Here is a video of another live race element from Milwaukee. This one from the Admirals hockey club.

A couple things to really like about this promotion:

• The team paid attention to the details: Custom music, a scripted race, mascot involvement
• The added twist of a celebrity under one of the costumes
• High quality costumes, which accurately reflected the sponsor packaging
• Fans who had a stake in the action: The four fans on the balcony who would have one something if their racer won

To maximize the impact, many teams use their race with a coupon (so whole sections win a prize if their racer wins). Obviously this is a more expensive proposition for the sponsor, but it can really increase the effectiveness and crowd participation in a live race contest like this.

Live races are really gaining popularity….a live race (the President’s Race in DC) was the Best Contest of 2007 on Gameops.com and it’s the gold standard for live races.

–Cudo

• With promotions like this and their always fresh content I will also nominate the Milwaukee Admirals for Best Team Operations in 2008.