The good in SA horse racing.

i prefer to moan in bed - :)o

It must be that the latter facilitating the former Rob. And lets face it there seems to be plenty to moan about. There is also plenty of 'good' to compare. My view is that the 'good' should also be vigorously and sustainably reinforced to stop the rot and attract the desperately needed new blood (at every level) required to secure the future of SA racing.

fix the product first. no use wasting pr on a rubbish product.

pr'ing rubbish product is a double negative - people are not stupid, they know its a rubbish product and with the added addition of getting salesmen to try and sell you that rubbish product just makes fools of the industry.

which amplifies distrust.

Seriously though. I think the highlight for me last season was the jockey challenge. It was awesome having two top jocks fight it out. Well done Ant & Ant!

You make an interesting point Don.

May I ask...when you refer to the "product" do you refer to the sport of racing horses or the administration/gaming/commercial aspects or both?

both, they are linked/family of product and cannot be separated in the mind of the customer i.e. if toyota sells a below par model,= toyota make is rubbish, and this sticks in the minds of the customer for a loooooong time, and they tell their friends...therefore a flawed product dare not even enter the market as the damage control outweighs the value in the first instance. Better to get it right the first time and keep the quality and competitive value up there and never rest. Today's consumer is an informed consumer and can make informed decisions as to where and how to spend their leisure Rand/£/$ - do not underestimate this fact.

see this article in support:
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2030171...-sport.html?ITO=1490

Is this beginning of the end of football's dominance? O2 is fed up with 'unsavoury' sport
By STEPHANIE DARRALL
Last updated at 7:49 AM on 26th August 2011

Mobile giant O2 is set to ditch its multi-million pound football deal and concentrate on rugby after the 'unsavoury' behaviour of some Premier League stars, it has been revealed.
The massive corporate backer has sponsorship deals in both sports but appears to be increasingly worried about football's reputation both on and off the pitch.
And it could mark a turning point in the relationship between big business and football which helps fund the multi million pound salaries of badly behaving premiership stars.

Bad behaviour: The antics of players such as Rooney and Giggs has caused O2 to rethink football sponsorship
O2 head of sports sponsorship Nic Fletcher said, bluntly: 'There have been lots of unsavoury football news articles recently and that is not in the same degree in rugby and the traditional values it stands for.'
Such stories include Ryan Giggs' affair with Big Brother star Imogen Thomas to Wayne Rooney paying a prostitute for sex.
Rooney also angered many by swearing, live on daytime TV, into a camera after scoring against West Ham earlier this year.

Then there have also been incidents of footballers scrapping during training, drink driving or being jailed for assault yet still earning millions and being idolised by fans.
Newcastle star Joey Barton, for instance, has a criminal record but still has a massive following on Twitter which he has used to criticise his own club.
And he was in further trouble for going to ground too easily after the faintest of physical contact against Arsenal in the opening weekend of the season.
While there are also occasional tales of rugby players who get drunk and cause trouble, O2 say rugby still represents more 'traditional values' than football.

Golden boys: 02 will concentrate their sponsorship on rugby who's stars are better behaved
O2 is coming to the final year of a ten year deal with Arsenal, worth an estimated £30 million overall, which has included shirt sponsorship and promotional mobile phone deals for fans.
Nic Fletcher admitted to trade journal Marketing Week that the company was 'looking whether to continue' this deal.
But it is also the year of the Rugby World Cup and with the sport attract a growing fan base, it may mark more companies switching to the oval ball game.
O2 sponsors the England rugby team and has been involved with the sport since 1995.
It is lining up TV ads featuring up to eight of the England squad in the build up to the Word Cup.
Fletcher said: 'Our rugby sponsorship is about mobilising the England fanbase and doing it in a unique and fun way.
'It is at the heart of our strategy to reward our customers.'
An O2 spokesman said: 'The comments in Marketing Week were taken out of context and do not represent our feelings towards Arsenal or football in general.
'We remain committed to our partnership with Arsenal and delivering all the great O2 benefits to Arsenal fans, such as Priority Tickets and experiences.'


Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2030171...t.html#ixzz1W8WGdcem

so having said all that, there is a lot of potential in SAF racing to get it right. And then the PR on top of that and it could be really super and exciting.

good: raw materials
bad: operations
ugly: reputation and media

I'm not sure if they have a proper marketing strategy. We are always hearing how successful days such as the ''achievers day'' was but what methods do they use to gauge this? ... HIT AND MISS Strategy I guess...

OK got it Don. So would it be fair to say that - remove 'bad: operations' and replace with "better: operations" gives us "best: reputation and media"?

or... should we perhaps focus more on the raw material (to seek good PR I mean) and write the rest off to maladministration, poor management, human trait or whatever? Isn't it incumbent on one of the role players in the industry (NHA?) to promote the sport of racing? The bit with horses running in races with jockeys on their backs, with owners,trainers and grooms watching amidst thousand of avid fans screaming from the grand stands.

I can't but help but to begrudge the fact that a perfectly good and honourable sport (at least no less honourable than other sporting codes) is besmirched by the actions of a few administrators and a heap more dissidents reacting to the poor management of these individuals.

My only gripe is that not more good PR (sport of horse racing) finds it way into the main stream because it is flooded out by the strong stream of piss poor PR (administrative/commercial related) suffocating this noble sport to death!

Personally my view is that there is no bigger thrill, in the world of sports, than a field galloping to win a horse race. Its helps a wee bit if you have a rand or two on the winner.