, maybe a house, hotel suite or bar/restaurant.

You collect names and contact information for future mailings, and at the end of the night give away Infinit product and logo gear along with the grand prize. Maybe everybody who attends gets an Infinit hat, technical shirt, etc. You also have nice Infinit kits for sale, and product.

You get this out to everybody via tri forums and have hula girls at airport hang around luggage area and pass out fliers.

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http://jmassieblog.blogspot.com

Bingo Michael!

I also like the idea of getting the pre-mix stuff out there.

While I did o.k. on the Osmolality for the most part, I probably was a little too high on the carbs on my custom mix trying to keep the fueling on the bike being liquid only. Was my bad, but is the down side of custom is we can shoot ourselves in the foot (or gut)

You also could help people maybe a little quicker as well.

Sell smaller test samplers in the stores (EFS was giving away small 5 or 6 serving cans at one of the events I was at) and then have the athlete use them, come back with what they liked and didn't and gives them a better base point to tweak before buying a larger serving bag or decide the pre-mixed worked fine.

You can also do a promotion if you do a small 6 serving can/bag... and do Try 6 servings and get 3 towards a future purchase / custom mix.

Some excellent ideas here.

I have never been to Kona but I would have something mobile to go where the athletes go. Be it at the swim practise, on the course in the run up to the race, at the popular social venues.

You want to be able to get their details to build up a marketing dbase, so everything has to be personal 1:1.

I would give out Infinit swim caps at the swim practises. How about those little gym bags that some races give out. Small gym towels that can be used in transition.

Crop tops? Running vests? Bike socks are a favourite as well.

Those blow up tube things that the kids love to make noise with. A big inflatable Infinit bottle at the practise swim?

I would target kids with small T-shirts as well, they can be like mom/dad.

How about an infinit ankle strap for the timing chip.

Sorry bit of a mind dump there!

Sell out to Nestle.

Oooooo shadow expos. the dark side of ironman.......

---

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson

Michael,

I have used your product for over 3years, it is great, from IM to casual bike ride it is the best product I have used.

Why not get an Infinit mobile...an RV or similar that you hire someone to drive to the race site and just park it close to the race.

Then hire a few good looking guys/girls to drum up some enthusiasm and direct people to the Infinit-mobile.

Or just rent a truck when you arrive @ the race site, hang some banners off it and do the same thing.

Give away bottles labeled with Infinit on it hoping people use them/carry them into the race area.

Consider sponsoring high level racers to wear and use Infinit gear so you get race day attention

A bunch of helium balloons with Infinit on them 30-40 feet over your truck will get attention

Day before race have an event at a local exclusive location that is a draw and secures attention for you...maybe a tricycle race at a winery or an egg carrying relay contest at a local restaurant or park where you capture attention.

Have every hotel in the area give away one of your single serving samples to racers...only one hotel is likely the 'official' hotel so there are lots of options

Best legs contest for cash and Infinit

The Infinit Karaoke party...

Andrew

---

C'mon legs run faster!
Being fast on a crappy bike is cool
Fueled by Guinness, Tuborg, Anchor Steam and Creemore Springs

I agree this is the right approach for ST--for example one of the things I respect Emilio for the most is that he doesn't swoop in, bashing 2xu, Sugoi, etc...instead he focuses on how his product is more well-thought out, how his design is different in these ways, etc.

For me personally I've heard of your product many times, know many people who swear by it, but don't know what differentiates you. In fact, until this thread I thought Infinit was one of Hammer Strength's products. Embarassing for me, bad for you. You should be on here for every discussion of hydration, making us relative newcomers more aware of your product and why we need it.

Right now I drink and train with whatever is on the courses for the sake of convenience. IMP is about the same as Gatoraide to me so it's what I drink. Warm, it sorta sucks but hey...it's Ironman and a warm drink is the least of my concerns. But tell my *why* Infinit is better for me to drink and I could rethink my strategy and decide it's more advantageous to haul my own drinks rather than take them from the aid stations.

---

***

Riding the Awesome Train With: Dark Horse Coaching

I heard the finish area is a clusterfuck, too small crappy food etc..
The athletes must go somewhere after finishing to 'hang out'. Can you setup wherever that is?

There's an upstairs bar with a patio that's close enough to look out over the finish. perfect place to go after you finish to cheer on the late night crowd when the party gets going. perfect exposure for banners. i'd suggest the launch of the 'infinit recovery margarita.'

I think this exclusion from the IM fenced area is a blessing in disguise for INFINIT. A watershed event for your company and your future. This gives you guys a chance to look REALLY different and by so doing you will be even more successful.

Another suggestion...

In 2008 at Kona there was a big Avia or K-Swiss and Scott (I believe) party/expo thing at a two-story pizza & bar place on Alii Drive. They handed out cool swag like visors, wrist-bands, etc...your basic Tijuana trash at a race. The stuff was cool and unique...not the same crap they charge you and arm and a leg for at the boring IM expo. I didn't go but I remember asking a few people who had the Avia visors where they got them and they told me that there were all kinds of cool give-aways, pros signing autographs, food and drinks at this party on Alii Drive. Parachutes, banners and floating kiosks sound really cool but most spectators and tourists in Hawaii aren't going to see that stuff. Throw a party on Alii Drive and you'll be remembered. Make it "Invitation Only" via a Twitter/FB/Email campaign. Make people sign-up before walking in the door and get their info. Get as much demographic info as you can so you can do some analysis later and follow-up campaigns.

I think this is a good thing...

definitely not the little envelope with paycheck - "experience that is what we get when we don't get what we want" - as a pro athletes we've got a lot of experiences in US )))

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Hare Krishna

Hey Michael,
I use Infinit and love it. Infinit has gotten me through two ironmen, and you profiled me in one of your newsletters. If you have a party, I would love an invite. This is my first and likely my only time to make it to Kona as I'm one of the lottery winners. I just ordered a refill to get me through Kona and got the temporary tattoo and stickers. Great idea!

---

-------------------------------------------------------------- Quote directed to me..."You don't have to do an ironman to prove your life is worth living..."

Three suggestions:
1) Shwag: any cool looking t-shirt, visor, or water bottle that looks cool, has your logo, and has Kona 2010 written on it. It makes it an instant hit. Give away 2000 shirts, visors or water bottles. Make sure the people giving them away are doing so in cool places (eg swim practice, big parties, and are smoking hot. Goal: have everyone wearing their infinit shwag during the week and once they get home.

2) Food: Find the best local food truck on the island and hire it for 3 days. Move it from spot to spot as people migrate. Make sure it is healthy food such as fresh tacos, sandwiches, etc. (whatever us triathletes love). Make sure the truck is wrapped with inifint brand and make sure the plates, food wrapping, etc. all say Infinit on it. Even better - sell the food for $2. Give the cash away to charity. And then give everyone a shirt or bottle when they get food. Goal: have the food be so good that people keep saying "remember kona 2010 and the infinit food truck, wow, that food rocked"

3) Partnerships: I assume many companies are already holding parties leading up to Kona. Offer to partner with them to co host a party and give folks free samples and water bottles.

---

___________

Sell out to Nestle.

