PBF: The most effective marketing tool in one of the fastest-growing spectator sports in America

It’s time to learn the only marketing opportunity tied to the only sport that requires one human being to save the life of another.

One of the fastest-growing spectator sports in the United States is bull riding. Fans are drawn by the aspect of danger and getting to see someone engage a dangerous animal many times their size. A cowboy either will ride the animal for the qualifying eight seconds and dismount voluntarily, or he will be thrown by the bull. Either way, the action isn’t over when the cowboy hits the dirt.

That’s where the athletes of the Professional Bullfighters step in to protect the riders so they can live to ride another day. This is the sport of protection bullfighting.

From a marketing standpoint, consider the opportunities. The arena is perfect for hanging signage that displays a company or product. These are visible to those who attend the event and show up in the background of photos that or in video footage. The bucking chutes are the best location, because they are the focus of the spectators prior to a ride. There are also bull riders, who wear patches projecting company logos and bulls carrying corporate names.

While all of these marketing tools are utilized, the best marketing opportunity had been completely overlooked until recently. The most-effective marketing tool is the professional bullfighter, particularly when utilized in the manner created by the PBF.

For most of the history of bull riding, the bullfighters dressed as clowns. Their function was dual purpose: when they weren’t protecting bull riders, they could entertain the crowd. As time passed, fewer bullfighters performed comedy, and the entertainment aspect was passed on to the barrel clown. But when trying to tie bullfighters as athletes in with corporate sponsorship, the clown aspect limited opportunities.

Bullfighters are typically hired by contractors and rodeo committees. In trying to keep costs under control, bullfighters often were hired based upon price, not necessarily on how well they protected bull riders. Until the PBF came along, there was no written criteria that defined what bullfighting was, so there was no way to determine who was doing a good job and who wasn’t.

So the PBF created criterion and standards for the industry and removed the clown clothes in favor of sponsor-friendly attire. In addition, the PBF utilized the criterion to create a contest in which bullfighters could be evaluated on how well they were doing their jobs. Instead of being “hired hands,” the bullfighters became contestants. It is now possible to determine who did the best job at a given event and crown a champion, not only at each event but also a season’s world champion.

Enter the marketing opportunity. 

At a typical two-night bull riding, there will be 50 rides per night. The PBF brings in five two-man teams of bullfighters. Each team will work and be scored on the same number of rides in the contest. Each team is sponsored and is identified by that sponsor each time the tandem enters the arena – Team Daisy, for example. At a typical event, each team will be identified when they are introduced at the beginning of the event and at least 10 other times when it is their turn to protect and compete. Each time a team does something notable, the announcer will bring the work to the crowd’s attention: “Look at the work of Team Daisy.”

Periodically, the scores are presented, so each team will get a mention each time.  Throughout the event, fans are continuously hearing the corporate names as much or more than they will hear the names of any other sponsor in the arena. The bullfighters, in corporate-identifiable jerseys, will show up in newspapers and in television footage, either in the background or as the focus of the photo or story for the work they are doing.

Remember, they are directly responsible for the life of the bull rider. Heroism has always been respected and marketable.

All of that would be the best opportunity at the event if that’s all there was to it, but there is much more. During the event, bull riding historically favors the bull having more success throwing the rider. This tends to be true at most events, and from a production standpoint, it leaves the announcer with a dilemma.

What can the announcer do?  “Look at the work of Team Daisy as they pulled that bull away and saved the life of that cowboy.” The contest itself encourages the announcer and crowd to focus on the work of the bullfighters and, thus, the corporate partner. The bullfighters have an autograph session at the end of the event so that fans can visit and get an autograph on corporate identified materials.

Except for the bullfighters, everything within the arena stays in the arena and exposure is limited to the number of spectators at the event. In the PBF, the bullfighters arrive days ahead of events and are available to make public appearances at sponsors’ places of business in sponsor-identified clothing. The bullfighters are available to do TV and radio and are identified by their team name giving exposure to their corporate sponsors.

The PBF program is the most effective way to market a product in the fastest-growing sport in America, bar none. The PBF not only trains its bullfighters in the art of protecting riders, but it also gives media and public-relations training. Bull ridings exist at all skill levels in all areas of the country, and all need bull fighters. If you want to target a specific area or region, there is probably going to be a bull riding there. If there isn’t a bull-riding event in the area, one can be created.