It is a dark and stormy night. You are alone on a ship at sea. The swells are so high and the wind so unforgiving that you feel less steady than Captain Haddock before he became Captain of the Society of Sober Sailors.
Tracy Bredin, the head of strategy at Playmakers Sponsorship and Marketing
You are convinced you are close to land, and that is based on the years of sailing the Seven Seas having cultivated an instinct that you can feel in your bones. Trouble is, clouds cloak the sky’s natural navigational instruments, and you cannot see much past your hand, so which way exactly is the shore?
As you peer into the vast darkness of the ocean, a light appears on the horizon... It disappears. Then appears. The welcoming blink of a lighthouse sends a relief to your soul that it has been spared, your choice not left to chance. You now have the right information to chart your path to the safety of the shore. The lighthouse has provided two key data points: the location of the shore and insight into the coastline, illuminating treacherous rocks as you approach.
As a strategist, I have always thought the lighthouse to be the best analogy to illustrate the role and importance of a sound strategy. There is no doubt that seasoned sailors have the strength and skill to execute a journey in unchartered waters. Without the help of the lighthouse guiding them along the best possible route in the darkness, the consequences could be exhausting at best and a failure at worst.
After all, hope is not a strategy. Sailing as fast as you can with all your skill and might in what you hope is the right direction, will not help if it lands you on the rocks.
The converse also holds true. Having a lighthouse to illuminate your way is futile if you lack the skill to set sail, or the sail itself.
In the sports marketing industry, we are regularly pulled into the debate around which is more important, strategy or execution. We perform a highly operational and visible function in real time and often under pressure. It is one thing to tout strategy and creativity from the safety of the boardroom, quite another to see insight and reason brought to life in a distinctive and impactful way at live events in front of thousands of fans, integrated across media channels.
The reality is this, strategy versus execution is a misnomer. This is not an either-or debate. The best work is built of great strategy and delivered through great execution.
Take Red Bull’s Wings for Life World Run event, the largest running event in the world, according to Sport Business, "spanning 170 countries, 310 719 runners and every possible time zone".
Red Bull is synonymous with creating events that make headlines and dominate content feeds, so it is no surprise that Red Bull’s Wings for Life World Run is a creative BHAG. It is also strategically brilliant. The brand’s charity foundation, Wings for Life, is a long-standing supporter of spinal cord injury research. Its mission is to find a cure for spinal cord injury and paralysis – one that is likely to resonate deeply with runners, a sub-species of humanity which thrives on freedom of movement. In addition, the brand tapped into an opportunity that is evident across the Marathon Majors and running communities worldwide, that runners are motivated by a worthy cause.
And so, the Red Bull Wings for Life World Race was born in 2014, giving runners an opportunity to run for those who cannot.
True to Red Bull form, the format conceptualised is bold, unique, and disruptive. Runners may participate from anywhere in the world, on the same day, starting at the same time, regardless of their ability. Professional athletes line up at the start line together with fun runners and novices. There is no set distance; everyone starts together and has 30-minutes to run, run as far as they can before the ‘Catcher Car’ sets off in pursuit. The ‘Catcher Car’ is effectively a moving finish line; it eliminates each runner, walker, and wheelchair user as it passes them, ending their race. The goal is to get as far as possible before being caught. Results are tallied and displayed on a global leaderboard, with distances of up to 71km covered before the ‘Catcher Car’ closed in. The real winner, however, is spinal cord research, with 100% of all entry fees and donations contributed to the cause.
An outstanding concept, well aligned to the charity’s mission and built on a sound understanding of what makes runners tick. But it does not end there. The event execution is equally superb.
Coordinating multiple ‘Flagship Runs’ across 170 countries and every time zone, all with a simultaneous start time, is no small logistical feat. Just delivering the operational ‘must have’ requirements is daunting enough. Registrations and race packs, race shirts (a job in itself), road closures in cities, signage and branding, PR, and event communication, to mention but a few.
Then there is the development, management, and integration of technology platforms in the form of an app for runners to participate outside of a ‘Flagship Run’, and the global leaderboard which tracks the distance covered by all runners across all flagship events plus those participating individually via the app.
Over and above these fundamentals, Red Bull also injects its signature flair into Wings for Life World Runs with tactics like placing celebrities, athletes, or ambassadors like David Coulthard behind the wheel of ‘Catcher Cars.’
The number of moving parts is just staggering – I take my hat off to the teams involved. It is one thing just to implement all the elements that comprise this unique and complex event, another to deliver them well. And flawless implementation is imperative; anything less could impact the runners’ experience and place the event’s (and brand’s) reputation at risk.
The sports marketing masterpiece that is the Wings for Life World Run bears testimony to something I believe in firmly. Great execution requires great strategy – a solid plan that eliminates a multitude of options, saves time, resources, and informs an insight-led, creative solution. One that offers the best chance of resonating with its intended audience. To bring a bold and creative strategic vision to life, outstanding implementation is crucial. The ability to deliver both is what sets exceptional projects and teams apart.