Sphincters are tightening in Glendale, CA. and Tampa Bay, FL.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I estimate the “Pucker Factor” at 140.6

---

**All of these words finding themselves together were greatly astonished and delighted for assuredly, they had never met before**

Mike,

I've been considering using your product and to hear that those pricks have banned you from the expo is the last straw.
I'll be placing my first order this week.

Best of luck to you.

PLEASE have a location where we can buy some INFINIT in Kona!
And, I would never pass on the swag.

Pass out underware for the underware run with your logo on it.

Rich
Fit2Tri Multisport

---

Richard Nixon, Fit2Tri Multisport Inc.
Fit2Tri,
rich@fit2tri.com
Discount code, slowtwithch

Do the same thing they did at the Jonestown massacre, minus the deaths and the creepy cult. The phrase "Drink the kool-aid" has probably given zillions of dollars of brand equity to the Kool-Aid corporation.

Oh how I hate monopolistic behaviour. . . .

I'm thinking of the INFINIT Blimp! Fly around KONA all day with a big-ass blimp; impossible for the cameras to miss you. Buy some promo time on NBC, etc., & show the blimp.

Good luck.


BTW, is it just me or does anyone else see the trend that started with NA Sports, and now WTC, with M-branding everything and charging ridiculous premiums just to buy shit made in China that carries M-Dot branding. Every small, mom & pop race is now hoping to become the next 70.3 or IM venue, in the hope of increasing THEIR bottom line, at the expense (pun intended) of the athletes. Someone over at WTC should realize that they're diluting the product, and sooner or later the Marginal Rate of Substitution will kick in, but I digress. . . .


HS.

Get a laser pointer customized with the infinit logo. Light it up on the finishing arch when the winners finish.

Your in all the photos right on top of the other advertisers.

some kind of 'grassroots' effort like "Let Levi Ride" that makes "the man" look ridiculous and highlights how politics and $ influence decisions by the "governing" board.

Easy:

1) Print up 500 flags that have Infinit logo and some catchy motto like "I kicked Kona's ass in 2010". Make sure the motto is bigger than the logo.
2) Set up a table right before the start of the finishers chute.
3) Have cool volunteers hand them out to people as they are running by - about to finish.
4) Have a several life size picture cutouts of people holding the flag over their head as they go through the finishers chut. This is so people will know what to do with the flags once you hand them out.

5) Watch as every single finisher's picture has your flag displayed. Plus hopefully will make it on NBC.

---

___________

Infinit temporary tattoos. Litter the place with them. Kids will love them!

---

___________

So many wonderful ideas. I really like the guerrilla marketing ideas (slogans, underwear, shadow expos).

I have to agree with the few folks who have posted wondering about the ROI of investing significant marketing expense at Kona versus other avenues. Part of the effort is obviously to sell more of your product, and it seems that the ripest segment of the market would be folks that don't qualify for Kona. AG'ers. MOP'ers. BOP'ers. Perhaps the ROI is better to focus on doing some of the guerilla marketing at other M-Dot races (for example IMFL) + some of the non-WTC races. I wholeheartedly agree with getting your product out to the masses via LBS for your pre-fab stuff.

Heck - why not give away a free sample to everyone who visits your site? You can clearly track and limit the quantity that you send out. Your ask could be that people blog/tweet/facebook about it. Or, there's so dang many folks who blog (myself included) - you could send samples to those folks and ask for a product review. (note: I'd be willing if you wanted to do that).

Or, forget everything I've said - go with the screenprinted underwear, hot chicks, rogue expos, and RV's. Those will probably work too. :-) And to someone else's point - go where the masses are. Airport. Practice swim. Wherever.

Best of luck!

---

Joel | My Blog | Team Rev3 Tri | Twitter @TriMadness

I saw blueseventy set up a ways outside of the expo at IMCDA (Govt Way I think) and my first association was that it reminded me of someone selling bootleg concert t-shirts on the corner. Perhaps you are getting the word out more than selling actual product at the expo. Advice is be careful not to do something that makes you look bush league.

Didn't some Dutch beer company hire some very good looking young women dressed with their logo and placed them in the stand at the world cup this year?

You should do the same and then put pics of them in the Hotties thread. INFINIT will live forever. You will be a legend that is talked about for many years to come. Place those love young ladies on the run course then send them into the stand to cheer for the midnight finishers.

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__________________________________________________________________________
My marathon PR is "under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something."

This would be grounds for disqualification for taking outside assistance.

I think outside assistance is just a yellow card. I've also been told that if I'm short of water, and ride past a convenience store on the course, I can make a quick stop in there without penalty, since any athlete can do the same. I keep a $5 bill in with the spare, just in case.

Yes you are correct. This would be a variable time penalty. Probably not good PR though.

I'm a marketing guy......the most impressive guerrilla marketing program I've seen is what the big watch manufacturers do during the big jewelry show in Las Vegas....they rent a hotel suite and trick it out like a retail showroom.....and invite clients to a private meeting away from the madness.......and spend the money on giveaways, etc......

Make your user group an elite club to aspire to.....the sheep will clamor.....

What is Infinit?

---

_________________________________________________
CAMPAGNOLO GRAN FONDO NEW YORK

Interesting.

Now that I think of it... shouldn't IM Louisville Yellow Carded all athletes who took water from the locals when they ran out at the aid stations?

Death before dishonor... Shame on you Louisville athletes (Huge sarcasm there in case you couldn't tell)

Some good comments and suggestions on here...some not so good ;). A couple of my thoughts, somewhat randomly, for what they're worth..

- Damn, but triathletes are swag-hungry bunch. lol...

- It's not a war, aim for a happy co-existence... The $100 BILLION dollar company is not scared of you. They can and will crush you like a bug, if they choose to. They shipped a case of product to everyone racing IMs this year. They've developed a product to try and go head to head with Gatorade (Pepsico), Powerade (Coca Cola) and their ilk. They're quite prepared to spend the $millions to establish and defend their existence. That said, they really, really don't care about you, and will let you be...unless you piss them off... Ben and Jerry's didnt quite work out - they're a subsidiary of Unilever now (only a $65 Billion company), having needed the capital to increase distribution to fight off, well, you know...

- how would you feel if INFINIT had the sponsorship exclusivity contract, and Nestle decided to "go really big" at your event, to make a splash...?

Take the high road. Find yourself a pretzel machine - the old fashioned kind, on wheels, that makes the gooey, chewy salty good ones. Get some mustard, both hot and not. Get your President, your head of Sales, of Marketing, and your product people to Kona. Get them nice shirts, with subdued logos on them, and have them spend the week both manning the pretzel machine and walking around, talking to everyone. I mean EVERYONE And say something like:

"Hi, I'm <insert name here>, with Infinit. Would you like a pretzel? On-course nutrition may work for alot of people, but we realize that it doesn't work for everyone. We can't give you our product here - it wouldn't be right - but we wanted to be here anyway, because we care about this sport, and about sport nutrition. If you think that YOU could benefit from our product, hit us up when you get home, and we'll be happy to send you information and a sample."

Hand them a business card with your name, rank, and website on it, ask if they want hot mustard or regular, and wish them a great race. People like to feel like they've talked to 'someone'... and everyone loves pretzels! :)

That's why I said to find a loop hole!

