A Race to Success for The Creek

Founded in 1968, Albion Park Harness Racing Club (APHRC) is the leading metropolitan harness racing club in Queensland, conducting over 150 race meets each year. Intent on growing their current member base, APHRC needed to find new ways to attract social race goers.

The Challenge

APHRC has a deep-rooted history in the racing industry, with long-term loyalty from avid harness racing fans, trainers and members. However, attendances and membership had slowly declined in the last two decades.

With the appointment of a new Executive Manager in 2020, APHRC saw an opportunity to grow its membership base by appealing to both industry participants and new social race goers. We began by building a strategic marketing plan and establishing an updated brand that would form the foundation for APHRC to build greater awareness, grow their member base and appeal to new markets in the racing industry.

Step 1: The Strategy

Did you know that it’s five times more expensive to attract new customers than it is to retain existing ones?

Many businesses in the hospitality industry get caught up in trying to bring in new customers, associating more people with greater profit. However, often times a new customer will only visit your venue once!

Think about all the time, effort and earnings you’ve invested in events and campaigns to attract those patrons… all for one visit.

If 2020 has taught us anything it’s that the ones closest to you matter the most, so why not invest in your local and loyal customers. Studies have shown that nurturing existing relationships with customers and improving customer retention by as little as 5% can increase your profits by anywhere from 25% – 95%. Rewarding your loyal patrons through the implementation of effective loyalty programs, will not only encourage continued visitation, but will also improve customer satisfaction. Furthermore, issuing promotions and events such as creating VIP nights, recognizing patrons’ birthdays and offering other promotional benefits are all successful methods of showing your customers how much they matter to you.

Step 2: Building the Brand

Following ‘The Creek’s’ conception, the image of the brand had to be developed. With a focus on individualism and modernity, a new logo was created including a vibrant orange and royal blue colour scheme that brought the tradition of harness racing into the future.

Step 3: Introducing ‘The Creek’

To introduce ‘The Creek’ to the market, an overhaul of their website was completed. A custom-designed WordPress site was developed, that enhanced usability, provided optimised landing pages with monitorable data and updated offerings on The Creek’s membership tiers and dining options including Pacers and Chasers and The Creek Bar.

Step 4: Focusing On Digital

To accompany its new branding, we implemented a variety of digital projects, equipping The Creek with a new integrated email and SMS platform, automated email signatures, new point-of-sale (POS) system, membership system and member app. With modern consumers preferring digital platforms for communication, these updated systems are not only easier to use, but also have greater value for patrons.

Step 5: Training

To support the re-branding and implementation of these strategies and systems, we trained The Creek’s in-house marketing team, so they were able to successfully reach their new target audience. This included group strategy and mentoring workshops that focused on active marketing via content delivery and campaigns.

Step 6: Creating Awareness

The final step was to build brand awareness.

To align with The Creek’s new target demographic, we developed a digital marketing strategy, utilising a variety of advertising mediums with the aim of generating a strong social presence.

The redirection from billboards, radio and social advertising maximised the efficacy of this strategy, increasing website views and interactions. Additional support strategies included welcoming new brand ambassadors Luttsy and Emily Seebohm, who promoted The Creek’s new membership options.

The Creek’s re-branding debut rolled out with the launch of its annual Summer Racing Carnival. We set up a variety of radio, outdoor and digital advertisements to showcase The Creek’s new face and appeal to the social race goers.

After the success of the Summer Carnival, Maer Group has now completed a new marketing campaign for the 2021 TAB Constellations.

A Final Word

The Creek’s CEO Scott Steele confirmed the incredible transformation for The Creek over the past twelve months.

“When we look back at our brand and marketing from 2020 and compare it to what we have now, the results are chalk and cheese,” Scott said.

“We have a modern and exciting brand that has attracted over 350 new members and are seeing attendances grow to record levels not seen for decades.

‘We’ve also developed industry leading systems that give us the infrastructure to continue to grow as a club and provide an unrivaled member experience.

“The marketing improvements implemented by Maer Group have transformed the experience for members and attracted new audiences to our race nights.”