ARCI Conference Delves Into Social Media Issues For The Industry

[Wandering Eyes]

The Association of Racing Commissioners International's (ARCI) annual Animal Welfare and Integrity Conference, which was hosted at Churchill Downs during the afternoon of Thursday, May 8, heard from a pair of panels that specifically delved into how social media can impact the industry, according to a Friday press release from the organization.

The 'Thoroughbred Racing Roundtable' included West Point Thoroughbreds own Terry Finley along with Churchill Downs's Vice President and General Manager Mike Ziegler and Tina Bond, an owner-breeder who is president of both the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and the national THA.

“The social media impact of this past Derby was exponentially bigger than Derby 150,” Ziegler said. “Now, whether that has to do with Griffin Johnson and the other influencers here for Derby, but that's really impactful. That's what we have to give credit to, to increase television viewership. People are getting notifications about horse racing and the Kentucky Derby who otherwise wouldn't be paying attention.”

As far as needing a national horse-racing marketing campaign, Bond said “absolutely… I don't think we've ever done a good job of it, and I've been in this business 45 years.”

By contrast, Finley said his opinion changed over Derby weekend, seeing first-hand the impact of online influencers.

Griffin Johnson with Sandman | courtesy of Griffin Johnson

“We have a path now where we don't have to guess,” he said of a marketing strategy. “… Think about the difference in giving a 25-year-old a chance to hit a button to come to TwinSpires to sign up with a coupon code, as opposed to seeing a TV ad and then having to go to a website, and if they haven't been exposed to our industry, to learn a little bit about it…. I don't see a path forward for a national marketing program. But I see a lot of opportunities for the racetracks overall to be very surgical in their investment in their areas to get people to be made aware of what's going on at the racetrack and what you can do to be part of the races by betting on that race.”

The panel “Marketing Racing in Today's Competitive World” followed and highlighted the efforts of Light Up Racing. Their mission is to provide transparency, real-time updates and accurate information about increased efforts to keep horses safe while also dispelling misinformation by engaging teams of volunteers to post responses setting the record straight.

Price Bell, one of Light Up Racing's founders, used the example of social-media posts accusing 2-year-old racing of being bad for horses. Light Up Racing's ambassadors point out that studies have established that 2-year-old racing actually benefits bone development.

The session also featured The Heart of Horse Racing, an enterprise created by Bond in partnership with award-winning branding videographer Jimmy Chaffin of Integrated Marketing, which specializes in creative strategy and visual storytelling.

The post ARCI Conference Delves Into Social Media Issues For The Industry appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article