---

Jonathan Blyer,
ACME Bicycle Co., Brooklyn, NY

I've never used your product but applaud small business owners, that's why I bought a speedfil. Get your name out there with a Booth showcasing your custom product.

That is the best idea in this thread, hands down. Genius.

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----------------------------------------------------------

What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

skywriting.

X2

---

Mike Sparks


I have competed well, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Illegal beer babe ambush advertising!!!

Yeah, you could do that. I like illegal beer babes better.

"Infinit"emblazoned in big white letters on bright red vuvuzelas!!! 17 hours of AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Disclosure: I won't be at Kona.

x2 on this.

I think getting as many slowtwitchers testing your product and blogging / posting on it is super beneficial.

Personally, I tend to be a person, probably like many here, that is obsessive compulsive, so when I have a drink that works, even remotely well, I stick with it.

At the same time, I am a prime candidate for the product as I am a liquid only athlete and therefore need a solid product to drink on the bike / run.

As I am from Canada, I have had trouble getting a decent build of the product on the website and getting it ordered in so have yet to try it.

For this season and IMC 2010 it was Cytomax and looks like it will be for next year because I am afraid to try something new, but if enough people on here talk about it / blog about it / and a sample is available to be tested then I am up for it.

Best of Luck,

Clint

---

-----------------------------------------------------------
"Chrissie wins because she trains really f'ing hard and races really f'ing hard and was blessed with a huge f'ing motor" Jordan Rapp

i think the pretzel advice is the best you have received.....

I don't think that would work for him.

After all he IS the church for gullible AG'ers.

---

___________________________________________
Ego numquam pronuncio mendacium,
sed sum homo salvaticus

Has anyone mentioned a blind taste test? The old Pespi/Coke blind taste test..no logos..nothing to draw attention to yourself. Just your stuff against theirs. If anyone asks I suppose you could say something but let the product speak for itself.

The thing is, my InfinIT wont taste at all like yours. I cant drink it just sitting around, matter of fact when I first got it and tried it in the kitchen I was like "What the hell that is like sea water"....but an hour or so into a work out...tastes like heaven.

---

----------------------------------------------------------

What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

nice! here is: "did you sign up for Infinit" (this time to replace red star with Infinit logo):

---

Hare Krishna

Since I am going to be representing your brand now, let me offer up a few ideas.

You need to make packet samples (single servings) available to distribute to tri clubs so people can try it. I am willing to go to the local tri clubs in my area (there are 3 large ones I can think of) to hand it out and give a 15-30 min. talk on it--why it works, how to mix it, why you are wasting your time with other products. And then we can do a raffle where the winner gets like $50 Infinit bucks. If you can get your other athletes to do this around the country, well, word of mouth is HUGE. Can also do similar things at local bike/tri shops--during the winter here in the Midwest it's a great time to get people started on Infinit when they have the time to try it out in indoor training sessions. Give me hundreds of trial packets and I will hand them out to all the people I know.

Don't limit yourself to just the tri market, although obviously it's the place to start. Pure runners should be digging on your product, too. The number of running clubs/groups is also huge, and runners LOVE the free samples.

If you can get sample packets into goodie bags at running races, that would also be HUGE.

Also if you'd be willing to build me a custom bike with your logo all over it, I'm sure I'd manage to ride it often ;)

Seriously, many tri clubs have Kona parties and then have their holiday get togethers, and if I can get on their agenda and hand out samples, what better time than when I will be able to say which athletes at Kona used Infinit and how it worked for them and of course I can relate all my personal experience. The time to get people in is when they are thinking about how to change things up for their NEXT season.

Sheila

Be the host of the 'ST' party like blue70 did last year.

have the best product and it will speak for itself.

Sponsor an athlete like Crowie who carries all his own special fluids on the run and bike ; make sure evryone knows they used your product.

G.

---

http://www.TriathlonShots.com
Full event coverage of triathlon/ironman in photos.

Hammer nutrition rented a house on Alii Dr a few years ago and set up a nice buffet, free swag, and of course their product offerings. Had a big banner out front with a couple of cold jugs and paper cups for cyclists/runners. I would also emphasize research that shows higher carb digestion rates with "blended" carb composition than just one type. And of course the ability to put in enough sodium/electrolytes to counter the sweat rate in Kona.

And of course you could always help sponsor the ST party the week before with swag and door prizes and/or beverages.

I'm 6 pages late to the responses (and confess I haven't read them all, so if it has already been suggested, I apologize in advance).

What about an "unofficial" expo, with some of the local shops/businesses? I remember Tri-sports did this at IMAZ in 2005 when I was there (not sure if they do it every year?), and it was well attended. Email blasts in the weeks leading up to the race spread the word about the location.

I have been using Infinit since the days when Michael answered the phone to take your order (not sure if he still does?), and continue to recommend it to anyone who isn't already using it. Keep up the good work!

7500 views and 144 replies...brand loyalty support for free, who needs Kona...!!

Good luck though, you're products are far better than the other one IMO..

This is a gold mine of ideas and information. Huge help. Gonna do something nice for the board when we announce this new program in about 7-10 days.

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infinIT Nutrition
Custom Blended Nutrition Solutions
http://www.infinITNutrition.com

I do not know if there is a Schwag bag at Kona with Sales crap for the offiical product companies, but if there is, get together with these "industry people" and take out an ad in the triathlon magazines offering say 10% off your next purchase if you mail in the ad of a competitors product that came in their schwag bag. This puts their ad $ to work for you and the other excluded companies.

While I do not dispute WTC right to do this, with nutritional products I find this repelent. Nutrition is unique to the individual, to limit the options this way puts many triathletes at a disadvantage in WTC events, as the approved product may not work for many people and carrying enough of an alternative product is a lousy substitute. JMTCW.

Doug

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http://www.EpixGear.com

me thinks you should sell a kit that your customers can use to customize the official race drink to their liking.
that will give you good buisness for 10 years ;-)

Iam amazed about this thread some 135 positive responds out of 145, must be a slowtwitch record.

The part that bothers me Doug is it is a little more nepotistic than that.

Yes, money is important for stability and creating a long term going concern, but I see this more of looking at the sport, seeing $$$ that they are not getting, and getting in those areas because they have or can create a captive audience and then force feed those folks to maximize revenues. Well within their right, but still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

If Perform was a decent product, it could stand on its own. I can understand, though I disagree, with them making it some of the main nutrition on the course, but at least I know I should have access to water and perhaps cola, and have made my own decision to be a camel and pack nutrition to fit my needs.

But when I see them extend that and start blocking others from being at the Expo, which are generally companies paying for booths, that bothers me. Whether my notion is correct or not of Perform being an inferior product, those actions tend to support or add fuel to that notion.

In comparison, Cera-Sport is the official drink of Rev 3, they have paid for this and what Rev 3 serves on the course, but at Quassy at least, you have the Cera-Sport tent in the expo, right next to the EFS tent, and I respect that.

Nutrition is very personal. Not only can their be a taste preference, but some people may also have preferences or requirements for ingredients such as avoiding Sucralose / Splenda / Aspartame, etc.

