The NTRA is looking to boost attendance and wagering at tracks and off-track betting parlors with an ad campaign touting Smarty Jones’ attempt this week to win the first Triple Crown in 26 years.
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| The NTRA’s TV ad touting Smarty Jones’ Triple Crown try includes scenes from the owners’ box, the winner’s circle and the track. |
A co-op campaign composed of TV, print and radio ads from Conover Tuttle Advertising & Public Relations, Lynnfield, Mass., and the NTRA’s in-house creative group broke in some markets this past weekend and will roll out across 30 markets in association with affiliated NTRA tracks and organizations before Saturday’s Belmont Stakes in New York.
Since Affirmed’s Triple Crown win in 1978 predates the formation of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association by some 20 years, it is difficult to judge what effect realizing thoroughbred racing’s top prize would have on the sport or its umbrella organization.
“We’ve come close to it a lot in recent years, so I’m probably better telling you what having a horse in position to win a Triple Crown means for us,” said Keith Chamblin, the NTRA’s senior vice president of marketing. “That’s about 30,000 extra fans at Belmont, a handle that will increase by $25 million [over a year without a potential Triple Crown winner] and an additional 5 million TV viewers.”
The TV ad combines stirring music with footage of Smarty Jones winning the first two legs of the Triple Crown, along with graphics proclaiming that “He’s gone from unknown to undefeated to unbelievable. [On] June 5 at Belmont, he could become unforgettable.” The ads will allow local tracks and OTBs to push their simulcasts and promote race schedules.
Having assembled the licensing rights for the Triple Crown and Smarty Jones, the NTRA is hoping to cash in on Smarty Jones’ success with hot market apparel. In case of a win, direct-response advertising offering commemorative apparel will appear on ESPN shoulder programming directly after the race, Chamblin said.
As for the impact of a Triple Crown winner on the sport itself?
“We’re at the tipping point,” Chamblin said. “After a year in which Funny Cide and the ‘Seabiscuit’ movie gave us a lot of new exposure and momentum, this is something that could really get racing in front of millions of new fans.”
