Using PassionEight as the basis of a marketing campaign - InterDominion Championships for 2005

The InterDominion Championships is Australasia’s premier harness racing event; the four night series for both pacers and trotters being hosted every year in different Australian and New Zealand cities. The 2005 host, New Zealand’s Auckland Trotting Club, ran a very effective marketing campaign with the aim being to stage ‘the most spectacular, the most watched, the most exciting racing event in 2005 for New Zealanders.’

The InterDominions marketing campaign had two target audiences, Harness Racing Fans and the much wider, Sports Fan community. With the use of PassionEight principles, the project team successfully used the same marketing activities to target both groups. The press, radio and TV advertising strongly promoted Elsu, two times Auckland Cup winner, as our best chance to beat the Australians as well as promoting the InterDominion Championships as the biggest sporting event in Auckland for 2005.

The InterDominion advertising and other promotional activities cleverly targeted existing Trotting Fans by motivating their Passion for Team (support the horse (Elsu), the Driver and the Trainer), their Passion for Code (love of Trotting), their Passion for Contest ( “we” beat the Australians) and their Passion for Community (support New Zealand harness racing).

Likewise, it motivated Sports Fans with appeals to Passion for Novelty (one of biggest sports event this year), Passion for People (must attend fashionable event with friends), Passion for Party (must experience this event), Passion for Player (must support Elsu) and again Passion for Contest can beat Australia).

By marketing to all 8 Passions, the campaign became NZ based rather than just an Auckland promotion. Their direct advertising spend of under $NZ200,000 gained quantified media exposure in New Zealand of approximately $NZ2 million. It is estimated that a further $NZ500,000 was generated from the positive PR generated around the campaign.

This campaign also significantly increased the positive awareness of Harness Racing in New Zealand and significantly increased awareness of both the Auckland Trotting Club and the venue, Alexandra Park. Attendance at the final was the highest in recent history. The Auckland Trotting Club attributes their marketing success to motivating all 8 Passions of both those at the event and those fans who followed it via the media.

And because we remain sports fans: Elsu raced unbeaten through the series to become the InterDominion Pacing Champion