Rant: Big mistake. Big. Huge ! I have to go shopping now.

I haven't ranted in a while so here is one aimed at marketing companies of products like Gatorade, Poweraide, Powerbar and the like.  A few weeks ago I attended a 5K that after the 5K had tents from various companies that make sports drinks, sport recovery aids and other weekend warrior essential products.  The goodie bag was chuck full of small little trinkets and samples including M&M's.  Another running event that was only a 10K all the big "sport drink" companies were handing out freebies, as were a few water companies, energy bar companies and other food related companies.  Then I swim at USMS SCY Nationals in Clovis or this weekend's defacto USMS SCM Nationals (SPMA Regionals as there is no Nationals) and zip, nada, nothing. 

So let me get this straight companies who sell products geared at the weekend athelete in all of us spends thousands if not hundreds of thousands going to 5K Walk/Runs handing out free stuff to people who let's face it walked 3.2 for the 1st time ever but ignore an audience of swimmers and athletes who compete on a national level? Seriously WTF?

Now I don't expect Speedo to hand out LZR swim suits out to everyone.  Or TYR to be handing out Goggles.  But free Gatorade or Poweraide?  Not that I would drink it as I prefer Hammer Nutrition http://hammernutrition.com.  In these hard economic times you'd think the marketing divisions of these companies would be going after the target audience and not spending money trying to sell sport energy and recovery products to a 60 year old couch potato.  As Julie Roberts' character in Pretty Woman once said "Rant:  Big mistake. Big. Huge ! I have to go shopping now."

Comments

[Rob D.]

...but TYR did hand out goggles! You're totally right though, there was about 700 fitness focused people in a very small area... if I were a marketer for sports drinks/gels/blocks I'd make a habit of supporting masters swimming