Every once in a while you come across one of those great events that make so much sense you can’t figure out why they don’t get more support. One of those is The Dream Ride For Special Olympics, a six day motorcycle ride, complete with social activation and local events, that raises money for Special Olympics and creates buzz and awareness all along the ride with a very special cast of participants. The course is carefully mapped, advance teams bring out those benefiting along the route, and the result is one of the best awareness campaigns touching multiple markets for any cause in the U.S.
On August 26th, the ride culminates in CT where the Dream Ride Experience, a 3-day international extravaganza at the Farmington Polo Club takes place. This international event includes a motorcycle rally and ride for thousands of bikes, and for cars, a Dream Cruise and Dream Show, and this year, a new Bike Show sponsored by American Iron Magazine.
We caught up with Marilyn DeMartini to find out what makes the ride so special.
How did Dream Ride as a property get started?
Michael Bozzuto (President and CEO of Bozzuto’s Inc. a leading grocery store supplier) and a few friends did a charity motorcycle run 17 years ago to raise money for Special Olympics. Bozzuto doesn’t just write checks—he DOES things. He grew the event over the years to include multiple countries, states and communities and the Dream Ride Experience now draws thousands for a 3-day event in Farmington, CT, following a 6-day ride from FL2CT and brings hundreds of athletes from around the world to be honored for their accomplishments.
What elements make it unique from a media perspective when you are looking for coverage?
When you have a caravan of 43 motorcycles, several exotic cars, a Ferrari 18-wheel hauler and trucks of support crews riding into a small town, it is quite a spectacle! And when there are groups of athletes waiting for us, waving signs and jumping up and down when we roll into town, it adds the touching human element to the motorcade. There are more smiles, hugs, tears and laughter than at an Italian wedding!
What are the hardest elements of the trip to sustain interest in?
Stamina and the weather! We can’t just hold-up somewhere when it’s raining—we have athletes waiting for us so we are on a schedule and have to stay on it. We are hoping that the gods are with us this year—last year, not so much!
How do brands activate on the trip? Are there great examples or an example of a brand taking advantage?
More brands could take better advantage of this event. The juried car show draws an amazing amount of people and this year, American Iron Magazine joined to sponsor a motorcycle show, but even Harley Davidson hasn’t come onboard and most of the participants are on Harleys. This year, I bought an Indian and the new dealer in South Florida, (Treasure Coast Indian Motorcycle of Hobe Sound) sponsored half my ride. I’m trying to get them additional coverage through blogging and social media along the route, as I am very grateful for the company’s generosity and support. They are also hosting an event at their dealership to promote Dream Ride and host the athletes who LOVE all the shiny, noisy bikes!
How important is the social space in conveying information?
Social Media is HUGE for Dream Ride. Most all of the athletes have Facebook pages and post a lot of information as does the Dream Ride page and all of the participants. It is the best way to spread the word and the YouTube videos are great too in capturing the emotion of the events. We have a great professional video crew with us.
You have worked on a number of unique properties over the years, what is the best?
From fitness, golf, powerboat racing, including Cigarette Racing Team—which ironically is NOT a racing team but an iconic powerboat brand—to yachts, motorcycle rallies and now Dream Ride, I can honestly say that I have enjoyed a strange and wonderful “ride”—but it all ties back into my passion for the outdoors, sports and fitness. The Dream Ride enables me to use my love of motorsports and sports to benefit Special Olympics, which is a very powerful force in changing the athletes’ lives. The marine industry has been very supportive, including a long-time client, Latham Marine, (they manufacture performance after-market parts for boats) who has supported Team PR Power from day one.
You also do a great deal of work with the senior community, how valuable is that demo to brands and why?
Seniors rock. They have so much wisdom, experience and often, money, and in sheer numbers, they make up a large segment of the population—and one that needs to keep moving. The problem is, many seniors feel they have lost their relevance and that is why I love making fitness fun for them—they need to keep their vitality and feel that they matter. It makes them feel and move better. And, as a Baby Boomer, looking at 10,000 people turning 65 EACH DAY for the next 10 years—we also represent a huge piece of the “senior” market, though most of us don’t think of ourselves as “senior”—we feel more like kids in aging bodies! And that means that we are all spending money on services and products that help us stay or feel young. Read the book, Turning Silver into Gold and it lays it all out clearly. Brands need to take advantage of this market—we have money and are willing to spend it!
Are there properties or brands that you think do a good job engaging with that growing demo?
The insurance companies are spending a lot of time and money into trying to keep their insured healthy so they keep making money on us. I find that a very interesting twist in health care. The drug companies are obviously doing a good job too, convincing us through TV commercials that we need this or that pill. Plastic surgeons and the nutritional companies are trying to get their piece, but I think the companies that should be courting us are the gyms and fitness media companies.
When this year’s ride is over, how do you judge success, and what’s next for you?
To top last year’s total of $1.35 million is a big challenge. But Bozzuto’s Inc., because of its clout in the grocery industry and because of Mike Bozzuto and his friends’ combined collections, there is also great clout in the automotive market—they bring big sponsorships to the event. But it is really the $10 here or $20 there from our team supporters that help make the big difference. No donation is too small. The fund raising is only one part of success, however, the FUN raising for the athletes is the most important aspect of our success and each smile and hug makes us ALL feel successful. We develop relationships with athletes that we keep up year-round. We help give them a social life that they might not have without us and they give us more inspiration than they will ever know!
What’s next? Making my concept of Dynamic Aging a part of my personal brand, FIT Lauderdale, and what I bring to all ages—which is putting the FUN into your WORK out. We don’t need to age “gracefully” – we can age DYNAMICALLY!
