TDRA Case





	Zero to 18K in 6 weeks This is the story of how three dedicated cyclists came up with an idea, pitched it and took it from zero awareness to a national media event using only public relations and web site marketing in less than six weeks. George Siegle (husband of Ann Siegle), and his friend Dave Racine came up with an idea to raise money for cancer survivorship. The idea was to create an event built around cycling the track at the Grand Prix of Road America, held annually at Elkhart Lake, WI. Together, George, Ann and Dave went on to create and promote this successful event: The Identity: The group dubbed their event the Tour de Road America, and Ann designed the Tour’s logo, sponsor banners, tee shirts and flyers. The Meeting: July 3. At the ChampCar Grand Prix of Cleveland, Ann, George and Dave pitched the development and marketing staff from three teams, and Champ Car. They had received the green light from Road America to host the event in the days leading up to the Cleveland Grand Prix. While the idea was well received, there were many loose ends that ChampCar wanted nailed down, including the delivery of Lance Armstrong himself, before they’d make a commitment. The Launch: The web site went live on July 4, with server space and design donated by Radia Creative. The First Press: Mid July: Cyclists and auto racing fans to raise $25,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. By George Siegle It all started less than six weeks ago with two guys who simply wanted to ride their bikes at Road America, regarded by many as the most beautiful and challenging road racing circuit in the United States. Both were planning to attend a big weekend of auto racing at the track, and wanted to combine their passion for open-wheel auto racing with some recreational cycling in the rolling hills of the Kettle Moraine area of Wisconsin. Knowing that many people attending the Grand Prix of Road America, August 5-8, would be bringing bicycles and would jump at a chance to ride the track, George Siegle and Dave Racine debated the time and energy necessary to organize a group ride. Almost immediately, they seized upon the idea of a ride on the Road America track benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation. "We wanted it to count for something," said Siegle, "we didn't’t just want it to be a ride on the track. So our thought was ‘let’s do something big…like getting a lot of fans to ride bicycles along side their racing heroes, all in the name of supporting cancer survivorship.’ " "There were already connections between the [Bridgestone Presents the] Champ Car World Series [Powered by Ford] and the Lance Armstrong Foundation through donations by 2003 Champion Paul Tracy," explained Racine, "and most of the drivers in the series cycle as part of their training regimen. With the Tour de France wrapping up just ten days before the Grand Prix, it seemed to be a perfect fit." Their perfect fit, however, faced long odds. They needed approval from the Road America track, the Champ Car series, participation of the racing teams and their drivers, event sponsorship, logistics, public relations, marketing – and all within eight weeks. Inspired by Armstrong’s triumph over cancer, and his victories on the bike, Racine and Siegle decided to "just do it." They used friends in the racing business to reach series officials and team managers. They wrote letters, sent e-mails, and worked the telephone. After a presentation to Champ Car series officials and team representatives, they got the green flag to proceed. "The personal connections were absolutely critical," says Racine. "I think we were in a unique position to put this event together, and so when the opportunity presented itself, we borrowed a favorite phrase of Lance’s ‘Carpe diem – seize the day.’" Almost immediately, Racine and Siegle were able to build a groundswell of support. "So many people’s lives are affected by this disease," said Siegle, "and I think helping out with an event like this gives others a way get personally connected with the fight against cancer." A number of small businesses offered help with graphic design, web hosting, t-shirts, and donations for other event materials. Trek Bikes, sponsor of Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service cycling team, agreed to provide bicycles for the Champ Car drivers. Sports energy drink maker Cytomax stepped up with sponsorship, product, and water bottles. Racine’s brother signed up his teammates at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Cycling Team to staff a booth at the Grand Prix to accept donations, distribute Lance Armstrong Foundation material, and sell "Live Strong" wristbands. Siegle and Racine were soon fielding phone calls and e-mails from people wanting to help out in any way they could. Siebken’s Resort asked