A Pre-Emptive Note on ING Direct Capital Criterium Race Reports

I know there are a lot of race reports from this weekend about to get pecked out at keyboards all across the Mid-Atlantic. Many will show up here in GamJams, and many more will make the rounds to team listservs. Collectively they'll reach every licensed racer in the region, probably more than once.

One simple request to all of you so writing, whether you're racers or spectators:

When referring to the race, be sure to include the 'ING Direct' part of the race name. It's the 'ING Direct Capital Criterium.' They stepped up in a big way with major coin and a lot of additional support, so the least we all can do is recognize their efforts to support racing in our region by calling them by name. This is the same company that sponsors the New York Marathon so they certainly know how to look for participant support. And they've also been pioneers in interactive media since the days when nobody else would touch it, so they know how to find acknowledgment online as well. Make sure they come back. Show they you paid attention.

I'll do my part as well. If there are 20 race report blog posts on the event that include the full name by Tuesday at noon, I'll make the ING Direct logo the Featured Photo on GamJams this week. I know where to find most of the blogs, but if you want to make sure I see yours let me know.

Comments

[anonymous]

So many other sponsors are involved in cycling....grass roots level / team level / behind the scenes / etc I am baffled why singling ING out?

[Mike May]

Almost all the sponsor props I give on GamJams are those who work at the grass roots level (look at most of the GamJams Tech articles - which focus on the companies that support teams, even though none of them support GamJams), and all the sponsor programs on the site are designed with them in mind. For example, I've turned down several offers to advertise on the site by mail order bike shops because I don't want to compete with the LBS, and sponsors of local teams have asked to advertise here as well, but I don't want to compete with the teams for their budgets. I'll still do everything I can for the folks who support us at the local level.

But ING placed a big bet here - not just with the $10K prize for the winner, but by giving every kid in the kids' race a $25 Orange Savings Account, and mobilizing their staff to ride down all the way from Wilmington. On top of that, it's a first year event scheduled at the very end of the season with almost no lead-time. This was no bombproof marketing investment for any sponsor - particularly for one whose leading product is a savings account, at a time when nobody has anything to save.

I've long believed that the greatest return for sponsoring cycling comes before the event and, particularly, after - through all the media that racers themselves generate and consume. I think this is as good an opportunity to prove it, and ING may very well be the kind of company that listens. So to answer your question, I guess I've put more thought into this response than into the original post and idea. Just seemed like the right thing to do.