Just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?
Although I really appreciate what they are trying to do with the new Racing It’s A Rush campaign, I, like many other lovers of the sport (with the exception of the people that make the decisions it seems), cannot see how this is going to bring back the crowds to the Racecourse, get more owners into the game, increase the betting turnover and thus create a sustainable industry, writes reader Gernot Pansi.
Looking at it both subjectively (as an owner and someone who likes to have a gamble), as well as objectively from a business point of view, I believe that to try and find one solution/campaign for everyone is most likely not going to work.
The owner or potential owner, the gambler and the socialite (who is just looking for a good time -fashion and booze) have vastly different requirements and trigger points. Trying to capture this under one campaign is not going to work. It’s like prescribing the same treatment for different ailments. Until this is recognized I cannot see a way forward.
Perhaps, in order to recognize the need for change some change management is long overdue. It seems the same people with the same old ideas make or influence the decisions.
This is the main reason why nothing changes fundamentally.
I am not for one moment saying that these people do not have the best interest of racing at heart, but rather that they have had their turn and it’s time for them to move on.
The industry needs energetic people with new ideas that are not afraid to take on the “old” establishment and its ideas, challenge the norm no matter who they are and what they represent.
By introducing campaigns with the wrong target market we are not addressing the fundamental problems of the industry but just rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic.
