You Want to be Like Me.

I market things for a living. Right now I market technology solutions. In the past, I have marketed books. However, it doesn't take a marketing genius (such as myself, of course) to realize the best way to promote something you wish to draw an audience to is to place something inspiring or encouraging on the front. If you want to market clothes to a younger audience, the models must be cool and hip and the epitome of what that audience wants to be. If you want to market make-up to a 40+ crowd, your model should not have wrinkles or blotchy skin. You want to entice your target market by showing them exactly what they can look like or be when they use your product.

The other day, I received a packet of race applications in the mail. The first few were for more trail runs in Reading (a 15K? a 30K? Let's all take a moment and laugh, especially those I've spoken to and heard about my stories from a measley 7-mile Pretzel City Sport trail run the other week). Then I saw the Holy Grail of race applications. It was for the 2008 Valley Forge Revolutionary Run. It was black and white, and appeared to have been photocopied by an intern standing at the machine. But despite the grainy appearance, there was no denying the picture of the runners--and right in the middle were Ted and myself.

The marketer was being marketed. The sad thing about this is I looked more like Quazi Moto climbing the stairs to the bell tower than an experienced runner--and I think the picture was taken around mile 1.

Just as you want your make-up ads to reflect a beautiful face, and your diet pill ads to show a beautiful body, you also want your race ads to portray beautiful runners.

Eh-hem. Thus brings me to my next question--what took them so long? (insert smiley face here, because we know we all want to look like Maggie running!)