How a £3.6 Million Marketing Campaign Revived British Racing and Is Coming Back Stronger

The Success of 'The Going Is Good' Campaign

'The Going Is Good', the £3.6 million national marketing campaign launched by British racing this summer, is set to return next year after being credited with significantly boosting attendances and interest in the sport.

Funded by the Levy Board, this campaign was hailed as the largest ever attempted by British racing. It followed the 'Everyone's Turf' marketing drive from three years prior, which was criticized for its lack of impact.

Key Performance Metrics

Attendances at British tracks increased by five per cent over the first half of the year. Simon Michaelides of Great British Racing highlighted that the national campaign played a crucial role in this growth. At the midpoint of the campaign, there was a 60 per cent increase in traffic to racecourse websites across 34 sites, helping to filter out the impact of larger fixtures.

Michaelides noted, "That traffic has a really close correlation to the geographic hotspots for the campaign. So when we were able to track and ask where the traffic is coming from, it's coming from all the areas where the campaign has been most concentrated."

The Going Is Good campaign ran across video-on-demand platforms, social media and podcasts, as well as cinema, billboards and radio

Targeting Millennials and Boosting Engagement

The campaign specifically targeted millennials aged 30 to 44, who had been under-represented in British racing's audience. Michaelides reported that this group, as a proportion of traffic, doubled from pre-campaign to during the campaign. Ticket sales also saw a five per cent increase.

While it's challenging to attribute these gains exclusively to the national campaign, Michaelides emphasized, "The only consistent new variable year-on-year that does seem to be underpinning some of these trends is the national campaign."

Positive Impact on Horse Welfare

The campaign incorporated horse welfare activities, leading to "really positive results." Traffic to the HorsePWR website more than doubled, and welfare concerns dipped by about four per cent. Interestingly, as welfare concerns decreased, interest in racing increased by four per cent during the same period.

Brant Dunshea: "We're working together collaboratively as a sport in a positive new way"

Future Plans and Strategic Vision

BHA chief executive Brant Dunshea acknowledged that while proving a direct link to increased attendances is difficult, "it's clear to us that it's a contributing factor." He added, "If you extrapolate that out, in terms of additional revenue to the sport that those racecourse attendances this year are delivering, it's material. It's really quite material."

Dunshea highlighted that this success demonstrates strategic vision and collaborative efforts within the sport. GBR has developed a 2026 business plan, and a grant application is being considered by the Levy Board.

Michaelides outlined plans for the campaign's return, stating, "We would envisage the same creative being used, the same advertising being used again next year but just with some embellishments, some new things integrated into the campaign." He emphasized leveraging data from this year's performance to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, ensuring the creative idea can endure long-term.