What is next? Does WTC start banning Specialized, Trek, and Cervelo from setting up on their Expo and field because Ceepo is the official bike? That is probably far fetched, but then again if WTC bought Ceepo, I could see that happening.

And from the marketing perspective, I actually had no issue with the Cera-Sport product, I have not bought any though, primarily because of their limited purchasing options... I don't like the fact that I have to buy in either more expensive sample packs or a case of 100 servings. A little of a middle ground more along the common 30-serving size or so would have helped me more continue to try the product for a longer basis.

I am excited to see what Infinit does

all i can picture now is MTV beach house revisited.

and i can't bring my wife!


PARTY AT THE INFINITE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!


How about an INFINITE sponsored field days full of drinking games and various stupid human races? I am willing to bet there are WAY more people that are athletes that are spectating and don't have to race then are there to actually race. while the racers are all "resting" everyone else should be at the constant party connection at the INFINITE house!

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Tim

Find yourself a pretzel machine - the old fashioned kind, on wheels, that makes the gooey, chewy salty good ones. Get some mustard, both hot and not.

You cannot be serious. It's The Ironman Triathlon World Championships, not the County Fair.

What's next, Deep Fried Infinit on a Stick? Infinit Cotton Candy?

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**All of these words finding themselves together were greatly astonished and delighted for assuredly, they had never met before**

I agree with you, and to add to it, itbothers me that WTC keeps buying up races thereby limiting companies access to the triathlon community. Competition is good. The more companies that make products/services for us the better off things will be and the faster triathlon will grow. Choking access for companies to triathletes, especially at the primiere events is doing harm to the triathlon community. This is just going to foster more anti-WTC attitudes.

I am racing Augusta in 11 days and this will be my first WTC event. I have done local events for the last two years. Consequently I do not have a first-hand opinion of WTC races. I hope and pray B2B stays independent.

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http://www.EpixGear.com

Some great and very creative ideas. Let me throw a little logic into the thread.

I assume that you have a budget for marketing. What would a booth at Kona have cost you? (Travel, Room, Booth Fee, Product Costs, etc). What has this budget meant for revenues in the past? Does being at the expo make you money in the short or long term? There are about 2,000 people in Kona. As someone mentioned earlier, these are typically the best of the best in triathlon. Most of them probably have a nutrition strategy that has gotten them this far. I doubt that you would be selling much nutrition to participants at an expo (except for those that are already customers but forgot something)

I don’t know that a giveaway of Inifinit is the best representation of your product. Since it can be customized for each user, you need to stress this fact to potential customers. Some sort of coupon for a first “custom” order would be more beneficial than giving out samples that may not work for someone.

Infinit is not the only nutrition/hyrdration company that is being forced out of the expo. Your competitors can also be your partners in this. You could work with the EFS, Hammer, GU, etc people and host a nutrition expo in a place near the expo. Share the costs and spread the word about alternatives to the M-Dot chosen company.

People that choose to use on-course nutrition typically do so because it is a “simpler” set up. I don’t need to load up my bike by 4 pre-mixed bottles and then swap them out for 4 new ones at special needs. Find a way to demonstrate that your product is just as easy/easier than swapping Perform at an Aid Station.
Set up a few bikes at your booth in the best configuration for carrying your own nutrition (IE- bottle in bars, aero drink, down tube, seat tube, behind the seat, small flask, etc). Show an ideal set up for IM and HIM distance. The ST consensus is that a standard bottle between the bars is “best.” I personally like to have an Aero Drink between the bars (handling, convenience, etc). Show a few different set up options. Maybe even have a handout with different configurations and explanations for why one is best.


If you can get some sort of data that includes the following:
· Time Spent slowing down at aid stations to get new bottles
· Safety – how many races have crashes at the bottle swap?
· Issues with the cap on the Perform bottle
· The ability to customize your nutrition means less “stuff” to worry about (IE- Salt tabs, etc)
· Is it more Aero to use a bottle that you pack yourself (IE – spend more time in the aerobars because you have a consistent bottle that you are using)
· By using one of the new insulated bottles that are available, you can keep your nutrition at a temperature that is palatable for an IM. (Maybe partner or giveway an insulated bottle with each new order)


Guerilla/Social Media Marketing-
Every IM (and really every triathlon) publishes a participant list. The IM races publish a list of participants and Bib #’s a few weeks before the event. I would comb this and do the following:
1. Are any of these names in your current customer database?
a. If so, shoot them an email wishing them luck and offering a coupon
b. Give them a coupon to share with a friend (not everyone that is going to Kona only hangs out with Kona triathletes. These Kona guys/gals have influence over the people in their club/masters group
c. After the race, look at their results and congratulate them
2. For names that are not in your database, see if you can find a way to contact them.
a. Facebook – I just checked and I don’t see an Infinit presence on Facebook. Get there.
i. Macca has 25,000 followers
ii. Matty Reed has almost 2000
iii. Desiree Ficker has 4500
iv. Crowie has 5000
v. Gatorade has 1.2 million
This is your audience. I’m not sure of the rules of Facebook but I would put more effort into this than I would into an Expo spot in Hawaii.
b. LinkedIn
c. Athlinks
d. Member of a tri-club
e. Do they have a blog? See if you can post a link to advertise on the blog
(There is probably some sort of software out there that will automate this for you. But in reality, you could probably hire a local college/high school kid to comb the “non-customer” list via Google searches. 2,000 names shouldn’t take more than a few days).

Now you may already do this to some extent, but I think something that can be emphasized and help you differentiate your product is to help people understand not only customized the nutrition to their bodies but further helping athletes tailor and adjust those to course conditions and seasonality.

If one formulation works for you, what factors to consider and modifying for a hotter condition, cooler condition, etc.

Further more, helping then address and compile nutrition mistakes... Bike is fine, gas or GI issues on run? To much carbs? To many calories, over fueling? Not adjusting for humidity, going to hard?

Part of it can be helping athletes create profiles, give feedback to what they are taking, using, including other foods and the like and then looking at upcoming races, the general condition and helping them adjust or tailor.

Nutrition can be trial and error, but Infinit folks may quickly see something an AGer does not see like this mix of on the bike combined with this many gels, or bits, etc will cause issues, etc.

Another idea for you I haven't seen mentioned here yet. Two signs on race day, one at about mile 95 on the bike another about mile 20 on the run that say "If you had used InfinIT you'd be done by now".

Loyal user x2 years and counting...

Sponsor training camps in the months leading up to a race.

I like this!

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Paul..

Customer reward program: You can give away swag but can't guarantee people will wear it during the race. So reward them if they can prove they wore it. "Come to our tent on Sunday and show us your finishing picture with you wearing our (hat/visor/jersey - whatever you are giving away) and we'll give you a coupon for a free pack of Infinit."

Special Kona formula - if you give away samples, emphasize the ability to customize Infinit by offering a special Kona formula. Maybe Ironman formula with higher electrolytes to combat the heat, etc. - whatever you think is best for hotter than usual racing.

