Talk about fiddling while Rome burns…
I uttered a few words recently over the not yet cold, dead body of the American Royal and its arguably only remaining prized possession, the World Series of Barbecue.
The latest:
In lieu of doing something halfway meaningful to help keep KC’s biggest meat meet alive and kicking, the marketing brains behind the Royal stuck up a giant billboard with a 50 foot long, 8 foot tall three dimensional rack of fake ribs to promote this year’s Labor Day cookout.
Here’s the deal.
Not only is the freakish-looking monstrosity borderline grotesque, in no way does it do anything to encourage somebody to trudge out to the Kansas Speedway in KCK in sweltering heat to watch a bunch of yahoos send up meat flavored smoke signals.
How about adding something meaningful and festive to the proceedings instead?
Say like a carnival, live concerts and/or entertainment with recognized name artists and performers that might make people actually want to drive out to the middle of nowhere to go see?
Union Station honcho George Guastello recognized the importance of bolstering the BBQ bash years ago by booking top notch entertainers. Unfortunately, the live concert action went south after Guastello bailed on the failing Royal 11 years back.
So yeah, a nasty-looking, inflatable rib rack may garner its fair share of meaningless publicity by local media – including yours truly.
Let me ask you something.
Does a repulsive rubber rib rack make you guys wanna kill a holiday weekend dragging the kids, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend – whomever – across a span of hot asphalt to watch a bunch of strangers cook out?
The Royal remains the most overrated event in the city, unless you’re a competitor. I don’t know how many people I’ve had ask me over the years about going to the Royal and, unless something has changed, “going to the Royal” means walking around smelling a bunch of delicious BBQ you can’t eat unless you know a team. Does not sound like fun to me.
Exactly, Kyle…
Slow as I am, it was evident to me after going like twice.
On top of which, used to be everybody would jam onto that 12th streetlamp to get down there and it was gridlock hell.
It’s another in a long line of events that local media like to cheerlead and hype as though it matters, when somewhat sadly, it doesn’t.
In a word, no.
that is one butt ugly slab of ribs. looks like something dug up outta the ground… or from under some large rock in a cave…
and totally agree hearne, nothing there to really entice me to go out there.
messaging: D –
execution: D –
creative strategy: F
media strategy: D –
This is how bad the American Royal folks have effed things up this year by moving the event to Labor Day weekend — The ARBBQ folks are calling teams that competed last year, but haven’t registered, and they are even calling teams who competed in the past but quit going when the event moved away from the West Bottoms a few years ago…
My BBQ team and many other local teams we’ve talked to have decided that enough is enough and will no longer support the ARBBQ. We will put our money toward the smaller, more friendly and won’t nickle-and-time you for every little thing you need events in the region.
The billboard was created by the ad agency Walz Tetrick. Charlie Tetrick is Chairman Elect for the American Royal and his agency handles all the of the advertising for the event. Same creative minds that did the KC Royals billboards ( Salvy Splash, etc.). They love their billboards at Walz Tetrick.
Look Bill, I realize I’m being a little picky here…
That said, if these great marketing minds really want to strut their stuff, they need to shake things up, think outside the proverbial box and create an event that transcends that which is not working. i.e. the livestock schtick,
Short of that, they’re little more than captains going down with their ship