Racing's Social Media Positioning Is a Major Industry Asset

by Dean Towers

This weekend there are three events on the sports slate, and none of them are small ball. 

First, the NFL Draft starts Thursday and runs right through Sunday. Second, the Kentucky Derby goes to post at sometime around 6:30 ET on Saturday. Later that evening, the ultra-hyped fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao takes place at the MGM Grand in Vegas. It's a crazy sports weekend. 

For the NFL Draft, the internal and external reporting of the event is flat-out monstrous. The first round of the draft has historically higher TV ratings than a Major League Baseball playoff game and the networks which cover it do so with added verve. For about two months now, the NFL Network has had wall-to-wall coverage, and ESPN has devoted many hours to mock drafts and the like. It's just huge.

The welterweight championship bout is another event which has captured fight fans and casual observers alike. And the media–both earned and paid–is devoting hundreds of hours of coverage. It feels as electric as the Rumble in the Jungle, 30-some years ago.

As for the Derby, it's not quite the same. In fact, it's not even close. On the main ESPN Network, you'd need a microscope to find any real Derby coverage so far this week. The jokes about that on social media are relentless.

“No Derby coverage on ESPN this week, but you can watch the Pepsi IRL for $79.99 on their pay per view,” Tweeted Al.

“At least ESPN found something to show about horses this week,” Tweeted another, while attaching an ESPN plays-of-the-day screen shot of a jockey who lost his pants in a race in Europe.

Everyone can be perplexed about the mainstream network coverage so far this week, but they should not be surprised. The Derby, despite huge TV ratings, is not on par with the goliath sports like the NFL, or a once-in-a-lifetime type event. The media follows the money.

I believe that in 2015, it just doesn't matter much. Horse racing has an edge for their big events that other sports can only at times dream about. People are now consuming media in many different ways.

This week, from the comfort of my recliner, I watched Dortmund gallop, American Pharoah's 58 and change work, and just about everything else, including them getting bathed afterwards (bath shots and the Derby are an interesting exacta). I've seen handmade interviews from fans with jockeys, bettors and others you'd want to hear from. I've listened to podcasts, read blog posts, and consumed other free media. Where did I see and watch all this? On Twitter. Point and click, on demand.

This is not by accident. While major networks can struggle with media rights, racing's are (for the most part) wide open. If you have a smartphone and catch a Derby horse galloping, you can upload it and Tweet it out without worrying about getting fined or yelled at. It's the same with pictures. If you want to know about any Derby horse, search for the horse's name on Twitter, you will find everything you need to know or see.

This is no small thing and it is not seen in other sports. Want to see Floyd Mayweather work out, or get inside the New England Patriots draft war room? Fat chance. Those camps only show you what they want you to see, and to even get that paltry access you likely have to be with an ESPN or Fox. The fans then get their news through that lens. In horse racing, we are shown what your average everyday fan sees, and at times it's magical.

“It's the one race [the Derby] that crosses over into mainstream consciousness, and it's a lot of fun to see casual fans and dedicated horseplayers sharing the excitement on social media,” said Jessica Chapel, a Digital Media Consultant. “Horse racing is so accessible, even at the top level. It's possible to get close to the contenders and to feel close to the spectacle — social media turns fans from observers into participants, ” she added.

Dana Byerly, co founder of Helloracefans.com notes the breadth of items shared on social media.
“What strikes me as potentially unique to racing is the wide variety of content being shared at all levels, from official channels to individuals,” she typed via email. “You've got everything from foal pictures and baths to workout splits and speed figures. The statistical, handicapping stuff is probably a one-to-one to type of things you'd see around big sporting events, but are there pictures of football players as babies during Super Bowl week?”

As much as we may snicker about foal pictures–and getting people looking at them interested to bet is a whole other discussion–it does show how big tent this form of media is. For a Derby week, where buzz and eyeballs are paramount metrics, everything means something to someone.

This edge helps Thoroughbred racing promote itself to the grassroots sports fan in a cluttered sports landscape. If a newbie wants to get exposed to horse racing, he or she can head to social media and get what they're looking for. These potential fans will speak directly with high-level bettors, or industry insiders, or other fans and get answers. When they do go to an event and Tweet out a picture or video they will be re-Tweeted by these same insiders. It's infectious.

Horse racing's resonance when it comes to old-time TV networks might seem weak and deficient, and being a niche sport, maybe it is. But I believe that it's far too overblown. This weekend, horses will trend on Twitter, as will a trainer or jockey. Millions of average sports fans might see “Materiality” on their trends, some will click the link and discover what everyone is talking about. They can then share their thoughts, all in real time. A 90-second spot on Sportscenter is supposed to be that much more vitally important for the sport? I doubt it.

Marketing writer Seth Godin in his seminal web marketing work “Purple Cow” said that for a business to succeed in today's world it needs to stand out and have an energized base that markets for you. Horse racing has an advantage with social media that beats almost any other sport. 

Dean Towers is a Director of a Toronto-based Search Engine Marketing firm. He is a board member of the Horseplayers Association of North America and has presented at various gambling conferences across North America.