Ok. This one is geeky. Make people remember the name Infinit by setting up a good telescope trained on "the infinite". Good enough to see and track a galaxy or maybe see the moons of Jupiter (pretty much opposite the sun right now)

Quote:

What is next? Does WTC start banning Specialized, Trek, and Cervelo from setting up on their Expo and field because Ceepo is the official bike? That is probably far fetched, but then again if WTC bought Ceepo, I could see that happening.

That has already been done. You will only see one brand of bike at the official Expo...that is the brand that paid to be there - no, it is not Ceepo. There are a few other bikes there but they are in tents for trainers and the other products are what are being marketed.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

Dear Michael,

I'm writing in response to your ST posting about being 'banned' from Kona this year and wanted to give you a few thoughts as someone who has been in ecommerce and marketing for a few years. My position is to stray from the 'sponsor me, sponsor me, sponsor me' attitude of some Kona bound ST'ers. I would suggest the solution is not trying to circumvent rules or tarnish a relationship with WTC(which from what I gather was a good relationship). Instead look how you can take what big chocolate thought was a stab at your brand and redirect right back at them.

The unique marketing opportunity that your presented with is you were 'BANNED FROM IRONMAN'. The question people are going to ask is why? and instead of saying a chocolate company wrote a check, play up that Infinit was 'too good'. You offer a premium product and the big boys couldn't match your quality so they got you banned.
I would call it a classic play such as Nike did when the Air Jordans were banned because of NBA uniform restrictions, people didn't hear about the rule they heard that the nikes were banned because they were too good a shoe!

You then take that and go to events like the underwear run, or take photos to post of athletes doing Kona and you slap black censored boxes over the infinit bottle or infinit logos(which a customer could still make out). You do cheap Iron-ons with some Fruit of the Looms that say 'infinit, banned in Kona' and you make it seem like you had this great product that Ironman won't let anywhere near their venues. Get people to your great website and get them asking questions and hopefully sell more product.

Then you look at the next 10 years and try to grow that mystique and branding so by the time big chocolates focus group is saying 'liquid crunch bar' is a great idea at Kona then you can have a product that has earned its rep, people using it at big name events and backed by loyal users.

Again I'm just spit balling but the old solution of giving MOP and AG'ers kits or wasting money on a buffet at a rental house just won't give you the exposure and take advantage of the opportunity you have!

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***
Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A B A

Dead serious, actually. The point is not that it's the Ironman Triathlon World Chamionships - who cares? A whopping 2,000 people, most of who are already painfully aware of their nutritional requirements and needs. Giving away little packs of INFINIT at Kona is a waste; t-shirts, hats, visors and the like, expensive, and very little return on investment. These people already know what INFINITI is - they travel in those circles. So spend time talking to them, explaining the situation, and expanding on what you're going to do to be different, and face it. The pretzels are just fun! (admit it, you like pretzels...lol)

2011 is a different story; product givaways, creative guerilla marketing and some good advertising will help with the future. What you want is to build equity with your core, with the best. As a brillant PR friend of mine used to say: Sometimes you have to deposit in the bank of brand, for those times you have to withdraw...

So, what you are proposing is ambush marketing? Having not paid for the rights to be associated with the event you're going to ambush Ironman? The question I pose to my sports marketing students (& a choice they have to make individually) is whether or not ambush marketing is an ethical activity. Regardless of whether or not WTC is becoming the Microsoft of the ultra-distance triathlon world, ambush marketing may or may not be ethical and in some instances may not be legal (when it comes to mega-events such as the Olympics, World Cup Football, Rugby, & so forth host countries have to enact anit-ambush marketing legislation).

Ambush marketing is relatively easy to do. Just look at South Africa & the women in the orange dresses.

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#swimmingmatters
Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind.
The Doctor (#12)

Which is why my suggestion would work. Get one of those bike shop booths or rand crap booths to sell Infinit for you.

Not Ambush... Hi-JACK!

Think of it this way... If there was a think called Summer Fest, that was held in a location, had their own "Official" T-Shirt Sponsor and banned anyone else who wanted a booth and sold T-Shirts, and I was in the T-Shirt business and I had BETTER T-Shirts, produced those shirts and avoided ALL of the Trademarked words and symbols, and created something that had a similar theme... Say mine was a Beach Chair with a Hurricane Drink and theirs was a Sun with Sunglasses, I might show up to sell my "Life's A Beach" wear especially if their was a demand. In fact, there might be more of a demand for my products because I had better quality, better design and better prices.

There is a monopoly and then there is competition. There are also unfair practices.

What I have come up with is a way to market shirts, mugs, hats and other items that does not infringe on Ironman or M-Dot Logos and trademarks and would allow the "shunned" to sell competing and potentially superior products while not violating trademarks.

Interesting, but this is custom nutrition, not an easily substituted t-shirt, mug or hat. INFINIT would only be essentially selling their product to people that already used their product. (their is a place for this, but using direct communication - i.e. the guy that said he'd love to have a place to pick it up, so he didn't have to travel with it. You could communicate with current customers, and arrange for a spot for them to be even more VIP-y...)

Frew people are going to buy INFINIT in Kona in the days prior to the race to use it for the first time in the "Ironman World Championships". The big issue is how to build brand equity for the future...

I am betting that "Banned" is not the right word...."Our new sport drink companies contract prevents you from renting space at the expo" is probably more realistic.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

"Banned" has more punch.

The Sex Pistols were "Banned". Elvis was "Banned". The Rolling Stones were "Banned" from the Ed Sullivan Show. Betty Page was "Banned" in Boston. Democracy was "Banned" in Red China.

I say we roll with the "banned" motif. It pits the "big man" against the "little man" and gives the campaign another peg to hang a hat on. That and, the stuff (INFINIT) really does work quite well IMO.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

The ironic (and hilarious) thing about all this hoopla over racing nutrition is that, when it counts most, on the run, you can throw all the research, customized formulae, "ours has this carbohydrate" crapola out the window... the proven and preferred drink is whatever-the-hell cola was available at the cheapest cost, with the primary fuel source being the dreaded, ...(GASP)... high fructose corn syrup!

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Coach at KonaCoach Multisport

That's actually true. I agree.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I have met Mike a number of times. Sure nice guy. I love his product, swear by it and tell everyone I know to use it....but with out MY custom mix, with my electrolytes and my flavor...um....what would put it heads and shoulders above Heed and Thermolytes? By the time you get to the expo you had better already know what your race fuel is going to be...

I think that Mike does his best marketing just being on the forums (this one and others) and having us, his faithful minions preach the good word. I still love the pretzel idea.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

According to this there will be other bike brands there. There have in the past couple years.

http://www.fordironmandemodays.blogspot.com/

A couple years ago they opened the expo up, to make is a demo thing. More companies could participate. they made a big deal about this, with a lot of press releases etc. A few years ago you could get sports beans at the expo. But then there wasn't ONE exclusive nutrition provider. It was gatorade for drink and Powerbar for 'food'.

I don't know if this tightening of the brands is across the board, or just nutrition (which it sounds like and it sounds like it was specifically put in the PB contract w/ IM). Nor do I know if the demo days things is an official IM thing, but since it's sponsored by Lava Magazine, I suspect it it.

I think having a 'free' aid station on the run course in the week leading up to the race (like gu does) would help infinit. but their product is harder to just sample because it's a mix.

