Summary

Both the Virgin Money London Marathon and the Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival are proving to be successful. However I feel as though improvement is needed in the marketing of these events.

The London Marathon is an internationally recognised event and is on a lot larger scale than the Literary Festival. The marathon relies on its popular name and the use of social media to promote itself, which yes is proving successful. With this information that using the internet is working I feel they should work more on the lead up to the event. In 2011 they did a promotional video, I think if they did this again it would have an even more positive impact, this would allow everyone to get excited and prepared even if they are not running in the races, it also may potentially interest those who had never considered taking part.

The Literary Festival on the other hand does definitely not have the same media coverage that the Marathon has but again I feel it needs to think about promoting the event beforehand. From images of the festival it seems that the event has a lot of families with young children attending (pictures of people dressed as the Gruffalo, a children’s television character.) So although we are entering a more electronic time, I don’t feel trying to market the event on social media is allowing the target audience to be attracted. I believe the festival could try and branch out with more advertising and try and attract other audiences such as more local schools and universities.

 Overall I feel the use of Social media platforms can definitely be successful, but both events should consider the advertising and marketing of the build-up of the event, after the events take place there is a boom of people talking about them but not so much before the events. I feel if they did this it would broaden the audience to the events but also create excitement for people as they have the anticipation of waiting for the event.

Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival - Sponsorship

The Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival has a wide range of sponsors. The biggest is probably Baillie Gifford which is one of the UK’s largest independent investment managers, and the manager of seven investment trusts.

  As well as this company they also have sponsorship from a smaller scale local firm known as Cooper Adams who offer accounts, taxation and business advisory and support services to a range of businesses and individuals.

 I wouldn’t say either of these businesses are very relevant to the event itself,  I can perhaps see why Cooper Adams would give sponsorship as it is a local event but I don’t  feel like Baillie Gifford is an effective sponsor as it doesn’t highlight the event.

I do believe the Literary Festival does have some relevant sponsors that have some relation to the event such as The University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education, who offer additional online courses, degrees and summer schools in a range of subjects.

They also have sponsorship from Warwick school, the oldest in the country leading boys’ boarding school. I feel this is a good relationship as If they attended the event it would benefit the students and obviously for the Festival the probably gain funds from the sponsorship.

Prontaprint also sponsor the festival. Prontaprint is a solution provider for print throughout the UK. There is some form of relevant link due to resources needed for literary.

The Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival also have sponsorship from Classic Lodges Hotel who are a chain of hotels around the country that pride themselves in the history of each individual hotel. I feel it is a well suited sponsorship as the town is full of history and is especially well known for being Shakespeare’s birth place.

I feel some of the sponsors for this event are definitely more relevant than others. I don’t feel that Baillie Gifford can offer the festival much other than funds and do not represent it well,I also do not know what the festival could do for the company.Whereas the Warwick Boarding school would have more of an exchange relationship that benefits both.

London Marathon - Sponsorship

The most obvious and biggest sponsor this year for the London Marathon is Virgin Money, a worldwide financial service company owned by Richard Branson that deal with things such as mortgages and savings.

If you click on News and Media you can here is a section called ‘About Virgin Money’, when asked why they chose to sponsor the Marathon they stated “it’s an honour to be linked to such an iconic event” and they talk about how previously a lot of money was raised by online donation sites who would take out a charge for their services so Virgin money “ thought we could put our expertise with money and our financial systems to good use, and come up with an alternative that’s 100 per cent not-for-profit. So millions more £s would go where they’re needed most. Our online donation site virginmoneygiving.com was born.”

Alongside this the London Marathon is sponsored by a range of other companies.

Both TAGheur and realbuzz.com feature on the website itself with TAGheur being used as the clock that counts down to the day of the event and realbuzz.com is used as communication tool for anyone interested or taking part in the London Marathon.

I feel a sponsor that is well fitted to this event is Buxton water as it is a huge necessity during this event, similarly also being sponsored by Lucozade is suitable as the main aim of this sport drink is to rehydrate and revitalise individuals.

However the Marathon is also sponsored by the car company Renault which at first seems a little odd, when the marathon is all about being healthy but I feel the reason Renault would sponsor this event is to offset the image of a large carbon footprint that cars give off, similar to when McDonalds sponsored the Olympics.

