Before I truly dig into this ad campaign, I should say that I have never been to the Preakness. Which is truly a crime as a Baltimorean. With that said, I’m not exactly enticed to get out to Pimlico given the audience that they are targeting. Maybe I’m an old man at heart, but the Maryland Jockey Club’s new Preakness ad campaign, “Be Legendary,” centered around a centaur named Kegasus is everything wrong with this great historical event.
Kegasus ads have started popping up on the radio and TV, I have embedded one below.
Maybe the Maryland Jockey Club knows more than I do about their fans, but targeted drunken, shirtless idiots to Preakness just seems wrong. If anything they should be trying to cover up that these are the biggest fans of the Preakness and start trying to use the history of this legendary race to draw more horse racing fans.
I’ve been to Delaware Park and Charlestown to bet on horses. It’s fun enough without having to get blackout drunk. Why not try to reach an audience that has never experienced this great sport rather than trying to build up the insanity that is the infield.
Once again, I’ll steer clear of Preakness in 2011. Kegasus just doesn’t convince me to get out to Pimlico, it makes me want to stay home and watch on TV.
I agree that the whole Kegasus concept is idiotic and misguided. Our society has accepted and continues to promulgate a culture of stupidity for males that is not in anyone’s interest, male or female. We need better images of what it means to be a man in today’s society so boys can aspire to more than being a couch-dwelling, beer-swilling idiot. Perhaps that’s too much to ask for.
I’m no fan of Kegasus either. But that marketing campaign isn’t targeting me (56 years old).
Remember that they’re not really promoting the Preakness with the Kegasus campaign … they’re promoting INFIELDFEST. They’re really two, entirely separate events/venues. The true horse racing fans don’t go anywhere NEAR the infield.
The vast majority of people who go to Infieldfest are 20-somethings whose motivation is to drink and carouse — period. It is what it is. You’re not going to entice them with racing. It’s about the party.
The people behind this tried to “tone down” Infieldfest two years ago by banning the tradition of people bringing their own beer. The result: attendance plummeted. So last year they introduced the bottomless beer cup. And guess what? Attendance improved. Having apparently seen the light, this year they’ve decided to re-embrace the true nature of Infieldfest — an excuse to get drunk. The result: Kegasus.
Look, it’s all about money. The Jockey Club needs to make money. They screwed up royally by trying to bring some decorum to the infield. They’ve learned the error of their ways. DRINK UP!
As for trying to promote this so-called “great sport” … c’mon, Zach. “Great sport?” Really? It’s all about the gambling. As my dad used to say, take out the gambling and let’s see how many people show up to watch the beautiful horses run around the track.
At this point I think you could say the same about the NFL.
Zach,
Pimlico is a pretty big venue, so I wouldn’t let the marketing of the infield portion of the venue deter you from going if you really are interested in the race.
Either the grandstand or the clubhouse are each family-friendly areas accessible with a general admission ticket that is cheaper than an infield ticket with more upscale options available that include reserved seating.
@Zach Wilt – Ah, so that’s why people are so upset about the lockout!
If ” Get your Preakness on” hadn’t completely turned off anyone disinclined to attend a fraternity bacchanal from Preakness last year, this campaign will crowd out any glamour the second jewel once possessed with its distended beer gut. After very a brush with losing the race at the end of last year, Marylander and horse racing fans had the race rescued for 2011 only tos suffer what can only be described as utter and base humiliation. Thank you, MJC, your decisions will be legendary.
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@EJXD2 – Thanks. Am I going to break the bank for grandstand tickets?
@Harvey – Yessir!
I think Kegasus is a great self-editorial of the drunken sports idiot. Think about it – man-boobs with a muffin top inner tube stuck on top of a horse. It’s the best caricature I can think of. Which is why it should be promoted even more.
Think of all the men who look like the fat horse dude. “Dude, your boobs are bigger than Kegasus!” It will create a feedback loop that will bring about it’s own end due to over exposure. No pun intended!