Another (of many) tag line/ad copy ideas:



"When "Anything is Possible" make sure Everything is Possible on Race Day.

Don't leave your nutrition to chance. INFINIT formulas are custom made, hand blended to suit your taste, requirements and stomach. On a day when "Anything is Possible" make sure Everything is in your Favor: INFINIT."

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

are you saying that one can race IM with only coke as their nutrition plan?

toe-may-toe, toe-mot-toe...hijack, ambush it's all the same & ya better be prepared if the WTC legal eagles decide to come after you. Free speech carries you only so far, especially if you "activate" in & around the event. If you are attempting to confuse the consumer by implying in any way you're involved with the event you might receive that cease & desist notice.

Not sure I can attempt to fathom your logic here. As Coke is the TOP sponsor of the Olympics, & pay around $100M for four years to be such, this creates a monopoly & Pepsi should be able to hijack Coke's sponsorship of the Olympic Games? Companies align themselves with sports properties for a variety of reasons. They pay for that exclusivity. That's why it's called sponsorship.

If you are simply building a better mousetrap, then promoting your product in way that doesn't confuse the consumer about who's the official drink sponsor, that's the capitalist way. Even better, if you scientifically prove your product is better than Ironman's then the market should respond accordingly.

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#swimmingmatters
Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind.
The Doctor (#12)

What I'm saying is that many companies try to sell us substances that they say they've researched, have all the correct ratio of CHO and proper osmolality, yada, yada, yada - and none of them are as good on the most nutritionally demanding part of the Ironman race as a substance which designed to be biggie sized with a Big Mac and fries....

And yet we trust these companies and what they're selling us, and I stand back and ask, "Why?"

When I first got into this sport, it was "Coke the second half of the run..." Now it's "Coke and only Coke from the first run aid station to the last."...I dunno, maybe we should start it at mile 56 of the bike...

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Coach at KonaCoach Multisport

The more I think of it and after reading a lot of these posts, I'm leaning towards,

"It's not really that important for Infinit to have a physical marketing presence at Kona"

Why?

Because the guys and gals racing Kona on the balance know what they are doing for the race and likely already know about Infinit....the Kona qualifier tends to be a more educated triathlete (ie....not a newbie)

They either know of Infinit, or already have their nutrition plan locked down

There is limited market share to be grabbed by convincing a few more Kona qualifiers to ditch their current fuel of choice and jump to Infint

Where there is a bigger market share to be gained is the other 200,000 athletes doing long distance events worldwide. They need to be educated on why they need to use Infinit. This is going to sell way more Infinit than getting a couple of hundred more in Kona to switch brands

What should Folan/Infinit do (my 2 cents from a guy who is supported by them):

• Be active on boards where triathletes hang out (already does)
• Sponsor some good spokesmen (pro or age grouper) in every major geography who will talk up the product and influence new adopters
• Stress that Infinit:
• replaces gels+bars+salt
• is more transportable than gels+bars+salt
• requires less fiddling on the bike
• is cheaper per calorie and per milligram of sodium than gels+bars+salt
• Advertise in the trade publications...feel free to use the line.... "We're so good we got banned from Kona"...
• Do a whitepaper comparing different aspects of their own and competing products...make is objective and admit where other products might be better while promoting your strengths....no competition bashing
• Be at all those non WTC events where they CAN be at the expo
• Can you become one of those companies that USAT pushes out in their marketing (ex: Rudy Project helmet deal)....that goes out to a ton of folks....same with those Active.com emails
• Let's not forget about all those folks running marathons around the US wearing Fuelbelts and loading themselves down with 5 extra pounds.....something has to go in those Fuelbelts...Folan has to convince them to stuff those Fuelbelts with nutrition before they get smart that they don't want to weigh themselves down with all that weight....this is a much bigger market than triathlon
• Finally I was thinking that a massive market would be hockey, soccer and football players. Especially hockey and soccer...by the tail end of the games, these guys are out of gas....if they fuelled with Infinit rather than Gatorade, all these kids could put back perhaps 500-600 calories over a game vs say 200 with Gatorade...by the end of the game having your entire team better fuelled might be better for 3rd period, or late second half performance....and this market has to be a ton larger than triathlon. Maybe Folan can start with an NHL team like Columbus Blue Jackets....or maybe even do the Ohio State Football team....

Never met snoots but the (wo?)man knows what they are talking about, spot on advice

there is people who would suggest this
and there is people who have done it.
dont forget nutrition is so personal for each of us ;-)

What is Facebook?

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http://www.GetEndorFit.com
Personal Training and Sports Conditioning
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I agree...triathletes probably already know about infinit and overall the group is growing but nowhere as big as the marathon group. I would suspect very few runners know about infinit as an option as opposed to gel for running.

just my 2 cents

I think the high road is the best way to go, although I would rather take the low road and be a jerk to correct what I feel is an injustice.

Send all of you repeat customers a box of individual servings, (just not in our formulations, or we would drink it up), and let us pass it out at our tri meetings or running club meetings. The best source of advertisment is word of mouth. Thats how I found out about you.

Of course, a nice team Infinit kit would be nice!

+1..very sensible recommendations.

I love Infinit. I do think sometimes you are better off letting them sink their own ship. You have the product of choice and that is proof.

On that note, I say a blimp over the course all week and day. Free samples, water bottles, etc all over the expo. Sit outside the local shops.

Crush it!

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Greg C. Moriates
Owner/Coach
GCMendurance.com

I'd like a bit more background about why you were kicked out of the expo. For example: was there a contract? Did you have to pay for an Expo spot? Was this money refunded? If there was a contract, were any provisions of the contract breached?

Yup.

The idea of an 'official' bike isn't far-fetched at all. If you look at motorsport for instance - MotoGP only uses one tire - Bridgestone, Formula One - Bridgestone, World Superbike - Pirelli. Of course the competition are all professionals... but you get the idea.

Why? Because WTC has a vested interest in making the IRONMAN new drink a success. From their POV, they are looking for the new Timex. I certainly understand and respect that. This is not a rant against WTC. I know those guys well, and understand why they are doing what they are doing in our category. They are also aware of what we are being forced to do. WTC and us are cool.

Couple of things.

This entire thing has to be done with good humor. Not everyone is on ST every day and aware of the issues that go on behind the scenes with IM. The biggest % of people that are training and racing their events are just there to have Mike welcome them across the finish line so they can say they are an IM. They really don't care about the politics. If we are too nasty, they will not understand. It will turn them off because we will look like a company that is just waaaaaaaaaaaaaa'ing. :) It's a balance.

I NEVER would be misleading making it appear like we are the official anything. I look at that like stealing and that is not the way we run the company.

All of our market research show one thing, newbies and the AG'ers learn about nutrition FROM THE FAST PEOPLE. That stat is an absolute. That is why you go to Kona. That is why you sponsor fast people.

100% that this is a good thing for us.

We have a very good idea about what we are going to do. HONESTLY, the posts in this thread are unbelievable. There is a wealth of information and fantastic ideas here. I kinda wish Herbert would delete it and print only me a copy. LOL You guys have done a fantastic job worthy of a Masters thesis. Any company can use this thread as a gold mine for ideas.

