From Athletic Business
Analysis by Jordan Underwood in SRM 435 (section 2)
You often hear of people competing in 5K’s and the recently popular Color Run, but how many people do you know that have participated in a Tough Mudder. Another recently popular fad, the Tough Mudder is designed for the true athlete to test their mental, physical and emotional strength. These courses take place around the world and are 10-12 miles of pure strength and endurance. Participants register in teams, because the course is seemingly impossible to complete alone. Through out the course, teammates must assist each other throughout various obstacles such as a 12 foot wall, swimming in freezing cold water, and crawling through tight pipes into freezing mud; simply to name a few.
The Army has recently decided to sponsor eight Tough Mudders in support of the organizations meaning and goals. Tough Mudder raises money for the Wounded Warrier Project and has raised over $6.5 million to date. During the races sponsored by the Army, soldiers will be present to help assist competitors at the various obstacle stations.
By sponsoring Tough Mudder events, the Army is not only getting positive publicity through working with the community, but it is giving the community a chance to work hand in hand with the Army soldiers. Knowing that Army soldiers are going to be at a specific Tough Mudder event might further inspire someone to sign up. Tough Mudder and the Army together create a great partnership. The Tough Mudder truly can be viewed as your normal, everyday person, without any military training, seeing if they can mentally and physically endure what the soldiers can. It is a great success to finish the course, but having an Army Soldier by your side cheering you on and helping you when you may not believe in yourself anymore is truly an accomplishment.
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Analysis by Lindsay Brauch in SRM 435 (section 2)
Have you ever loved a good challenge? Well, the Tough Mudder is designed for people like you. It’s a 5K-race set up with obstacles that could kill you. People are actually willing to run through fire, swim through ice water, climb through mud pits, crawl under barbed wire, and participate in other military like obstacles. They have created a test that allows people to assess if they are “Army Strong.”
Recently, the Army started a new campaign where they sponsor eight of the obstacles courses in the Tough Mudder. The Army hopes to show participants what it takes to be in the Army. As quoted in the article, “the sponsorships are targeted at Tough Mudder participants seeking to test their mental, emotional, and physical strength.”
One of the most prevalent things the Tough Mudder is known for is their support of the Wounded Warrior Project. It’s a program to help veterans with employment, counseling for posttraumatic stress disorders, and other things associated with their health and wellness. So far, the Tough Mudder's have raised $5 million dollars in about two years for this program. Every race, Tough Mudder sponsors a team of wounded warriors to participate in their obstacle course.
In order to promote the obstacles sponsored by the Army, soldiers were at every one of their eight obstacles to encourage and engage the participants. They were even there to assist them, as they wanted to encourage teamwork. The thought behind the Army’s sponsorship is to appeal to and reach more military members and families to enter the Tough Mudder events.
Tough Mudder has done a great job promoting itself. To start, they have the Wounded Warrior project, and if you look on their website they have a running donations section where you can see just how much money they raised. When this article came out on the 13th of September they said they had raised $5 million, and if you look on the site now it’s already at $6 million. They have done a nice job promoting their cause by informing their participants at the race and on their site. They also offer volunteering opportunities at every race. The promotion behind this is that if you volunteer you then get to run for only $20. If you run alone, it is roughly $115.It even cost money just to be a spectator.
The Tough Mudder has done such a good job with sales that you must register months in advance to even get the opportunity to race. It has quickly become a global company. They offer races all over the world. It is so intense that they offer a Tough Mudder boot camp course because it really is that intense. You have to be in fantastic shape, or “Army Strong.” The new sponsorship has opened the race to a whole new target market, helping to promote the success and sales of the company. It’s also hard to forget a race that offers you a cold beer once you complete it. Also the fact that you need to sign a death waiver before you can race gives it a challenging edge. Its something I even want on my bucket list. There really isn’t any other competition in its market, it’s that unique. This relates to what we are learning about in class based on the fact that it’s a success is solely based on its ticket sales and how it’s promoted. They also have several sponsorships and promotional deals to draw in consumers. In class, we are learning how important these promotions are and how to keep consumers coming back. The Tough Mudder has developed their own market with virtually no competition and has found a way to keep loyal customers by changing up their obstacles and having sponsorships like the one they have with the Army. They also offer many incentives when you register, including free gear and bragging rights. Their marketing team has done an excellent job so far. Tough Mudder has promoted themselves in a positive light towards the community through their charities. I am excited to see what types of obstacles they come up with next.
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