Gibson Carothers has written a fascinating article titled The Carrot That Can Save Racing which looks at whether racing should be promoted as a game rather than entertainment and whether current advertising campaigns (that fail to correctly define the product they are selling) are ineffective in promoting the industry.

The article was awarded an Honorable Mention in the News Commentary section of the 2005 Eclipse Awards.

"Even though the popularity of horse racing has been going south for many, many years, the recent talk of its decline seems to have escalated to new heights. From newspaper articles to speeches by top racing executives to the tearful farewells of retiring jockeys, we're hearing more and more calls to "save our great sport."

[...]

But what's odd about horse racings current situation is that prior to agreeing on whom the prime prospect is, the industry needs to determine what the product is. In all my years in advertising, I can't recall a client who was so conflicted about its own product.

What is horse racing?