https://newsfounded.com/japaneng/jockey-christophe-lemaire-launches-horse-racing-and-fashion-clothing-brand-that-masters-are-talking-about-wwd-japan/ If it wasn’t for the fact that this bit of news involved the most popular jockey in horse racing in Japan -Frenchman Christophe Lemaire- launching his own fashion line- “CL by Lemaire” and inspired by certain elements of jockey gear, it wouldn’t even receive a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders from the mainstream media.
What this initiative by Christophe Lemaire has done at least here is have one think about the overall marketing efforts of horse racing as we approach a post pandemic world. Let’s face it, other than those quaint “Fashions On The Field” race day competitions that are regularly brought out without the mothballs, the world of fashion and horse racing make strange bedfellows. There’s often a disconnect. It’s a bit like a photo bomber.
Horse racing bobs along in its wrinkly old bubble surrounded by almost everything that was already old thirty years ago. Why? Because that’s how it’s been since the glory days of partying at Fidel’s at Crown in Melbourne, Club BBoss in Kowloon and those days when MC Hammer was having hit records.
Why has it always been like this? Old? Guess no one offered any alternatives that interested the mainstream media, or hardcore racing fans are perfectly happy with what’s being served. The big question which many don’t wish to ask is whether it a business model that has legs. It’s something that really does need to be asked, especially as the current customer base isn’t getting any younger- and when looking at the future of horse racing from a global perspective. Because the future is a few years from now and when many running racing today might not be around, how many care to look this far?
Despite all that talk ages ago about racing needing to be more “customer-centric”, horse racing continues to plod along a well-worn out path in line with the “strategic thinking” of racing executives. It’s little wonder why the pastime has failed to attract and communicate with at least two generations. Often this happens because of the reluctance to see the forest for the trees.
It also has to do with forgetting that times and tastes change and how every industry needs to look at new business streams where emphasis is placed on a relevant creative product for that post pandemic world and different market segmentations. What this new creative product cannot afford to do is be given the job of, let’s say, merchandise, to some racing executive to goof around with and produce what they believe is “cool”. This shoddy approach to producing the creative product is why horse racing clubs cannot attract good creative talent- not even as freelancers. Creatives must have pride in ownership.
Most we know, whether right or wrong, see the horse racing industry as something for old people and perfectly happy working inside its horseshoe bubble with obedient happy little Oompah Loompahs. Having a DJ after the races as an add on is hardly a Rave or a trip to Ibiza.
There’s often quite a strong analogy between horse racing and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Roald Dahl would have had a field day with horse racing similar, but differently to Hunter S Thompson’s classic piece on the Kentucky Derby. https://sensitiveskinmagazine.com/hunter-s-thompson-the-kentucky-derby-is-decadent-and-depraved/ So when Christophe Lemaire, fluent in writing, reading and speaking Japanese, and the most successful foreign rider to ply his trade in Japan where he’s part Toshiro Mifune and Pikachu, it’s seen by the racing media as being something of a game changer. It’s not. It’s just another celebrity somewhere using their popularity to launch a product that has their name. In 2022, something like this does nothing for the overall image of any product. It’s tired, old school marketing, especially when one sees everything else that’s out there, lockdowns or no lockdowns. As we have been saying, Creativity Cannot Be Locked Down.
Let’s leave Hong Kong racing out of the equation for now. The once vibrant city has not only lost its mojo, it’s lost pretty much all tourism whereas thousands are suddenly leaving its shores in droves. This is impacting everything. Horse racing taking place to empty grandstands is not exactly exciting or full of Feel Good moments. Here’s hoping that the confused and hapless government and a leader now begging for sympathy sees what its strict social distancing and tough quarantining measures have done to the image of Hong Kong and ease these restrictions.
It’s difficult to think that horse racing today is hardly a priority in the city though a few months ago some pretty odd looking Golden Sixty jackets, apparently designed by Dolce&Gabbana, were produced and said to have sold out despite being priced at around US$500. There’s no accounting for taste. The riding career of Jockey Vincent Ho, below, has never been the same since this photo shoot.
Away from fashion, let’s look at racing in somewhere like Queensland. How many in Australia even take a second look at it? Other than the race tracks that have been plagued with problems for years, the racing limps along. It’s hardly exciting or something attractive enough to go the distance. Mackay-born celebrity chef Sarah Todd is not only attractive, she’s extremely popular- an author, a television host, and someone who most definitely can cook.
Surely there's a creative way of bringing her into the marketing mix of Queensland racing? Or the online world of racing in general.
When with EMI, we made what was called a 360 Degree deal with singer Robbie Williams to take a share in his earnings- everything from concert performances and sponsorship deals to merchandise and everything else that’s out there.
The problem was that we were a music company. We had no idea about marketing except for maybe what we had read. Memorable was Tim Clark of ie: Music who looked after the management of Robbie telling me that EMI was incapable of enhancing Robbie’s brand. He was right.
This word stuck: Enhance. I saw the need for a separate global business stream called EMI Enhance with a new team that was not part of the mothership and who were proven international creatives and understood music marketing. The Chairman and CEO had doubts because, well, they didn’t understand marketing or out of the box thinking. Maybe they had suffered bad childhood traumas with a Jack In The Box?
They did however give me the freedom to start this new business unit in Asia. I declined the offer. Without EMI Enhance being a global initiative, and with there needing a sharing of ideas, it wouldn’t work. In the end, I used Enhance to start up my own multi media music marketing company. This is what horse racing needs in order to move forward- the need to enhance its brand. This was extremely successfully done by the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s very popular Happy Wednesday brand and which I was brought in to lead.
We were ahead of the curve and though this was back then, the strategy is still relevant. It isn’t an also ran. Everything that came together to make a Happy Wednesday a Happy Wednesday- in short, bringing horse racing into the much bigger world of entertainment- hadn’t hit its stride when the riots of 2019 and the new Black Plague crippled everything.
Horse racing will have to change. It will either happen organically or be replaced just as the technology savvy independents did to the one-time all controlling executives with the music majors. They were caught napping. The big question of course is whether there’s something more to horse racing than its core business- wagering. Horse racing must have commercial value if it’s to be more than it’s been for decades.
This is especially needed as the world slowly comes out of lockdowns and learns to live with whatever it is that has been holding it back. Horse racing also needs to be likeable and multi dimensional. One big rich size doesn’t fit all budgets anymore. It’s called economics. Also, there’s a need to follow a strategy built around the three E’s- Entertainment, Excitement and plenty of Empathy.