Another well suited sponsor is Adidas as they are one of the leading sportswear brands with international recognition, having such a large company sponsor the London marathon shows the importance and growing scale of the event. In return for the sponsorship the Marathon advertise the brand Adidas by having their official merchandise with the Adidas logo on and promoting products on the London Marathons social media.

 It is also sponsored by BBC Sport, Radio 5 Live both giving sports coverage normally and BBC London as the event obviously takes place in London.

Overall I would say that the London Marathon has strong well suited sponsors and partners that represent the event well

Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival - Advertising

This was a lot harder to find anything on marketing and  I could find barely anything in regards to advertising the event beforehand.

Stratford- upon- Avon Literary Festival do have their own Facebook page with 2,871 likes. On the page they tend to post regularly however I do not feel it is overly relevant to the festival. The only posts they made during the festivals were a few photos. For the amount of likes the page has the posts did not receive much attention/response.

The Stratford-upon- Avon Literary Festival also have a twitter account with 2,267 followers and was very active during the festival with lots of people tweeting their pictures in normally thanking the festival for the skills they learnt in the workshops.  On the actual Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival website they make this much of a feature when it seems to be the most successful part.

People do also tweet about the event without  tagging the official twitter page , these received  less response from others, some of the guest speakers tweeted about the event but even then not a lot of response was made.

The Literary Festival  do have Instagram also, however only have posted two pictures and only have 18 followers.

Social media is definitely not a good platform to market this event to as it is not being advertised to the correct market and/or is not popular enough to get the attention of those who may have been interested that use social media. Even the use of their own twitter was not overly popular with less than ten likes or comments on each post. I knew there would be less media for this event as it is a much smaller scale event than the London Marathon, but I thought it would be more of an active community as all share a passion in literature.

London Marathon - Advertising

I will now be looking at the marketing and communications of both events.

Although a large scale event I could not really find much in terms of advertising that the London marathon actually do. I believe this is because it is so nationally and internationally recognised so the event does not need to be heavily advertised/marketed.

Being such a well-known event of course has its perks.  Roughly 36,000 people actually take part and so have all of their friends and family help support them by watching and donating, of course via word of mouth it soon spreads by getting a friend of a friend to donate. Celebrities who have large followings take part too, this year Chris Evans, Dame Kelly Holmes and Game of thrones star Natalie Dormer all took part raising money for charity.

On the actual London Marathon twitter page it has 110K followers who they can advertise to keeping them updated with how things are going, for example if everything is running to time, and obviously promote the event. During the run The London Marathon twitter kept everyone up to date with how the races were going and the results.

On Facebook the London Marathon page has 150,256 likes where similarly they keep people updated with what is going on, with photos and statuses as well as sharing any there articles regarding the marathon. I feel on Facebook more people interact with the posts compared to twitter as twitter is seen as a cooler platform attracting younger audiences and I feel that the main audience of the London marathon are 18-60 and so is more affective.

 The London Marathon also have Instagram with 19k followers where they posted pictures of the progress of the route.  I wouldn’t say this platform was overly used as a form of advertising beforehand but after the event 31,901 people posted pictures using the #londonmarathon2016 obviously creating more recognition for the event.

Due to the London Marathon being so up to date with the social media platforms it creates a wider market and forms a little community as such where everyone can discuss their experiences and get involved with the event even if they are not actually there by commenting on posts on social media.

As well as social media the races are actually shown on the television on the BBC and British Euro Sport and is also aired on the radio. The media coverage is definitely done well overall creating more awareness/ marketing the event further.

I believe the London Marathon effectively markets and communicates its event by targeting the media/ social media, however I feel they could do more in terms of advertising the event prior to it taking place as I could not seem to find anything.

Stratford- upon-Avon Literary Festival - Website Analysis

Analysing in the same way I shall now look at Stratford-upon-Avon Literacy Festival.

