Campstories’ Post

How do you achieve an on-brand, engaging activity for 400 delegates? 👉 You infuse the client's passion for cycling into a thrilling build-a-bike challenge at their sales kick-off. Results? 40+ bikes were delivered to a local school, leaving our delegates with a huge sense of accomplishment. Curious? Read the full case study ⤵ #casestudy #CSR #teambuilding #successstory #businessgrowth #employeeengament #eventmanagement

Marketing. Real marketing. More important now than ever

Stage six of the Vuelta a Espana (the Tour of Spain, one of Cycling's three Grand Tour events) began 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩 with the cyclists actually riding down aisles lined with groceries and even up an escalator before exiting onto the roads to officially get the stage underway. If the goal of sports marketing is to create memorable and authentic activations between a sports property and its sponsor brand, this one wins the prize. While It's not realistic to lift this as a best practice directly (I don't foresee LeBron James dribbling through the produce department any time soon), there are three great lessons here to apply to any marketing partnership. 𝟭. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. With the landscape of sports and advertising becoming increasingly crowded, it's more important than ever to develop creative, fresh, share-worthy content to maximize the value of your investment. Don't be content doing what's always been done before. 𝟮. 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆. Find a way to showcase your brand in the context of the event. Marketing doesn't feel like advertising when it's additive to the fan experience, it's all part of the story of the event. Give fans a story to tell. 𝟯. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲. Both Carrefour and #LaVuelta gained exposure far beyond what they would receive on any typical stage of the race by fully committing to celebrate their partnership and taking a bold chance to do something different. #SportsBusiness #SportsPartnership #FanExperience #Storytelling

Legacy is defined as ‘the long-lasting impact of particular events or actions that took place in the past’. There has unfortunately been some posts here of recent of the terrible news that Chain Reaction Cycles has come to the end of a great run.  A lot of talented people have lost their livelihoods and careers. If you Google the brand, you’ll read news stories of the demise of the business (for many different reasons) and the loss of awesome brands such as Vitus Bikes, Nukeproof and DHB.   However, in time, Chain Reaction Cycles legacy will be a fantastic story of how a small family-run business exploded and became the biggest & most recognised cycling brand in the world. When I started, David Nutt used to come in at 5am to print off thousands of orders from the website. An army of great operations staff would pick, pack and dispatch them and we’d send them out by the lorry load to over a hundred countries and territories!   Awesome people like Barry Dunn, Charles Thompson, Martin Anderson, Pat O'Hare & Gary Mason would make this work faster and more efficient with automation.   Bill McIlroy, Stephen Peden & Gareth Hill would ensure the thousands of pallets of stock would get to us from all around the world, Charles McLaughlin and his international Customer Service team would actually speak to people on the phone (a trait which is now sadly a thing of the past) and Billy Watson would deal with all the after sales queries. A world-class marketing department under direction of great colleagues like Damien Duggan & Dillon Osborne made sure we were always doing things before anyone else (and in every cycling magazine you could pick up). People went the extra mile every day to drive a young, dynamic and really exciting business to the next level and put us centre stage commercially as well as driving the sport of cycling forward with inspiring individuals like Michael Cowan & Dale McMullan driving Nukeproof and Vitus Bikes on the local and world race scene. This will be part of the legacy of a community driven business who directly and indirectly employed hundreds in the Ballyclare/Newtownabbey area.   Generously sponsored riders, races, teams, clubs and events right across the island of Ireland. The latter years brought their challenges with but the golden years will never be forgotten. As an ex-employee, member of the cycling fraternity and local community; Thank-you to everyone at Chain Reaction Cycles. 

To all the bike brands that sell #D2C – check this out! Many passionate cyclists proudly ride your bikes and wear your gear, and they are keen to share their product love and experience with others. Do you leverage this opportunity? Because you should! Check out a discussion I recently had with Global Head of Customer Service from Canyon Bicycles GmbH, Dirk Dammert, and Silvan Dillier, pro cyclist of team Alpecin-Deceuninck. Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gBmf4Jnz It contains these topics: 01:53: Silvan on what is his role in the team is and what team dynamics exist. 14:40: Silvan talks about what it means to ride alongside cycling superstar Mathieu van der Poel. 18:17: Dirk explains how an ambassador like Mathieu van der Poel influences Canyon customers. 21:24: Silvan shares what drives him to organize community live events. 28:05: Dirk on why Canyon actively involves their customer community in their online store for peer to peer advice. 30:20: The results delivered by the community on Canyon's online store. 30:48: How the community advice is integrated in the Canyon online store and how real-time community advice works 33:55: How do community members become a Guuru? 41:46: Handle success and defeat – Silvan shares his experience and why this lead him to start his brand Captain Attitude. 53:14: Find out what Canyon customers say after a live exchange with the community. #community #sharingpassion #brandlove

Here's a recap from the 2024 Sea Otter Classic, where we outfitted some of the biggest names in the #CyclingIndustry with American-made, custom tents and structures that stand out 💪 🚴🏼♀️ #CustomTents #ExperientialMarketing #EventMarketing #SeaOtterClassic #MadeInUSA #MadeInAmerica #MakeItBetter