When we announce this thing I will do it here FIRST. There is a Newsletter coming out next week that you should keep an eye out for. If you are interested, just go to the US website and create an account and you will recieve it. Details will then be shared here. The meeting is Friday to finalize everything, and a half dozen or more ideas posted in this thread will be included.

Mucho respect to you all.

Michael

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infinIT Nutrition
Custom Blended Nutrition Solutions
http://www.infinITNutrition.com

I may be wrong but there is a risk by insisting on "banned from Kona". When I read the title of the post, my first reaction: would Infinit's formula contain illegal substances?
Of course, I was totally wrong but I'm afraid it is now a "natural" reaction when the word "banned" is associated with any nutrition/supplement item.

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Kiwami North America
http://www.kiwamitri.com
http://www.aquamantri.com
contact@kiwamitri.com
http://www.facebook/kiwamitriusa

It may have more punch, but it has the potential to backfire...watching a banned movie or listening to a banned musical group is one thing. But if anyone sees the ads and thinks that infinit is actually not allowed at IM races ("banned" like certain speedsuits, or, you know, fins) because it is some sort of unfair advantage, then you're going to prevent people from using it. Unlike Air Jordans, which are still fine for me to wear because I will not ever play in the NBA, I wouldn't want to train with Infinit if it's a product that I might not be able to use at my next IM race because it's banned. I think that "banned" and "nutritional product" are two phrases that athletes don't want to see together.

I'm a huge fan of Michael and Infinit -- I worked the booth with them at IMLOU this year and had a blast talking with the athletes, promoting the product, and also just listening to Michael do his thing -- he knows his product, other products, and sports nutrition inside and out. Whatever plan they come up with, they're going to be fine. It's a superior product and those of us that use it tell our friends about how great it is. I'm excited to hear what they come up with.

  
I saw your reps at the swim practice; and I am a customer of yours, great product, btw.

MotoGP is a different story. Issue of that came to be cost and if you look back, especially to the days of the 500 bikes, you had the top team/riders going through 8 different compounds leading up to the race, where some of the lesser groups would be lucky to get some.

It is one thing when you have Michelin making 8 custom tires for Rossi and others not being able to get anything but off the shelf and another when you have the availability of items readily there.

The issue with a single bike, unlike tires, are bikes do not always fit riders. Now if Trek, Specialized, Orbea want to do custom bikes and change the geometry of their bikes to every rider in terms of length of top tube, etc, then I am all for it. But I do not see that happening.

While there are a lot of adjustments that can be made in seat placement, height, and swaping stems, some bikes fit different than others which is much different than standardizing tires. Now wheels may be a different story

Good point.

And you're right GP is a different story. But with SBK, the other tire companies were pretty lit when Pirelli got the exclusive rights... claiming that Pirelli's quality was below theirs.

Anyway...

Many would argue that what you mention with SBK and Pirelli could very much match what is here.

I liked Pirelli tires in general, but the wear on them for me was half of what I got out of my Pilot Powers or Pilot Race.

No worries - as you can tell by majority of the posts, the IM expos are overrated. Just post up somewhere else in the general vicinity. Wrap a truck or van like the energy drink co's and drive it around. I love INFINITE!

Banned was first used by Michael to start off his post and lacks the punch necessary to get a reaction. The number of views and responses to his thread instantly speaks to the weight that 'BANNED' carries.

Your second thought after 'is this illegal' should be where are you getting this message. If it is from a trade publication, sterile press release or in the official rules of an event or host company I completely agree with you that the terms banned/illegal/unauthorized are all no no's.

If it is a splashy creative, and ad or a bunch of people wearing obviously labeled gear from the manufacturer making the claim that their product is illegal wouldn't you then ask why they would want to promote that fact?

Ad/creative/marketing is about making a connection and motivating people to take action. Look at the response that Felt got with their 'F is the new standard ad', or the reaction to McGlones 'tramp stamp' fizik ad.

I had a boss tell me once that adverteising isn't honest but it better be effective.

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I agree with Tom completely on this. You are selling the idea that your product little guy is fair superior in quality and research than the big guy who made a pretty bottle and filled it with sugar water. They got scared of you and wrote a check to keep you out.

Now run viral videos of protestors outside of Big Chocolate a-la those TRUTH cigarrette ads, fake raids on cyclists and runners using infinit and trying to get them to use big chocolates product and go after the marathon crowd in Boston/Chicago/New York!

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I know the "Jager Girls" were always effective in getting me to buy shots. Maybe the "INFINIT Girls"?

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Damn, that's a cold ass honkey.

That is a customer and one of my employees. He came out just to help for the day. He has lost well over 100lbs already and has completed an IM. Good guy and an even better story.

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infinIT Nutrition
Custom Blended Nutrition Solutions
http://www.infinITNutrition.com

Without reading through all the posts, which I think are great, this may have already been stated. While my simple vote is to do something outside the expo's and sanctioned areas, I had another side-bar thought on IMLOU and the lack of water on the bike course. The new drink sponsor knows how popular INFINIT is and deliberately ordered less water for the bike course to force people to drink the Powerbar Perform crap that upset my stomach so much. I rode for 30 miles without water for my concentrated INFINIT - and just to hydrate had to rely on the Perform drink. Screwed up my run but didn't stop me from finishing because I'm determined enough to keep pushing.

That is one hell of a claim. I am sure that no one ordered too little water on purpose.


We ran out of water one year at a race I put on...what we did not count on was the quantity of water folks would pour over their heads. We got a police escort to the store to get a few hundred additional gallons of water - never made that mistake again.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

I would say your business model of "custom nutrition" needs adjustment.

It leaves you vulnerable to being punked by the big boys, which is what happened.

You need to diversify your product line to include standardized nutrition products as well as the custom stuff, then use your legendary enthusiasm to grassroots the product everywhere you can, and I mean at every muddy buddy, 5k, kids race, etc. Build a base of customers at the broadest point, then. Many of those customers will move to your custom products. Most triathletes do their first race on a Mtn bike, then move up. Right now, you have nothing in the market place for the beginner.

You have a great rep and great grassroots energy that no chocolate corp can muster. The minute I see a gaggle of TNT runners at the next marathon with Infinity gel packs and Infinity fuel belts, I'll know you are on your way.

BTW, you bushwhack WTC events, you will create animosity. The deal with the chocolate company could break down any time if sales aren't there (and they won't be cause triathletes are quality-seekers) , you wanna be there to pick up that relationship.

This is an opportunity for your company to expand and get out of its rut.

Good luck.

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"Success is failing without loosing enthusiasm"

Touchy?! They've ran enough races to KNOW how much water to get, even in excess. They should be carting home cases of water from the aid stations. They're too experienced to NOT know what they're doing. I'll change the claim then to "they assumed more people would drink the Perform drink and thus substituted that for water - thereby still picking up enough fluid for everyone, just not enough of the precious water". There, how's that fit you..