to host a celebrity gala for Champ Car team members and Grand Prix spectators. They also began to receive donations for the Lance Armstrong Foundation from friends, family, and from racing forums on the Internet. "Some of the donations came from the Netherlands, Germany, and, of course, the U.S. The series officials, the track, the racing teams, fans, and cyclists have been unbelievably supportive. It’s kind of amazing what has occurred in just three or four weeks," says Siegle. "More than half of the drivers are signed up for the ride," says Racine, "and the rest are expected to join soon – even the non-cyclists! They’ve also contributed memorabilia for a silent auction that will raise funds for the LAF." The participating Champ Car and Trans Am drivers are excited to be a part of the event. "Lance Armstrong is an inspiration," says Champ Car driver Ryan Hunter-Reay. "I am reading his book right now and as an athlete and human being I have an immense amount of respect for him and his foundation. I am honored to participate in the Tour de Road America and I look forward to the opportunity to ride with the Champ Car fans at Road America in effort to support the foundation. Lance is not only an inspiration because of the victories he has achieved, but because his achievements have come through adversity, his own physical health, the biggest adversity for an athlete." Siegle and Racine are members of the Lance Armstrong Foundation Peloton Project, the grassroots fundraising organization of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Their event, the Tour de Road America will take place on August 7th at 7pm at the Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. They have set an impressive goal for their event – "We hope to raise $25,000 by getting 500 cyclists on the track on August 7th" says Siegle. Interested cyclists can register to ride the Tour by visiting www.tour-de-ra.org. Although the event has grown far beyond their original expectations, Siegle and Racine have one more challenge – getting Lance Armstrong to appear at the event. "With his sixth Tour de France victory, we know he’s in great demand," says Racine, "but no one has told us ‘no’ yet, so we’re going to keep pushing until we make it happen or someone tells us to stop." With the success Siegle and Racine have achieved so far, you never know who might show up in Elkhart Lake that weekend. The Event: Race Car Drivers, Fans and Cyclists Raise over $18,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Cancer Survivors ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (September 3, 2004) - The organizers of the Tour de Road America, a Peloton Project benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation, today announced the final results of their fundraising campaign. As of August 27, $18,299 has been contributed to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Of that, $1,000 was from the sale of the popular yellow Live Strong wristbands. The Tour de Road America took place on August 7 during weekend activities at the Grand Prix of Road America, featuring the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. Approximately 400 bicyclists, fans, and world class drivers cycled the historic four-mile race track starting on Saturday evening, capping off a weekend of activities to raise funds and awareness for the LAF. Although the organizers had hoped to reach $25,000, they are happy with the results. "When you consider that on July 4, the Tour de Road America was still in the idea stage, we are very pleased that cyclists and the Champ Car community were able to raise nearly twenty thousand dollars in just a few weeks," said Dave Racine, co-organizer. A significant part of the funds raised came from a contribution by Champ Car presenting sponsor Bridgestone Motorsport. "We’re honored that Bridgestone Motorsport made this donation to the Lance Armstrong Foundation," said co-organizer George Siegle, "and we thank them on behalf of the LAF and cancer survivors." "It was wonderful to see how everyone came together to help raise money to fight cancer," said Racine. "We’d especially like to recognize the assistance of our hosts, sponsors, and volunteers. Without them, this great result would not have been possible." Road America and the Champ Car World Series were instrumental in getting the project from idea to reality. Additional sponsorship and contributions came from Trek Bicycles, CytoSport, Ford Cosworth, Bella’s Custom Design, Siebken’s Resort, Bay Area Message Network, Tria Design and Marketing, Radia Creative, and many of the Champ Car and Trans-Am Series teams. Members of the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater Cycling Team provided help with registration, bike fitting, and ride control. The RuSPORT racing team also showed its support for the Lance