Creating Success With Tried, True and New (OPINION)

In 1944, Thurman “Shorty” Parsons knew something needed to be done. 

It was the height of World War II, and the stress of war was taking a toll on the country, including here in our little corner.  Shorty thought a distraction, an escape of sorts, would help relieve some of the stress.

That’s when he organized the first Rodeo of the Ozarks.

Back then, it was just a local, amateur event.  Today, it is among the nation’s premier professional rodeos. 

Just a month ago, during Independence Day weekend, the Rodeo of the Ozarks marked its 70th year, and the board of directors wanted to make this year’s rodeo especially memorable.

To do so would require that we step up our game from a marketing and public relations standpoint. We wanted to create buzz, excitement and anticipation. As a nonprofit organization, we couldn’t afford a shotgun approach to marketing in hopes that our message would hit the target audience. We had to be more strategic in our approach. The strategy worked, hands down.

Our marketing plan coupled tried and true methods of advertising with new technologies that made our message more accessible, appealing and impactful. Frankly, our goal was for everyone in Northwest Arkansas to see our message.

We started with the development of a special edition cover for our rodeo program — one that said “rodeo” on first glance. Our slogan was “An American Classic for 70 Years.” The design had a rustic, Western look and feel that incorporated the number 70 into the layout — with the zero in the number being that of a rolled up lasso rope. 

The design was featured not only on the cover of the rodeo program, but on other collateral materials as well.

From there we started developing and implementing our plan with great intensity about 40 days prior to the rodeo’s start.

Our strategy included proven methods such as outdoor, cable television and radio advertising, supplemented with a publicity blitz.  Board members Tex Holt, Joe Rollins, Charles George, Steve Smith, executive director Rick Culver and I made appearances on TV and radio stations throughout the area. We focused on radio programs that cater to our target market.

We aligned ourselves with partners around the region — primarily feed and hardware stores. Posters and counter cards were placed in stores from Pea Ridge to Siloam Springs.  The patrons who shop at those retailers are the same faces seen in the stands at a rodeo.

In the month leading up to the rodeo, one would have been hard-pressed to drive anywhere in Northwest Arkansas without seeing a yard sign.  We made sure we erected signs at every major intersection in the area. 

Cost-effectiveness and ROI were key success measurements for us. We believe we hit the jackpot by utilizing social media and by tapping into the substantial resources of our major chambers of commerce.

Three weeks prior to the start of the rodeo, we began to enhance the quality and quantity of our Facebook postings.  We boosted the reach on a $15 budget  — yep, $15 — and tapped into more than 6,300 unique visitors, about 75 percent of whom were female.  It also introduced us to a younger demographic group — people aged 23 to 34.  The boost generated 650 new “likes” over that period, which represented a 46-percent increase over normal activity.

Area chambers of commerce, which have always been good partners for the rodeo, really stepped up this year. Each distributed email blasts to members in the two weeks leading up to the rodeo.  One message was a “save the date” reminder.  Another was a “call to action,” encouraging people to buy tickets early and save money.

Our multifaceted, multimedia marketing approach was strategic and targeted. With 70 years of experience, we know who our audience is and we went after them with gusto.

The proof is in the numbers: More than 19,000 people attended this year with receipts exceeding $276,700 — a banner year by any stretch. Dollars remaining after expenses will be donated to select local nonprofit organizations and academic scholarship recipients.

Lessons learned: think strategically, know your audience, know where you have to go to reach them and set measureable goals.

Shorty Parsons would be proud to see how the distraction he created in 1944 is still entertaining young and old alike. And, he’d be reminding us to mark our calendars now for the 2015 Rodeo of the Ozarks, July 1-4. 

Sach Oliver is a founding partner of Bailey & Oliver Law Firm in Rogers and a member of the Rodeo of the Ozarks board of directors. He can be reached at 479-202-5200.