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- Title
'The Flying Pig': Building Brand Equity in a Major Urban Marathon.
- Authors
Olberding, Douglas J.; Jisha, Jay
- Abstract
The article examines the development and positioning of the Flying Pig Marathon as a brand. Building brand equity in sport enterprises has not been the sole domain of professional team sports. Organizers of the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati set out to create an event that was distinctive from other marathons around the country. Before the inaugural Flying Pig Marathon in 1999, marathon running had been experiencing a surge in popularity. The Flying Pig Marathon was the brain-child of Cincinnati area businessman Bob Coughing, president and CEO of Pacer Inc., a regional payroll service firm. Organizers of the Flying Pig Marathon knew that to be successful, they had to create a unique brand and effectively position their product as distinct from a large and growing marathon market. This involved identifying and describing a target market and building a product image consistent with that target market. Race organizers determined that an important issue was customer service. Organizers settled on the name "Flying Pig Marathon" because the name not only tapped into Cincinnati's unique heritage, but it also allowed for the creation of a fun and playful brand that could catch the attention of potential runners. The organizers promoted Flying Pig squeeze toy. The marathon has been able to develop brand equity by focusing on name awareness, perceived quality, and building strong associations between the playful nature of the brand and attitudes toward running among new marathoners.
- Subjects
CINCINNATI (Ohio); OHIO; MARATHON running; BRAND equity; TARGET marketing; PAYCOR Inc.; CUSTOMER relations
- Publication
Sport Marketing Quarterly, 2005, Vol 14, Issue 3, p191
- ISSN
1061-6934
- Publication type
Article