MARKETING CONVERSATIONS: 2 interesting pieces

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

For the record, I think what the author is proposing in the positioning article is silly.

You aren't going to get people in the door by telling them they have to learn something new and solve puzzles while risking money. Sure, once you get people in the door, you can find some of them that will become players but the problem for the most part is getting people to actually come to track. And we do this by telling them that they will solve puzzles while the track takes 25% of what they bet? Good luck with that one.

Fewer days, more horses in a nicer setting with greater entertainment bang. Going to the track needs to be an event with racing being part of the package.

What did Churchill do differently to draw 38k?

I still can't understand why people dont understand why this won't work?

The appeal of horse racing should be that you can make money at it. That if you work hard enough at it you can figure out the puzzle and be financially rewarded. All this other stuff is fluff.

Trying to create an atmosphere where every racing day is an event outside of Saratoga or maybe Keeneland or Del Mar is pretty much impossible. Not to mention that most tracks heavily depend on simulcasting which will always be hard to make sexy. Too often when we talk about big picture ideas in racing we forget that the majority of racing is not Saturday at Saratoga.

The game needs to attract people smart enough to appreciate and relish the challenge of handicapping and greedy enough to keep coming back.