For those of you that watched the Belmont Stakes over the weekend, you were privileged enough to see history being made, in more ways than one. Yes, American Pharaoh won the Triple Crown, only the 12th horse to do so, but history was also made for racing sports marketing.
As Victor Espinoza was hoisted up into the saddle, one thing became very clear: He was covered in logos. His boots and collar sported the Monster Energy Drink “M”. His pants had Wheels Up written down the side of them. Even the little circles on his goggles were logoed with the 811 of the utilities company he represented in his previous races. No space was wasted. On top of that, if you stayed tuned to see the post-race celebrations, Victor mentioned Monster in his interview with NBC and even brought a can of Monster up into the Winner’s Circle with him. The sponsorship went even further than the jockey, though, as every member of the Zayat family was wearing a Monster hat, with the exception of Mr. Zayat himself, who was wearing a Wheels Up hat. Talk about a huge marketing budget.
Never before has a Triple Crown winner been so eagerly branded. Monster, Wheels Up and 811 all saw an opportunity here, one that they were eager to seize. These companies will be forever immortalized in the pictures of the newest Triple Crown winner, as he crossed the finish line, as the trophies were awarded and as the owners, trainer and jockey celebrated. Monster will forever go down in history as the drink that made Victor Espinoza “feel so good” going into the race.
Are you prepared to seize the opportunities that come your way? It is impossible, and unwise, to seize every opportunity that passes in front of you, but if you are intentional and calculating in your choices, you may just find the opportunity that wins you a Triple Crown.
