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Warrior Dash
spartan fun
by Robyn Schechter
August 6, 2010
Brandchannel's weekly Digital Watch feature takes a deeper look at brands’ digital strategy. Our latest case study, Warrior Dash, shows how an extreme sport brand invokes the warrior spirit through digital and social platforms.
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OVERVIEW
It promises to be the “craziest frickin’ day of your life.” Warrior Dash. A three-to-four mile, 12-13 obstacle course competition, inspired by Navy SEAL training, American Gladiators and Ironman, albeit with a post-race meal of granola bars, bananas and beer.
The first Warrior Dash was held in Joliet, Illinois in 2009 and since then, the brand has expanded to regions across the United States where on Saturdays and Sundays up to 18,000 people run man-made courses in waves of 500 at a time.
While the first mile is a respite, thereafter, participants are required to demonstrate their warrior spirit by fire-leaping, mud-crawling, rappelling, scaling and water-plunging their way to the finish line where they are rewarded with a warrior viking helmet, t-shirt and medal.
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WEBSITE
The Warrior Dash website wants to know one thing: “Are You A Warrior?” To help visitors analyze this question, the website provides basic information about the dash, the obstacles and what to expect the day of the event.
Training tips, consisting of instructions to run and get dirty, attest to the simplicity of Warrior Dash—which is an opportunity for adults to engage their carefree spirit. Pictures of smiling, muddied combatants overcoming obstacles and enjoy post-race festivities give website visitors a sense of the fun to be experienced at an events.
The events portion of the website contains a map of the United States with ten Viking helmets representing the region currently serviced by Warrior Dash. By clicking on a helmet, visitors can see the “battleground” for a specific region as well as the “hellish” course that awaits them. From there, those wishing to participate easily click to RegistratioNation where in three short steps they can provide an affirmative answer to the question first posed to them.
Overall, the website is what one would expect of a nascent brand. It is informative, navigable and simple. The website is consistent with the brand’s message of unpretentious entertainment.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Warrior Dash has a modest following (just over 3,500) on Twitter in relation to the number of people who attend and participate in the event. A fair number of tweets are inspirational quotes and exchanges with other Tweeters who have posted pictures or who are planning to race in an upcoming event. The best use of its Twitter account, however, is to alert everyone that registration for a particular event is open. Races for both weekend days frequently sell out and Red Frog Events, the Chicago-based event planner for Warrior Dash, strictly forbids last-minute entries or modifications once the registration period has closed.
Over on Facebook, it is a different story. Over 76,000 people have given Warrior Dash the thumbs up and 2,370 photos and 30 videos have been uploaded by confirmed warriors. Warrior Dash again uses its account to promote registration while enthusiastic and excited fans post which race they are running in, request that a Warrior Dash come to their part of the country, or sell and buy non-refundable tickets for events that would otherwise go unused.
Warrior Dash’s growth and success to-date has been largely achieved by that primitive form of communication: word of mouth. The Warrior Dash brand is in its infancy, but its digital strategy is off to a brawny start and will help it to deliver on its promising to offer an expanded 2011 schedule.
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Robyn Lynne Schechter is a freelance writer currently living in Los Angeles, California.
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*Due to the constantly changing environment of websites, some reviews may no longer reflect the current website for this brand.
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Jul 16, 2010
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KIND Snacks - digital altruism -- Sheila Shayon
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Kind Snacks shows how a health food brand can craft a cause marketing campaign that combines social media, moxie, and random acts of pay-it-forward kindness between strangers.
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Jun 4, 2010
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Gatorade - Drink it up -- Mark J. Miller
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Gatorade’s digital marketing department is keeping extremely busy online. One of the main tools in their arsenal: the celebrity endorsement of big-name athletes.
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