If you visit the website, FamousBirthdays.net (yes, it’s official, there’s a website for EVERYTHING) , you’ll learn that:
- The most famous rendition of "Happy Birthday" is when Marilyn Monroe sang to "Happy Birthday, Mr President" to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden on 19 May 1962.
- Paul McCartney's Birth Certificate was auctioned in March 1997, for US $84,146. It is believed to be the world's most expensive Birth Certificate.
- The Sultan of Brunei hosted the world's most expensive Birthday Party to celebrate his 50th Birthday on 13 July, 1996 The cost was a whopping US $27.2 million. Three concerts featuring Michael Jackson costs US $16 million of the total amount.
- Anne Frank's world famous diary was given to her as a present for her 13th birthday.
- William Shakespeare's died on his 52nd birthday: 23 April 1616.
Birthdays and anniversaries offer we in PR ready-made opportunities for promotion. I experienced this first hand this past Saturday when I attended Laurel Racetrack’s 100th anniversary celebration.
Depending on where you were at the track, you had the chance to score some free pieces of birthday cake (my girlfriend went back for seconds), pick up a free poster (featuring covers from past programs, such as one recognizing the famed Washington, D.C. International which later morphed into the Breeders’ Cup) and commemorative key chain. There were giveaways between races including free Ipads, gift certificates to local restaurants and $1,000 trips to Baltimore and Annapolis.
It was nice…I even saw Brooks Robinson who was dining at the Terrace Restaurant…though generally, when you celebrate 100 years, a CENTURY of your existence, you might want something a bit…well…MORE.
Okay, I didn’t mention the Jack Russell Terrier races and an appearance by Medieval Times (advertised, though I didn’t see them myself), but where were the fireworks? The pizzazz…the EXCITEMENT?
You could say, well, the HORSE RACING is supposed to provide that…and that’s the problem.
I learned from a Maryland Racing Commission source that in the 1980s, the biggest moneymaker for the State of Maryland came from…yes, you guessed it, thoroughbred horse racing. Makes sense, it was the only form of public, acceptable, LEGAL gambling available. Now, all you need is a computer and you can gamble to your heart’s content (and your wallet’s woe).
Racing just doesn’t have…the JAZZ anymore. Not like in those old 1930s movies when it seemed a day at the races was just the thing for the hoi polloi, a place to be seen, it was…GLAMOUROUS.
Having gone to racetracks and witnessed people in the their PAJAMA BOTTOMS in the grandstand, I’d say it doesn’t quite make “glamorous” anymore.
But maybe that’s okay. Maybe racing doesn’t have to be the “be all and end all” anymore—which raises an interesting PR question. Is it okay to be…well, just OKAY?
Not every entertainment or diversion is going to be “the next big thing,” or have that kick-in-the-pants WOW factor. It was clear that those on hand for the Laurel event were enjoying themselves. I know I did (I hit winners in two races!), and I have to say, I’ve dined several times at Laurel’s Terrace Restaurant and have thoroughly enjoyed the food and the portions (never stingy).
My girlfriend finds a day at the races…RELAXING. You sit, you can watch the races either live or from your own personal TV or on a big screen and just…well, chill.
And maybe that’s the angle for racing to take in remaking its brand. Forget the “GO BABY GO!” Young people just aren’t going to get excited about racing because it either smacks too much of the aforementioned 1930s films or seems like “your grandfather’s vice” to others.
Could racing become…well, like GOLF? Something pastoral…something RESTFUL. You watch the ponies fly by, you look at the sky, you make a bet or two just for fun, you have a relaxing meal. In today's 24-7-365-110mph world of tweets, posts, and unlimited access to everybody anytime, the need for simpler, stress reducing events are all the more vital. Perhaps in the future, we'll see amusement parks that will be simply that: AMUSING, i.e. defined as that which pleases, causes a smile...not loud, outrageous, bone-shaking excitement...not that there's anything wrong with that, but as we are all becoming increasingly harried, perhaps the future lies in entertainment that's more RESTFUL than ROLLERCOASTER-like.
And what’s the matter with that?
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