…it’s something much simpler. Let me explain. This weekend offered a primer in great marketing in the guise of the Rock and Roll Half Marathon. Nearly 20,000 people, most not premier athletes (and I proudly count myself among them) are convinced to go out and pound through the pain to complete a race whose length probably inspired Henry Ford to envision the horseless carriage. Great marketing is all over this event – from Virginia Beach’s pitch as the best place to wrap up the waning days of summer, to the gear hawkers at the event’s Health and Fitness Expo promising faster shoes and sweat-shedding gear. And it worked. We forked out big bucks to be in pain for a couple of hours to taste the glory of crossing the finish line and having stories to tell over the beers that followed the event. As a guy who has spent thirty years honing his marketing craft, I was impressed.

But there’s always the anomaly that sticks out like the a sore thumb, and it occurred for me at the Health and Fitness Expo that preceded today’s race. As I strolled among the thousands of people picking through discounted gear and trying samples of everything from lite beer to frozen fruit and the new miracle energy drinks – there it was. The guy sitting in the booth selling vinyl replacement windows. In the middle of runner’s world. By comparison, the Maytag repairman was a busy guy. I can see the marketing talking heads in their planning skull session. “Sure, people who run need replacement windows and what a great captive environment to talk to 20,000 of them! We’ll probably even do better than that booth we had a the Home & Flower Show!” Bad fit. Bad marketing. Waste of money. I hope the salesman at least got a deal on some new running shoes. He deserved better and should have gotten it from his company’s marketing department.