Marathon Marketing Efforts

When employees go beyond the letter of their job descriptions and do whatever it is that needs doing to get the job done, we often describe such efforts as going the extra mile. Whether it's in the spirit of awareness raising, charitable fund-raising or simple marketing activity, many charities and organisations will be benefiting from the efforts of swathes of runners going the extra 26.2 miles as they take on the challenge of a marathon. With several marathons taking place at the weekend, literally thousands of enthusiastic runners took to the streets of cities across the country to achieve personal goals. Many were also raising money for charity. Later in the month, Warwickshire will play host to two marathons. Along with the thousands of participants, the streets are equally crowded with thousands of supporters, so it is easy to see why these big events are such a draw for advertisers. The opportunities for promotion at marathon events are many and varied. From having a presence at the race village to proving goodies in the race bag at the end for all the finishers, there are many places to get your products seen. Advertising spaces are available on websites and in race booklets and advertising hoards along some of the routes. For those with larger budgets, the sponsorship opportunities abound. These are obvious draws for companies with runners as a target market, whether it is a sports brand for footwear and training gear or a producer of energy drinks and supplements. But marketing companies do well to look for connections which aren’t immediately obvious but have logical links, such as producers of deodorants, plasters, lip balm or sun screen. As well as the obvious advertising and promotion opportunities which marathons present, they can also provide great opportunities for employee engagement. With some marathons now offering relay challenges, this can be a great way to get a company team together. This gives the company a team to be proud of and support as well as raising the awareness of the company amongst the local community. Alternatively, you can encourage a running group that wants to run a marathon together. Of course, on the day your team can run in company-branded running vests. As a boost to your Corporate Social Responsibilities, you can use such efforts to raise money for a local charity. Many companies already support schemes where they match funds raised by employees when they are raising money for charity, and marathons are a popular vehicle for such personal efforts. Remember that when you are recruiting you want to attract the very best in talent, so make sure that the marketing recruitment agencies in Staffordshire which are supporting your recruitment know how to promote your employee engagement activities. Offering a great all-round experience for employees so that they really feel they belong and that they are part of a team can be extremely important. Your prospective candidates don’t have to be runners to appreciate the efforts an organisation will go to in supporting worthwhile and challenging employee-engagement opportunities. Likewise, if you want to work for an organisation which values employee-engagement activities, then speak to marketing recruitment agencies in Staffordshire for more information.