HONESTLY, the posts in this thread are unbelievable. There is a wealth of information and fantastic ideas here.

no need to thank me...I know my training camp idea was your favorite. ;)

seriously, I'll be interested to hear your marketing plans.

run your own event on Sunday.
"The InfiniT Challenge"
do what ever. a swim, TT somewhere, a 5k run, or a tri (i realize this will be tough to do)
give everyone a T-shirt that they HAVE to wear for the event maybe. like the Triple T.

i am sure there are enough people there who aren't racing the IM they will amped up on Sunday.
i'll be the first to reg.!!

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Eric
EK Endurance Coaching

1. Go to Rev 3's (I know you were there I spoke to u guys last weekend)
2. Challenge Tris in Europe and the other ones they do.
3. Local Races and Marathon's
4. Make your more basic formulas so store can sell them.
5. Start an Infinit Team (with up and coming athletes and big names) - can do a blog too like timex, specialized, or powertap.
6. Pro Cycling teams (lets hope they aren't using PED's) Garmin Slipstream possibly, but I think Clif has got their back
7. Partner with a team like Timex
8. Find a loophole in Ironman Rules / Laws at Expo's
9. Do you know of anyone who isn't evil that is head of things at Ironman - you could try to wow a executive with your product, to wear he/she sees that gatorade and Powerbar drinks are shit.
10. Sponsor Local teams using discount programs and Logos (always Logo's and stickers and other Schwag so people can Identify your product)
11. Find out when Powerbars contract is up with IM.
12. Get a few BIG NAMES to use your product if you can.
13. Offer athlete Polls to show that the people who have tried Infinit like it better than other products. Get this info to Athletes, at various races, including Ironman if you can.
14. Offer these drinks through the Triathlon stores that go to the Ironman Races. If All3Sports, Trisports, Nytro, and others go to these races, offer them incentives to sell and try your product.

Good Luck,
Chris

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Running is the best source of fiber that I know of...

Oh yeah Pre Race Meal....

Post race Party...

Fun stuff for family / kids.

Some Sanctioned fun events on Hawaii hosted by Infinit.

Shirts to Spectators. Bikini top's for Hotties. Speedos for dude's (for the chicks of course). Swim caps with logo. Stickers. Blimp. Fan Man. Infinit Painted Fans.

Need to have something BIG on the Swim, Bike, and Run. I'll post again later, if I think of any.

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Running is the best source of fiber that I know of...

IDK man no one can quench Tigers Thirst.

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Running is the best source of fiber that I know of...

I like the transport van idea.

deliberately ordered less water for the bike course to force people to drink the Powerbar Perform crap

More than likely, people didn't like the Powerbar Perform so they ended up drinking more water until it ran out.

My wife and I are big fans...good luck no matter what you try! I'll be watching for an Infinit logo somewhere on the NBC Special!!!

Just had our brainstorming meeting...just wait. ;)


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infinIT Nutrition
Custom Blended Nutrition Solutions
http://www.infinITNutrition.com

lemme guess...High Level Corporate Assassination?

cheers
S.

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// qui audet adipiscitur

Did you want our imput? or our INPUT?

:P

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http://www.GetEndorFit.com
Personal Training and Sports Conditioning
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I am the Self proclaimed worlds worst smeller...

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infinIT Nutrition
Custom Blended Nutrition Solutions
http://www.infinITNutrition.com

I know on my IMWI survey I just filled out about course nutrition I made a point so say the only course nutrition products I took were water, pretzels and broth and I would not consume a single oz of that Perform crap. I chose to carry my Infinit solution with me all day long.

This is a solid point, too. At what point does the negative feedback from customers/racers (I hate the business terminology infiltrating everything) become overwhelming enough for WTC to pull the plug on the chocolate company and seek out other hydration solutions?

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"The hero is someone in continual opposition to the status quo. The hero is always becoming himself." Jos� Ortega y Gasset.

"The enthusiasm (absorbing or controlling possession of the mind by any interest or pursuit) is needed before breaking the milestone and not after." Sergio Escutia, on Lukas Verzbicas' subdued reaction to breaking 4 minutes in the mile.

That was my guess...

Which also really makes me feel sad for other MOP and BOPers like myself... We have to decided on dehydration or Perform...

Or maybe I can start learning how to such moisture out of roots along the side of the road, or learn to run with a 5 gallon Camelback...

Been using Infinit since 2008. Want to increase product awareness? Give your users caps/bags/tech shirts (send it out with product order). Hammer seems to do pretty well setting up away from the expo (at least from what I saw at Coeur d'Alene & Canada) & they do offer lots of giveaways, why not do the same?

Sponsor the Challenge series, Rev3 and TriStar.

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-- Aaron Davidson

OK, I'll admit I DNFed on reading all the posts so this might be a repeat, but here's an idea: why don't you think of your own advertising plan?

Ahh..guerrilla marketing. Krabel you magnificent bastard!

Sell a quality Tri Kit. Anyone who crosses the finish line at an M-dot race and can send you the photo of them crossing the line with it on gets reimbursed for the cost of the kit.

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To defy the laws of tradition is a crusade only of the brave.

Reach high, think big, work hard, have fun.

By posting on here, they've got a lot of publicity in the key market, a fair deal of goodwill and a hell of a lot of great (and plenty of rubbish) marketing ideas for free. And had a good rant to get the anger out of the system. It's all good.

Legal, feasible, effective or not, but I'm picturing an ice cream truck driving around or a parade float spouting tons of larger sized confetti pieces and each is branded with INFINIT. That and people running around the expo "guerrilla style" firing confetti out of a bazooka sorta thing at the AGers and the booths.

"Alpha team in position. Waiting for orders."

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Gnothi Seauton.

Lock yourself into the Rev3 series as a drink sponsor if that isn't locked up for 2011. Lava Java was a good setup idea as is a place near the first run turnaround. Flyers handed to athletes where you swim out to a boat to get a secret password to reveal at a booth in town for a schwag item (like that awful tasting bar Karen Smyers used to push). They did this in Kona one year but had fun doing a scavenger hunt. How about a pro party meet AG post pool party but no WTC folks can go? Pick some of the most commonly aired portions of the race and find a way to get your signs up. How about that condo building right next to Lava Java--fill all the patios fAcing the ocean with banners (cut a deal with renters) for "space for discounted or free product".

I LOVE YOU INFINIT!!!!!!!!
I'm yours for placid this year if i can help.

Michael,

You have a tremendous product IF you live in NA , Europe or Australia.
Your international communication network is at best poor. This was covered in my 2009 IM Canada situation with yourselves.

I believe the future is NOT Ironman anyway.
At the rate they are digging the hole , an oppposing organisation will surface with modified race distances , renewed interest , realistic entrance fees and IM will have had their day.
Similiar to Googles immersion and take over from the earlier search engines like Yahoo , etc.

Best of luck,

Terry Walsh

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"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" - Les Brown
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment" - Jim Rohn

New to this thread, but this I think is a huge market. I used to only drink water, maybe a bit of Gatorade, during hockey games. Now I make sure to have some gels or other fuel sources in my bag for every game. I am only a recreational player, far from elite, but I still want to perform my best every time out. Proper fueling allows me to be as good at the end of the game as I am at the start. I was actually thinking of trying out Infinit not just for my endurance sport endeavors, but for hockey as well.

This thread has also been good advertising, I am at the Infinit website right now...

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Starting from scratch...