Do you know these men?
I am a huge believer in Alan Wolk's theory of NASCAR blindness. Both because I've seen it in practice, and I've recognized it in myself from time-to-time. With that ...
I don't think it's going out on a limb to say that Dana White and Brian France could walk down Madison Avenue without causing much of a stir. Which is too bad because one could easily argue that White and France - along with Vince McMahon - know the American consumer landscape better than anyone in the "industry."
If you don't know [it's OK, we don't judge here at Flagged For Follow Up] White is the President of UFC; France the CEO and Chairman of NASCAR. If you don't know who McMahon is ... well I just can't imagine any marketer doesn't know the name.
By various accounts, collectively these men preside over empires that generate more than $2 Billion (with a B) in revenues per year. We're talking live events, TV deals, licensing, pay-per-view and merchandise galore. Sure, business has suffered a bit in the recession, along with just about everyone else.
There are 290 million people who live somewhere between Los Angeles and New York City. These guys have it dialed in when it comes to speaking to/entertaining/selling to this group.
So if we (by "we" I mean marketers in major cities) want to create "stuff" (campaigns, creative, trinkets, retail experiences ... whatever) that drive business results, we need to start thinking about what will appeal to 300,000 fans at Daytona, not the cast of Friends. More like a rabid crowd at a UFC match, less like a star-studded crowd at a Lakers game.
There are a ton of smart, talented and grounded marketers in this country. The smartest of them recognize a world west of the Hudson River.