By Cliff Williams, ContributorEXECUTIVE MARKETING Manager of Caymanas Track Limited (CTL) Millicent Lynch has taken the time to respond to Howard Hamilton's article of July 18, 2003 captioned "Promoting Horse racing" and it certainly made interesting reading.
An expression of surprise by Lynch that Hamilton was apparently unaware of "long-established" promotions at the track is a point well made, although I do get the impression that my fellow columnist is more concerned with scale and frequency and cannot in any sense be guilty of a lack of knowledge.
Be that as it may, I think Lynch was absolutely right in availing herself of the opportunity to present a detailed reminder of what is being done on a continuous basis to promote the Sport of Kings.
As far as I am concerned the question to be answered is whether or not what is being done addresses adequately the requirement of taking the racing product to a higher level of acceptance in the marketplace.
BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT
For those who may not be aware, in a direct response certain specific criticisms Lynch chose to highlight the beautification projects, the deployment of refuse collectors in the stands on race-days, increased security in the lower stands, the establishment of personalised VIP mailing list of 250 and a 'Lifetime Members Club'.
With reference to the Off-Track Betting (OTB) parlours, which yield 70 per cent of sales there is the Punters' Paradise promotions that has been in effect for three-month periods of the last two years where patrons are eligible for prizes, which even include airline tickets to select Caribbean destinations.
ADEQUATE PARKING FACILITIES
On the matter of the major sponsored race-days the fully operational in-field tent with adequate parking and betting facilities has proven to be hugely popular with corporate clientele. The entertainment packages featuring live performances by major artistes have been extremely well received both at the track and in simulcasts to the well-supported OTBs.
In terms of press coverage the Sport of Kings has live radio and television broadcasts on four channels and there is also weekly half-hour well produced and presented magazine programme aired on Television Jamaica. In addition the two daily newspapers dedicate up to six pages weekly to racing coverage and there is knowledgeable columnist appearing in the weekly newspaper as well.
MARKETING DEPARTMENT
In all of this CTL is a significant contributor to the advertising revenue of all the media houses and against this background it has to be recognised that the marketing department is making a very serious effort. As I pointed out earlier, one could perhaps legitimately question the magnitude the marketing thrust but its impact cannot be reasonably discounted or devalued.
In ending her presentation Lynch alluded to the uncompetitiveness of the racing product in the marketplace due to counter-productive tax liabilities and she is certainly right.
For my part I would like to submit once again that the quality of the racing itself is a major obstacle in the path of the promoting company as it seeks to maximise its full potential in the marketplace.
