So, I was thinking about this today as I finished the Toyota Rock 'n' Roll 10k...Toyota is all over endurance sport. The people whom compete in endurance sports seem to be a market that they're going for. And yes I understand the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon series competitors is full of a hodge podge of folks. Serious runners and non-serious. But the events provide Toyota value in more way that Ironman can IMO. In Phoenix this weekend there were something like 80k people running whether it was the 1m, 5k, 10k, 13.1, or full Marathon.

I wonder, what would a triathlon look like to sponsors if it presented that kind of value. Now, spectators? I'd say Ironmans bring in way more spectators to a race than this marathon at least, heck more people are spectating at some local sprints.

Just pointing out that the endurance sport market provides value to Toyota.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Just pointing out that the endurance sport market provides value to Toyota.


It does, and it's a great market. Generally speaking the typical endurance sports athlete (runner, cyclist and triathlete) is reasonably to well off, come from good family back-grounds, is at minimum college level educated, and has reasonably to very sophisticated tastes in consumer goods and services.

Yes there are some that don't fit that, I'm talking averages here.

The problem with endurance sports is: 1) The numbers are not overall that big - compared to other options for marketers - usually pro-team sports. Pitches and proposals on the part of events/races in the space, need to emphasize the demographic profile AND show some form of specific activation, data collection, or lead-to-sale for the business/brand that is getting pitched. Too many in the race/event space still sell their top-level sponsorship as a logo exposure opportunity. Business/brands DON'T CARE about this. They moved beyond that YEARS ago! Further, go back to the demographic - these are sophisticated people - in almost ALL other aspects of their lives they are being marketed to in a sophisticated manner. They are expecting some pop, and some cutting edge stuff, when they are involved in your race/event!

2) The second problem that endurance sports have is that it's all fragmented - various independent races/events, few real series, limited to no TV or other media (outside of the Olympic Games), in other words, no concentration or aggregation of numbers. In all of North America, there are probably over 70 million people who will pin on a bib-number this year, to take part in some form of running, cycling or triathlon race/event. That's actually in the whole a pretty good number. But how to I as a marketer reach all of those 70 million, with one spend - I can't. So that's the other challenge/problem.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I would disagree that sponsors have moved beyond name activation. That's part of the whole point. But their brand activation is just the very minimum in the expectation of sponsorship.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

I would disagree that sponsors have moved beyond name activation. That's part of the whole point. But their brand activation is just the very minimum in the expectation of sponsorship.


I agree to a certain degree - it depends on where that business/brand is in their trajectory. Also are they endemic (in the sport) or non-endemic (from outside the sport), and what their goals are.

Nike? - No one needs to know who Nike is these days. Zwift two years ago? No one had a clue who they were or what they did!

Just between you and me (!!), many businesses/brands in the sport I have found are terribly unsophisticated, so they swing for the fences with all kinds of stuff that never works for them. I know - I've been selling media/marketing opportunities in-the-sport for years. Some are very savvy, others not so much.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

So the logo will be on Parker Kligerman's car at the Daytona 500 Sunday. I've never heard of him and I'd bet the logo won't get 1 close up during the entire race

To bad they didn't get together with Chevy and get on Jimmy's 48 car. He's a pretty good age group triathlete, he just came in 15'th at the Daytona 1/2 marathon and then went on to win the Clash at Daytona later the same day. (this past Sunday).