LA JOLLA, CA - June 3, 2002 - The active lifestyle market gets an adrenaline boost this year when 300 sponsored athletes take to streets and trails nationwide to promote top products for athletes of all levels. These top age-group athletes are part of the Active Elite team, a program designed to increase brand awareness for companies with products tailored specifically for athletes. The program, developed by The Active Sports Marketing Group (ASMG), leverages athletes actively using the products to educate participants and event organizers. This year's sponsors and products include title sponsor CNS, Inc.'s Breathe Right® nasal strips, Procter & Gamble's ThermaCare® air-activated heat wraps, Optimer's Dri-Release® performance fabric and Club Med's active lifestyle vacations.
"The best testimonial for an active lifestyle product is from one of your peers actually using the product. We're heading into our second year with Active Elite and last year's results show how effective a brand can be when it "participates with" instead of "messaging at" its buying demographic," explained Bernie Freeman, vice president of The Active Network, parent company of ASMG. "These athletes will be participating in over 1,800 events across the nation, promoting the credibility and benefits of their sponsors' products to millions of pre-qualified, target consumers. This is an extremely viral campaign, but more importantly, it's the credibility of the messenger that makes this type of program so effective."
Wearing Breathe Right nasal strips, using ThermaCare's heat therapy and racing in singlets made of Dri-Release, the Active Elite team is proving these products make a big difference in training and competition. The athletes will compete at races around the country, offering product samples and educating participants and race directors about the products' benefits for endurance sports. This year, the program will also feature several elite athletes, including Brian Fleischmann, Hunter Kemper, Jessi Stensland and Peter Tanui.
The male and female athletes were hand-selected for their leadership and athletic skills - most compete regularly - and their sphere of influence within their training circles. From California and Colorado to Indiana and Pennsylvania, the team is diverse in background, age, accomplishments and sport. The athletes, ages 18-40, regularly compete and place top in their age-group in running, cycling, triathlon and mountain biking events. As Active Elite athletes, the team is compensated with free product, gear, and additional monies depending on media exposure.
"Breathe Right nasal strips have a long history of helping athletes of all kinds and we are thrilled to once again be involved with the Active Elite team," said Marti Morfitt, president and chief executive officer of CNS. "We're relying on our 300 athletes to help educate others on how Breathe Right nasal strips can help you breathe easier - whether you're suffering from a cold or allergies or trying to elevate athletic performance."
About the Sponsors' Products
As the #1 drug-free nasal congestion reliever in the U.S., athletes wear Breathe Right nasal strips because they are a proven, easy and safe way to breathe better and recuperate faster during workouts and competitions. Dri-Release is a patented, moisture-transporting fabric that offers the best qualities of cotton and polyester, moving moisture away from the skin, drying quickly and always feeling soft like a favorite t-shirt. ThermaCare is an ultra-thin, wearable air-activated heat wrap designed to provide long-lasting, powerful pain relief plus deep muscle relaxation, before, during or after workouts. A global leader in active lifestyle vacations and the world's largest sports club, Club Med provides the ultimate stress reliever for athletes.
The Active Sports Marketing Group
The Active Sports Marketing Group (ASMG), a property of The Active Network, provides the most effective channel for businesses to reach individual and team-based participatory sport athletes at the grassroots level. ASMG's targeted online and offline integrated marketing packages help companies looking to expand their business into the active lifestyle market, introduce or grow existing brands, penetrate new markets and more. ASMG (www.theasmg.com) represents a wealth of successful media properties on Active.com (www.active.com) and eteamz (www.eteamz.com), two core Web properties of The Active Network, and also leverages the sites' unique relationships with thousands of event, league and recreation professionals to deliver targeted marketing messages to tens of thousands of athletes onsite at their "point of sweat." For more information about The Active Network, visit www.theactivenetwork.com.