My inspiration for today's post is an example of a product/business that has found the power of the triathlon community. My relationship with this company started 20 years ago when i was a freshman at Providence College in Rhode Island and lived across the hall from a guy named Jon Mason. Jon was a walk-on for the PC baseball team and an avid golfer. We became friends and would spend the next 4 years seeing each other at random parties and other social settings. As with so many other college friends, we eventually lost touch after graduation. (This was before Facebook). Fast forward 10 years and Jon successfully launched an all-natural hybrid energy drink company called SwingJuice. His intent was to create a sports drink that wasn't loaded with all the crap in most of today's brands and add some essential vitamins and other natural ingredients. What started as a drink only found on college campuses in RI is now making it's way through the New England/New York (and online) sports world.
After Jon and i met up again last year for the first time in 15 years, i brought him into the world of triathlon. Being an athlete, Jon had attended and sponsored various road races, but never knew the true power of the community. I truly believe it was only when i took him into my basement and showed him my gear (from my bike, to my multiple pairs of running shoes, to my wetsuit, and everything in between), did he realize just how committed to quality products triathletes are. We are part of a sport where sponsorship and brand recognition is the cornerstone of the industry. Think about what happens when you are running behind someone (for those of us not in the lead) during the last leg of a race...you are constantly focused on the sponsorship on the back of that person's singlet in front of you...or when the Kona champ is pictured crossing the finish line with their respective country's flag...their major sponsor is front in center. Why do these companies pay top-dollars for this space?? Because we all run (no pun intended) right out and purchase whatever it was that the winner was riding on or wearing or drinking. If it makes them fast, then why not me???
These images, along with my basement, smacked Jon right on the side of the head. He realized, with very little convincing, that if he makes a good product, we will not only buy it but we will tell our friends (and maybe, our competition). Well, let me tell you this...after sampling a few bottles last year, SwingJuice is now my energy drink of choice. I tried it for a couple months, used it on some long runs and rides, and because it works for me and my stomach, Jon now has a customer for life. SwingJuice may never be as big as Gatorade and it may not be the right drink for everyone, but Jon (as well as many other niche companies) has quickly realized that our community has certain needs...and if you fill that individual's need, you have our commitment and our wallet. I truly believe our loyalty and how a product affects our performance (both positively and negatively), as well as our demographics, are why you will see many more companies focusing in on the triathlon consumer. If it will make us faster, you have our attention. Check out Jon's site and see if it's worth the switch...www.swingjuice.com
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