Armstrong Foundation by running the #10 Champ Car, driven by A.J. Allmendinger, in all yellow with LAF and "Live Strong" logos during the Grand Prix of Road America. Although additional donations and corporate matching gifts are still coming in, Tour de Road America organizers are already looking forward to 2005. "We’ve had so much interest and enthusiasm for the event this year, we think it might be possible to have 1,000 riders next year," said Siegle. Participating Champ Car drivers were in agreement. Said Mario Dominquez, "The Tour de Road America event…was great, I had a blast. The fans were amazing and it was so much fun to get to do something like this with them. I hope this becomes a tradition." A.J. Allmendinger added, "It was incredible to be part of this Lance Armstrong Foundation bike ride. It was really pretty cool to see everyone come out, and what better place to do the bike ride than around a racetrack like Road America." Tour de Road America has set up an e-mail system where interested people can sign up to receive news and information about next year’s ride. A gallery of photos is also posted on the web site. For more information, visit www.tour-de-ra.org. The Report: In mid August, the Tour organizers provided a marketing report to sponsors and key participants. That report was forwarded by one of the teams integral in the event to the rest of ChampCar teams. It caught some attention. Here’s why: Tour de Road America participation: 400 riders 2 support vehicles 20-30 media personnel Web site Statistics: Reporting Period: July 1 to August 27, 2004 Unique Visitors Number of Visits Pages Viewed July 1,438 2,067 4,944 August 1,781 2,743 14,719 TOTAL 3,219 4,810 19,663 Sponsor Logo Exposure ("home page" and "sponsors and friends" page July 2,240 August 2,123 Total 4,363 Banner Ads Views: Two banner ads were hosted on the Tour de Road America site. Banner ads included Road America and Champ Car logo, plus additional mentions of Road America, Champ Car, and Trans-Am Series. Additional banner ads were hosted elsewhere as well. July 17,573 August 7,697 Total 25,270 News Articles: In addition to the stories below, many media outlets picked up press releases or syndicated stories. Here is a sampling of the articles: • Lance Armstrong Foundation, home page, August 4, 2004, RuSPORT DRIVER A.J. ALLMENDINGER, #10 CHAMP CAR TO "WEAR YELLOW, LIVE STRONG" IN SUPPORT OF THE LANCE ARMSTRONG FOUNDATION AND PEOPLE LIVING WITH CANCER. • Champ Car World Series, home page, July 22, 2004, CHAMP CAR DRIVERS TO AID IN LANCE ARMSTRONG FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER • Milwaukee Journal, August 6, 2004, Tagliani's plan for series victory hits bump • Crash.net, August 8, 2004, Junqueira takes Road America win…on two wheels. • Sheboygan Press, WI - Aug 2, 2004, Interest in Tour de Road America Shifts into High Gear • WhoWon.com - Aug 8, 2004 A different kind of race on the Road America Circuit, by Heather Haupt • WhoWon.com - Aug 5, 2004, Rocketsports' big weekend at Road America • WhoWon.com - Aug 3, 2004, Chase for Vanderbilt Cup reaches halfway point at Road America • crash.net, UK - Aug 6, 2004, RuSport's 'yellow jersey' honour to Armstrong. • The State News, MI - Aug 1, 2004, Local & State • Oriol Seriva.com, Tour de Road America, by Shelly Volmer http://oriolservia.homestead.com/2004_news_RATour.html • RacingWisconsin.Com, Champ Cars and Tour de Road America Cancer Fundraiser, http://www.racingwisconsin.com/ra040713.htm • Speed TV, Aug 8, 2004, Junqueira Wins "Tour de Road America", http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/12393/ • Chicago Athlete Express eNewsletter, July 30, 2004 http://www.chicagoaa.com/news/enewsletter73004.html • The Auto Channel, July 30, 2004, Champ Cars to Road America, Lance Armstrong Foundation Fundraiser, http://www.theautochannel.com/N/F/news/2004/07/30/206603.html?%7BLF%7D& Post Ride / Follow Up: E-Mail Campaign Follow up e-mail included a banner with all sponsor logos - 125 subscribers added themselves to the list following the event. About the Lance Armstrong Foundation Peloton Project The Peloton Project is the LAF's major grassroots fundraising and outreach initiative. Comprised of cyclists, cancer survivors and other volunteers who want to make a difference in the cancer survivorship community, members raise funds and awareness for the LAF in their local communities. In 2003, 6500 Peloton Project members collected more than $4.3 million in donations for the LAF to continue helping cancer survivors live strong. This event is dedicated to the people we love that lost their fight to cancer George and Ann were working hard on the event in part for the people in their lives who were surviving cancer at the time – including Ann’s grandmother, Aimee Dustman. Aimee lost her fight with cancer on September 2nd, 2004.