Context

The first thing you notice when on the homepage is the title of the event with the logo at the top, then the various headers underneath. There is a large picture with the date of the event written over it, which if you click on it you can download the programme for the event. Surrounding this are neat, well-spaced smaller pictures/ thumbnails with their own headers such as ‘For Children’ and ‘Workshops’. If you continue scrolling down the page there is a little bit of information about what the event is. To the bottom of the page you can give your email to sign up to receive the newsletter, I feel this is effective as the people who are likely to look at this website would already have an interest in literacy so after reading the sort of sales pitch, the festival try to grab the attention of these users and interest them enough to sign up. Website is not overly bright its background is white with black text, the logo is a pastel orange which is a recurring theme throughout the page.

Content

I feel due to all the pictures on the home page it makes it stimulating to look at, although this is a pleasant feature, unlike most other event websites there is not a gallery of photos or videos. On the side of each page is the live twitter feed, where people post pictures and write comments about their time at the event. With all the headers there is lots of information clearly laid out and readily available. I feel on all pages  there is not an overload of information which is good because it means the reader will remember the key facts, however if an individual was particularly interested in this event they may not be able to find all of the wanted information.

Community

On the site it advertises a book club aimed for over 55 year olds who have an interest in reading, it gives information on where it is and a little more about it. As mentioned previously there is the live twitter feed where people who have attended share their thoughts as well as a link to the Stratford-upon-Avon Literary festival page on Facebook, where people can like their posts but also interact with each other. Despite this on the actual website there is not much on terms of community as in people cannot interact with each other.

Customisation

Other than the opportunity to sign up to the newsletter there isn’t much that this website offers. There is a header titled ‘Your visit’ which shows a map of where the event is held and all the location of surrounding hotels. It then gives links to each hotel and advice about car parking. I definitely feel this website could do more such as set up a way of giving customers their own profiles where they can chat about things like their favourite books or what they think of a certain writer. Saying this it is a festival website so I don’t feel it is a necessary feature as really it just needs to give out the facts on the people there, when it is, the workshops and how to get there.

Communication

I would not say this site is very interactive at all. As I stated previously there is the live twitter feed but that is about it. There are contact details for further information, but there is not even FAQS, Frequently asked questions. The information given is really simple and basic, but I don’t feel  it needs to be full of detail, the people who are likely to attend obviously have an interest in literacy so don’t need to know massively about anything other than the vital  information.

Connection

On the top right hand side there are the logos for the social media sites Facebook and twitter, which if clicked on take you to those sites. There is a header that shows al of the sponsors and supporters of the event. There is the logo of each company and then some information about the company/business. Similarly this is what the Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival provide for the local hotels.

Commerce

I would not say the site offers any commercial transactions other than some of the more exclusive workshops such as having talks and presenting your ideas to various UK leading editors. I definitely feel they could offer more such as their own merchandise such as pens and note pads.

Context- 7/10

Content-6/10

Community- 2/10

Customisation- 1/10

Communication- 1/10

Connection- 6/10

Commerce- 1/10

London Marathon - Website Analysis

I will be analysing the Virgin Money London Marathon using ‘the 7C’s’ which are:

·         Context- the design and layout of the website

·         Content- any information on the website; text, images, videos etc

·         Community-how well the site offers user-to-user communication

·         Customisation- each user gets their own personalised experience

·         Communication- the connection between the site and the user

·         Connection- how much other sites are linked

·         Commerce- how commercial transactions are advertised

Context

At first look you can instantly notice the striking red and white colours which is clearly linked to the fact that the official sponsor is Virgin Money which has a distinctive strong red colour associated with the company. There is a clear bold headline welcoming you to the site in front of a picture of the previous winners.

The first page is neat and all of the information is clear while you are no bombarded with too much information. Tabs are well spaced across the top of the site and are simply titled ensuring no confusion for any visitors. You can hover over any of these tabs and it allows you to see more in depth pages with information on the specified tab. Although these tabs cover all aspects that would be needed by any visitor, the ‘news & media’ tab is found at the end which I feel could be placed better, closer to the middle of the site as this is quite an important feature.

Another effective feature is a ‘TAGHeuer’ sponsored countdown to when the race takes place. An easily identifiable search bar can be found in the top right corner, this works by using key words you’re looking for and it will direct you to the most suitable link on the website. As you scroll down the bold red colour is replaced by white, and tiled pictures are included with linked titles to the headers to the top of the page such as; how to enter and training information. Although this looks quite aesthetically pleasing it feels quite unnecessary due to the repetition, everything that is included at the bottom can easily be navigated at the top via the tabs.