Running Forward: Navigating the Shift from Virtual to In-Person Experiences In the dynamic landscape of the running community, a recent Running USA survey struck a chord — 75% of over 5,000 surveyed runners believe virtual races miss the mark on delivering the real-life experience. As the lead coordinator for two major running events production companies, I facilitated the successful participation of over 33,000 virtual runs globally from 2019 to 2020. This experience speaks volumes about our team's adaptability and innovative approach to running industry trends, all while accurately forecasting the ones that unfolded. The running community, once immersed in virtual races, is now finding harmony with both in-person and virtual options in the post-COVID era. On a positive note, the outdoor recreation industry in the United States is thriving, contributing significantly to the economy and reflecting an even greater appreciation for outdoor activities. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the industry reported an impressive $563.7 billion in 2023, constituting 2.2% of the nation's GDP and employing 5 million workers. This upward trend echoes the positive impact of the recreation industry on our economy. Image Credit: UltraSignup (Dirt Circus - Bentonville 11/17/2023) #RunningCommunity #OutdoorRecreation #runningindustry #getoutside

A couple of weeks later and I’m still struggling to digest The Saucony London 10k. Coincidentally, it’s a year this week since I joined the brand, so I thought it an apt moment for a spot of reflection… To simply say the 10k project was a “team effort” or that “everyone pulled together” or some such corporate dross would be a gross understatement. The momentum that Saucony is carrying now is undeniable, and from executing a full rebrand of the 10k to delivering a series of pre-event moments to excite and inspire the run community in the build-up is testament to that. The London 10k project was never going to be a flash in the pan exercise. We had already established the need of the brand for multi-year title sponsorship of an event in London of this size, so banners & confetti here one minute and binned the next simply wouldn’t have worked. Running has exploded nationwide recently - anyone aged 30(ish) or younger will confirm if you ask them - so whichever way you cut it, the running game has changed. Under the surface, community is what’s driving Saucony into exciting new realms right now, and so championing exciting these kinds of new running groups city-wide was the keystone of the plays we made in reshaping the London 10k, both inside and out. Over a month before the race we started building hype. From training runs & shakeouts with our pals at Runna and Lucky Saint | B Corp™, to street races, track sessions, pizzas, pints, printing kit and more, we wanted to meet the people making up these run communities where they play best; on the run, wherever that may be. I truly believe that brand heat really does start at the grassroots, and I can’t wait to keep developing this part of our strategy with our amazing team throughout the EMEA region. We’re so grateful to the runners, community leaders, content creators, agencies, retailers and everyone else we’ve leant on to help us realise this vision, and who’ve helped us along this journey we’re forging right now. I'm sure there are many favours we owe to many people, but the truth is that we simply could not have done it without them. So, a year on… It’s been a wild ride, and I’m immensely proud of what our small team has managed to do in the past few months on top of everything else that happens in a normal year. The energy and momentum we all felt in Central London a couple of weeks back is permeating the whole Wolverine organisation, and I’m looking forward to the next chapter with Saucony. Thanks to Cameron Black, Florian Sievers & Joe Khalifa for the leadership & wisdom. Special thanks to Mac O'Malley, Evan Burrowes and Michael Renzulli for their individual legendary performances. Lastly, having the full EMEA squad of Community Marketing Reps over to join us was the icing on the cake. Entries for The Saucony London 10k 2025 are open. See you on the start line.

Want to see more places to park your bike in Portsmouth? 🚲 You can use our online tool to suggest an area for more bike parking, from stands and corrals, to on-street bike hangars. We're expanding bike parking throughout the city to give people who cycle more convenient parking. So, whether you're out and about at shopping areas, workplaces, the beach, local attractions or in residential roads, you’ll have somewhere secure to lock up your bicycle. You can also ask us to replace broken or out of date stands or recommend a space for a rental bike rack. Your suggestions will help us understand which areas need cycle parking the most so that we can continue to make cycling more accessible for everyone. Find out more about the options available and suggest an area at https://lnkd.in/exkZ9ST4

Breakfast with an Iron Man 🚴♂️ On Tuesday I met with Bruce Leishman Bruce is the founder of KitUp, a platform to rent outdoor equipment for your next adventure! KitUP helps connect people to equipment hosts and renters. Growing up around a diving school and business, there's no surprise Bruce has taken to the world of outdoor sports. We spoke about: - Cycling in London and cycling in general! The fun of long distances, cool cycle routes and even the UK's most current topic... potholes! - The impact of Netflix and sports-based documentaries on the awareness of outdoor sports to the mass market. - Creating a newsletter mailing list of people in anticipation of launch as well as the importance of following through with the list to understand how to get users from signed up to active. - Building a rental marketplace business and the challenges that come with building the critical mass of supply and demand. How to find acquisition channels that stay away from the 'There's not much on there' or 'There's not enough demand for this'. - Leveraging partnerships and B2B2C play to encourage usage of the platform. We discussed understanding user behaviour to understand how best to improve platform utilisation. Do outdoor users plan in advance, rely on the weather, book an Airbnb first and then equipment? These sort of questions help understand - Building and enabling groups of people to try new activities removes the barrier to entry of outdoor sports which can sometimes feel difficult to start off with. I could totally relate as the sort of person that would turn up to my first triathlon with a mountain bike, no goggles and a pair of old trainers. ----- If you're an investor or founder keen to meet, I'd love to have breakfast with you in London. Link to waitlist is in my featured section. Naturally, I can't meet with everyone, but I'll always try to make time to speak!