It is refreshing to see Phumelela doing some out-of-the-box marketing when it comes to their innovative new Rugby 5 bet through the sponsorship of a student beauty pageant. One wonders though how much goodwill and benefit will actually be generated in the medium term by doling out tote tickets to starry-eyed youngsters? Particularly in a learning environment where their parents have forked out hard-earned cash in an effort to hopefully secure their children’s future.
There can be little doubt that this new sports betting product can only go from strength to strength in this rugby mad country. The timing of the launch of the bet on the eve of the World Cup was also quite clever , albeit very basic marketing stuff. The very next step in the promotional platform is the aspect that concerns me though.
Watching the smiling Phumelela Executives at a beauty pageant with a few students bemusedly waxing lyrical about how fantastic the new product is, had me wondering where this strategy was actually headed. And it briefly reminded me of the good old 1960’s in the park in Vredehoek, where my Mom always warned us about talking to, or accepting sweets from strangers. Gambling is after all just another recreational drug – it either hooks one or it doesn’t. And having gambling facilities and products sold to students, just somehow, had an unsavoury ring to it. And what are Phumelela personnel doing,no matter who they may be representing, canvassing business and opening telebet accounts in the heart of Gold Circle territory? Just wondering, you know…
Horseracing folk appear to have accepted the unavoidable reality that non-traditional income streams are the rivers of life that may yet keep the floundering beast of racing afloat and swimming against the ever-rising tide. We have debated and speculated about the ethos of racing, about the good old days and about the sport that we used to dream about and lay awake at night for. Other than the sleepless nights – for all the wrong reasons these days- that has all changed, sadly. Our real hero, the horse, has faded into a background blurred by politics, petty bulldust and frankly more bulldust. Negative publicity is a bigger name than Horse Chestnut or Mazarin, and anybody succeeding or attempting to do something good is dragged down by the sinking sand cynicism that prevails around every corner. Which makes me something of a hypocrite in this instance – but I certainly won’t be the first, nor am I the last.
Nobody is questioning the thrust of targeting young people and getting them interested in side–shows as a means of hooking them as future gamblers, hopefully racehorse owners and supporters of the sport of kings. But I believe that the decision to sponsor a student beauty pageant is quite frankly misguided and reflects a detached sense of reality and purpose and a waste of a good and, to date, mostly invisible marketing budget. And on a matter of housekeeping, were all the recipients of the free tickets and t-shirts over the prescribed minimum gambling age of 18? Did anybody ask for ID books? Yes, it is petty – but it is a valid thought, isn’t it?
There is nothing wrong with Stellenbosch University. The 70% predominantly white institution is the Cravinistic cradle of rugby in South Africa. It has a proud history dating back some 145 years and with its dominant Afrikaans culture is the very place that most of the whiteys I know, would want to send their kids. It is situated in the heart of the second oldest town in South Africa and has produced countless Springboks. Unlike the previous century’s ‘Moscow On The Molehill’ label of its English counterpart UCT, it has always enjoyed a conservative and disciplined image and public perception.
Are Phumelela on the right track with their student promotional activities? I feel not. How, for instance, does a company market when they don’t look after their existing customers or really even know who their target market is? Surely young earning sports-minded professionals are a preferential starting point as opposed to students? Disposal income and entertainment focus are important pre-requisites to enjoyable gambling. The one group has the cash, and students generally don’t. And wouldn’t the Maties’ youngsters rather be spending their limited budgets on parties and booze?
And as a parent, would you enjoy hearing from Jannie, who left your home as a God fearing, sports-loving, naive ex Vice Head-Boy of Grey College, that he now enjoys a regular punt on rugger and even got a small percentage of the Arlington PA? At eighteen years old, I can see Mom thinking – ‘he sure as hell seems to be on the right path. This is why I wanted him to study and build on the excellent education he was fortunate to enjoy in the past twelve years!’ And, of course, all the family hopes, dreams and pension funds appear intact. Pull the other one.
The mind also boggles as to how the image of racing will suffer when all those youngsters turn up at their local Tote to check their complimentary Rugby 5 tickets. I know the intention is to get them to use technology, but there are practical hindrances and priorities– like a lack of credit cards and a need for instant cash. So they are likely to be looking for the closest Tote. Heaven help us on this front.The majority of Totes are not Sports Cafes or joints where one would want to hang out and drink a beer while listening to some good music. Most of the students have also never been on a racecourse and this will be their first exposure to the sport. Are they expected to look past what they are, on an average embarrassment level , likely to see? My niece is at Medical School and I asked her to sound out her mates for a quick opinion on racing and gambling. ‘Totally uncool and just not part of our budget or vocabulary’ was the unequivocal answer.
There is nothing wrong with targeting the younger generation, but let’s get them to learn about the horses and the great jockeys. And the excitement and competitive spirit. About the athletes and the champions. The bloodlines and great races. About the flailing whips and broken dreams. The unique atmosphere and smells and sounds. The great traditions. In reality, we really appear to have forgotten that there is a lot more to racing than turnover, kinky bet options and slating others.
Racecourses are also infinitely healthier places than seedy totes and at least when the young ones graduate through the ranks, they will always remember the romance and allure of what attracted them to the sport in the first place. And those memories are an essential comfort blanket in the inevitably tough times – as most of us old hands know.
