No one asked me what I would do to help market AC34, and I don’t have a complete set of solutions, but here is one line of action:
1. Focus on my belief that the AC has something like the attributes of “passion brands,” e.g. Apple, Harley Davidson, Ducati, Nikon, Swan…
2. Identify and reach out to the most enthusiastic members of the current “tribe” – especially sailors and yacht clubs and also people in SF who are enthusiastic about the event.
3. Communicate to the tribe via many channels: website, YouTube, newsletters and face to face “briefings.”
4. Let the most engaged members of the tribe self-identify and then provide them with “content” to spread the word. At the same time, thank and encourage them with clothing, flags and special rewards.
5. Build on this strong base to expand the audience and welcome newcomers to the tribe.
That’s off the top of my head. I’ll prepare something a bit more thorough soon. In the meantime, for fun, a couple of pics I use in the seminar I teach on Passion Brands…
You know you have a passion brand if… people have tattoos of your logo,
And if you have a museum…
By the way, we do have a museum, with the America’s Cup Hall of Fame…
In Bristol, RI, near the America’s Cup World Series in Newport in June 2012
herreshoff Marine Museum & America’s Cup Hall of Fame – Bristol, Rhode Island
A passion brand probably has a store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan…
The most engaged members of the tribe can help your brand go viral…
Did you ever wonder why I call this site Cup Experience?
You and I are part of the tribe. What can we be doing to help this event that we enjoy so much? Comments, please!
Harley website