IRONMAN: A Brand that is Transforming a Sport

When asking people what Ironman is, they may tell you it is a race on the big island of Hawaii, a company that organizes triathlons, a clothing line, a title that one earns upon completion of a 140.6 mile race, a cult of OCD athletes that do nothing but swim bike and run for half of the year or in many cases, you might hear something about a Marvel character.

It’s likely that only a marketer who is actively engaged with Ironman will tell you that Ironman is a brand, a very powerful brand that is seen as so much more to those who interact with it. 

They say triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and I have no doubt that the Ironman brand and their digital strategy has played an important role in that growth.  I have a "love-hate" relationship with the Ironman brand but, most of all, I am fascinated by how powerful it has become through tapping into human emotions, taking people on a journey, creating a unique experience and doing it in a way that people end up seeing their Ironman journey and the Ironman brand as synonymous. I'm by no means saying that completing an Ironman isn't an accomplishment for one to be emotional about but recognizing the way Ironman as a company has put their brand at the core of the experience. 

The Event:  In simple terms, Ironman is a company puts on long distance triathlon events that are also known as Ironman races. The race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run. These events are historically put on by a handful of companies, however, as the name Ironman is owned by the company, only the races put on by Ironman are the only ones technically labeled "Ironman" races making the race experience and the brand almost one in the same.  While another race company might host an equally challenging event of the same distances, they do not often receive the same hype and build up and generally have much lower entry fees because they do not use the Ironman label. People who do these other events will still often say they are doing and "Ironman" because,  lets face it, that sounds a lot better than saying, "I'm doing a full distance triathlon" and no other brand has managed to attach itself to the event in the same way.

The M-Dot Logo: "M-dot" is the term for Ironman's logo. It basically consists of a large red "M" with a dot over the center that a makes it look like an "i" over the M, symbolizing Ironman. The M-Dot is to Ironman as the swoosh is to Nike. You see it stand alone on hats, shorts, blankets, glasses, etc. at the ironmanstore.com.   If were to take a $5 t-shirt and sew the M-Dot logo on it, suddenly, it becomes something that members of the Ironman community feel so attached to that it's value increases 500%. To members of the Ironman community, this logo has become so symbolic that many feel the need to tattoo it onto their body. Yes, this brand has wedged it's way so far into peoples lives that they feel compelled to attached themselves to it forever and share it with other members of the community on Ironman's Ink of the Week section of their website.

The Community: If someone came up to you on the street and introduced himself as an Ironman, you'd probably laugh or think they were crazy at first, but, to some involved with the brand who have completed an Ironman sponsored event, “Ironman” is a title just like “Sir” or “Duke” or “Doctor”.  It’s a right of passage that is earned only upon completion of an Ironman event. Ironman gives this title to participants when they cross the finish line in a dramatized and highly emotional moment. Upon coming down the final few feet of an event the participants hear the words, “You . . . are . . . an . . . Ironman!”. By doing this the company increases the emotional attachment between itself and it’s customers. Some people long to hear those words for months not even thinking of Ironman as a brand or company. It’s not as if you’d feel the same way about hearing the works, “You are a full distance triathlon finisher” although they really mean the same thing.

Telling the story online: Last but not least, Ironman has done a fantastic job of making sure their story gets told, and re-told, over and over again, online. By constantly updating sections of their website, such as the News or Lifestyle sections, members of the Ironman community always have a reason to return to the Ironman website. More importantly, Ironman is extremely active on social sites like Twitter (where they have over 90,000 followers), Facebook (where they have over 188,000 fans) and Youtube where they can truly capture the emotion and excitement of their events through the sharing of the race day atmosphere including finish line moments, interviews with the pro's and their events in action. While most friends of participants won't be able to come cheer on the athletes due to the challenges of getting to the kind locations that permit a 140.6 mile race to take place, Ironman allows people to follow the race all day online by updating people through their LIVECoverage section.  Friends can check back from 7am to midnight to track the progress of athletes as they go. The online and social presence of Ironman has made it easy for participants to share with family, friends and others in the triathlete community and, in doing so, they are constantly marketing Ironman to their networks. When you think about the 2,200 athletes in each race, and the size of their networks following them during the race, that adds up to a lot of people reached through digital media.  

The Ironman is the prime example of how creating an emotional attachment can lead to a successful brand.  Ironman does this very well.  Because of the emotional connection Ironman forms with it's customers through the methods mentioned above, they are able to charge significantly higher rates for entry fees and merchandise than other race companies. People often pay over $700 to get an entry to these races which sometimes sell out in just a couple of days a year in advance and they do not give refunds or allow cancellations to those who end up not being able to make it on race day. Furthermore, the lines at the retail tents the day after the race resemble those of Black Friday with people spending hundreds of dollars more on things like jackets, hats, bike shorts, you name it.  It is for this reason that I can say, I have a "love-hate" relationship with the brand. While I'm both disgusted and in amazement of the money people pour into these events, it's clear that Ironman has taken a sporting event and created a one of a kind experience around it that one can't get elsewhere.