I love Clif product. My cycling team is sponsored by ClifBar and we appreciated it greatly. Thank you. But why is Hawaii not the place to do it? If any place is the place, I would think contrary. There are athletes from all over the world congregated in one little town for a few days. To have a gaggle of people walk around town and hand out product seems like a low cost way to circumvent the WTC machine. Why would you care if they remember that you engaged in some freebie marketing. If PowerBar is this year’s official product, it didn’t seem to hurt them too much?
The food is the same in the VIP section as what the athletes are served at both meals. Z
I’m sorry, but not from the 5 WTc Ironman races I’ve been to. And it seems perhaps our wine was misplaced as well??? Seems WTc goes out of their way to promote a class system. I’m afraid someday after the fad of doing ONE ironman passes, they may have to rely on we loyal ones to thrive. Hope they get the message.
I’ve been to the last 7 Ironman’s in Kona and have witnessed the same food at the athlete tables as is served in the VIP section. You are correct that the VIP’s are served wine at the awards dinner, but I do not remember seeing any wine at the pre-race dinner. Z
yeah, Hawaii has people from all the world for the race, lots of potential perfect demographic customers, but…
but, most of the people in Kona are pretty familiar with whatever it is you have to sell and promote. Unless you are a really new product pushing your goods in Kona is unlikely to get you much new business. I’m sure that almost everyone racing in Kona has heard of or more likely tried both GU and Powergel and already has thier favorites. Now if you’re releasing something new, then it’s a pretty decent arena. Just my thoughts, nothing proven here.
Agreed with Z … been to 5 of them in Kona (been on both sides athlete and guest) and other than the wine on the Sunday night, can’t say i have enjoyed it from either side any differently. Actually, my favorite year was one of the racing ones … going to the awards dinner (after we had already eaten somehwere else) and drinking the free beer to celebrate! 
i’m just happy they called it schwag and not swag…my only pet peeve about this forum is that people call it swag…it’s schwag!
I think “swag” is what’s handed out in “gorilla” marketing campaigns…