Content

As I stated in context the page is very clear and laid out well. For majority of the page the back ground is red and the writing is white which is eye catching, yet easy to read. The logo is in the top left corner as well as the title written over a picture. With these features it is already clear to visitors what the event is and who it is sponsored by. A feature I really like is the countdown to the event, making it clear when the event is, but it is also interactive as visitors can keep checking the page and count down to the event. I feel all relevant information can be found within the headers at the top. Within “how to enter” you can find the different races you can enter at the varied levels. A helpful header if a visitor is  looking to enter the race is “training,” via this you can receive training advice, suggestions on nutrition and staying healthy as well as what to wear. If you click on “news and media” you can find a wide range of images and videos of the race as well as various interviews with runners.

Community

At the top right of the page, next to the search bar are the various symbols for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google plus. If you click on any of these it will take you to the London Marathons own profile  on these social media sites where you can like and follow their profile but also comment on these posts along with other people. If you go into the News and Media tab you can look at The London Marathons very own bloggers with experience in the race but using Realbuzz.com the visitor can also join the London Marathon group which gives them the opportunity to chat to other runners. Although a nice feature that allows a bond to be created between potential runners, I feel it should be made a clearer feature on the home page.

Customisation

This website does not provide a high level of customisation, however I do not feel for the event it is necessary. Most people who decide to take part have prior knowledge abut the event so just need the specific dates and need to know how to apply and maybe some training tips, which is hat the site already provides. As I stated in community via Ralbuzz.com there is the opportunity to sign up as individual users to make comments, ask questions and meet other runners. As well as that you can sign up to the newsletter to get additional, regular information

Communication

I feel the website is very helpful, trying to make everything as clear and easy as possible. It gives even information such as dates and times, then tells you how to sign up, after you can read about some of the training tips to prepare for the marathon. There is also the opportunity to purchase some of the official merchandise, providing everything you need to take part in the marathon. If there is something you haven’t found the answer to you can look on FAQ’s which stand for Frequently Asked Questions.

Connection

As I mentioned in community at the top right of the page are symbols for the social media sites for the London Marathon; Facebook, Twitter, Google plus and Instagram. Most people these days tend to have an account on at least one of these sites, even if they do not they can still access the data/information and may encourage them to get an account on these other social media sites. If you want to get involved with group chats with other runners then you have to make an account on Ralbuzz.com. If anyone who took part wants to look at any official photos of them then they can use ‘Marathon Fotos’. On the home page there is also the sponsored timer which has the logo of Tagheur and of course the logo of the main sponsor Virgin Money, although a user would not have to actually at any point use either company having it so strongly advertised may lead to people  wanting to find out more.

Commerce

There is a tab titled shopping, on this you can click on official merchandise and he London Marathon store. I believe you can buy a £18.50 ‘#oneinamillion’ T-shirt for both men and women. On this page you can also click on ‘Marathon Foto’ which is a separate website where you type I your bib number  and race name and can then purchase any of the photos professionally taken of you. If you go onto The London Marathon store it gives information such as where the store is and what times it is open, obviously hoping people will visit.

Context- 8/10

Content-7/10

Community- 6/10

Customisation- 2/10

Communication- 7/10

Connection- 4/10

Commerce- 5/10

Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival

The second event I'm going to look at is the Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival, taking place between the 24th April - 1st May 2016. The event allows guests to meet authors and listen to them talk about their work, including people like Carol Ann Duffy and PD James, and they can try various workshops themselves, as well as being in the famous birthplace of Shakespeare himself.

The London Marathon

The first event I'm going to look at is The London Marathon. It is a 26.2-mile long distance run around the River Thames, starting at Blackheath and Greenwich park and finishes at the mall near Buckingham Palace.
The first London Marathon was held in March 1981 and now takes place in spring every year, this year it is on 24 April 2016.
Roughly 36,000 people take part, this is at all levels (advanced and novice) you can run, jog, walk it and even do it dressed up.

Events

I will be looking at the marketing and communication of two events- The London Marathon and the Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival.

             24th April - 1st May 2016 - www.stratfordliteraryfestival.co.uk

    

24th April - www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/en-gb/