An attractive campaign can get people through the door. But what happens next?
I'm not usually someone who sees an Instagram post and immediately signs up for an event. But a free social run along the Cronulla coastline, the chance to try some ASICS running shoes and breakfast afterwards? That sounded pretty appealing.
A quick message to a girlfriend, and we were booked.
The event was a collaboration between The Athlete's Foot, ASICS and HAM, a local café. Participants were invited to try running shoes, join a 5 km coastal run and enjoy breakfast afterwards.
From a marketing perspective, I thought it was a great idea.
It brought together three businesses with complementary interests, offered something genuinely enjoyable to the local community and gave participants an opportunity to experience the products rather than simply see them advertised.
And the promotion worked. It caught my attention, encouraged me to invite someone along and got us out of the house at 6:15 am on a rainy morning.
That's already a marketing success.
But as the morning unfolded, I started noticing something interesting: the gap between a good promotional idea and the planning needed to make the most of it.
The experience behind the promotion
When we arrived, it wasn't immediately obvious where to register or what to do. Eventually, we found the staff organising shoe trials and promotional T-shirts.
We managed to get fitted with shoes, although smaller sizes were in short supply. Nobody checked our tickets or told us which shoe model we were trying.
Then we set off along the Cronulla coastline.
Despite the rain, it was a lovely setting for a community run. We even caught a beautiful sunrise before the weather took a turn for the worse.
My nine-year-old daughter was with me, so we completed the course at our own pace, running part of the way and walking the rest.
By the time we returned, most participants had finished and were enjoying breakfast. Unfortunately, there was none left for us, and it wasn't clear where to return the trial shoes.
We eventually worked things out and headed home.
None of these things was particularly disastrous on its own. Events are complicated, weather is unpredictable and small oversights happen.
But together, they made me wonder how much more the participating businesses could have gained from the morning.
What was the real marketing opportunity?
Let's look at the event from the perspective of the businesses involved.
For The Athlete's Foot, the opportunity was particularly interesting.
Getting potential customers to try a product is often much harder than getting them to look at an advertisement. Here was a group of people willing to get up early, put on a pair of running shoes and test them over five kilometres.
That's a valuable opportunity for a footwear retailer.
Participants could have been introduced to the different ASICS models available at The Athlete's Foot, learned what made them suitable for particular types of runners and been encouraged to visit the store for a proper fitting or their next pair.
Yet I left without knowing which shoes I'd worn, let alone where I could find them again.
For HAM, the event introduced the café to people who might not otherwise have visited. A positive breakfast experience could have encouraged participants to return another morning, perhaps with friends or family.
And for ASICS, the collaboration provided additional brand exposure and an opportunity for people to experience its footwear in a real-world setting.
All three brands had something to gain.
The question is whether the event was structured to make the most of those opportunities.
Marketing needs more than a good idea
This is where I think marketing becomes particularly interesting.
We often focus on the creative side: the campaign, the message, the visuals, the offer and the channels used to reach people.
But what happens after someone responds to that message?
An event like this involves much more than promotion. It requires registration processes, product availability, staff coordination, customer communication, logistics and follow-up.
Those activities might sit outside the marketing department, but they directly influence the marketing outcome.
Consider a few relatively simple improvements.
A clearer arrival experience
A visible check-in point, basic signage and someone welcoming participants would have made the morning easier to navigate.
Checking registrations could also have helped the organisers understand attendance and plan for the number of participants.
A more purposeful product trial
If the goal was to introduce runners to footwear available at The Athlete's Foot, identifying the shoes being trialled seems like an important part of the experience.
A little product information before the run, followed by a conversation afterwards, could have connected the activity to the retailer and its products.
Planning for the entire customer journey
It's easy to plan an event around the main group of participants and overlook those who arrive later, move more slowly or need additional assistance.
But everyone who attends has responded to the same invitation.
Making sure the experience works from arrival through to departure is just as important as getting people there in the first place.
A reason to stay connected
Perhaps the most obvious opportunity was what could have happened after the event.
A thank-you email, details of the shoes participants tried, a link to the relevant products or an invitation to visit The Athlete's Foot would have provided a natural continuation of the experience.
A simple feedback survey could also have helped the organisers understand what participants enjoyed and what could be improved.
I didn't receive any follow-up, although I can't speak for what other participants may have received.
So, was the event successful?
Possibly.
And that's an important point.
I don't know what objectives the organisers set, how they measured the results or whether they achieved what they wanted.
If the goal was simply to bring the running community together and create brand awareness, the event may well have delivered.
But if the intention was to generate interest in the shoes stocked by The Athlete's Foot, encourage future purchases or build ongoing relationships with potential customers, there were opportunities to do more.
That's why clearly defined objectives matter.
They help determine not only what a business should promote, but also what needs to happen behind the scenes for that promotion to achieve something meaningful.
The opportunity doesn't end with the promotion
What stayed with me wasn't really the rain, the missing breakfast or the confusion about returning the shoes.
It was the thought that the hardest part of the marketing had already been achieved.
The promotion attracted the right kind of attention. It brought interested people together and gave them a reason to engage with the participating businesses.
The opportunity was already there.
And this applies to much more than events.
A business might invest in advertising that successfully generates enquiries, only to lose potential customers through a slow follow-up process.
A beautifully designed website might attract visitors but make it difficult to find the information needed to make a decision.
A promotion might encourage a first purchase without giving customers a reason to return.
In each case, the marketing has done part of its job. But the outcome depends on what happens next.
Marketing doesn't operate in isolation. It relies on the people, processes and decisions that support it.
Because customers don't experience your business in departments.
They experience the whole thing.
And sometimes, the biggest opportunities aren't the ones we need to create.
They're the ones we already have.
