Capital Criterium
Work
Naming, Tagline, Brand strategy, Identity, Copywriting, Website, Print collateral, Merchandise, Signage, Advertising (TV, radio, web), Sponsorship packages, Event planning, Documentation
Challenge
The Capital Criterium is Washington, DC's only professional cycling race. Launched in 2008 as the ING Direct Capital Criterium powered by CycleLife, the race brought together hundreds of top professionals, including riders from the Tour de France and the Olypmics, for a race framed by the US Capitol and the District of Columbia City Hall. In 2009, however, the hard-hitting recession didn't spare the capital city and the race was postponed for lack of a title sponsor. For 2010, Race Director Mark Sommers wanted to make sure this wouldn't happen again and wanted to upgrade the complete brand identity to make it have a stronger presence in the market as well as be in a better position to attract top sponsors. The client also wanted something bold that would lend itself well to a merchandising program that would be set up for future races.
Solution
We first started with the logo and the color palette. The original logo had numerous versions and the color palette was more tied to the original sponsor than to the event itself which we felt left the event with a weaker overall brand position. Working through this stage, we also suggested that the official name of "Capital Criterium" be shortened to "CapCrit" which was the way that locals referred to the race anyway. This made it easier to talk about also made it easier when referring people to the website. We also wanted to highlight the race's unique place in the capital and created the tagline to work with the new race name: "Where pro cycling meets America's Main Street." Once the name and tagline were decided, we worked through various versions and finally settled on the head tube "badge" as a good reference point and clarified the palette with colors symbolic of the nation's capital aspect of the race. Because of the number of potential touchpoints, we also wanted to create a unique graphic element that could be used in various forms throughout all aspects of the event. Gradient ribbons that helped convey motion and also the race aspect of the event, helped tie everything together.
Impact
The 2010 race successfully acquired a new group of sponsors. The Washington Convention and Sports Authority came on as the Presenting Sponsor and other sponsors that joined included CycleLife, Don Beyer Volvo, Clean Currents, and Verizon. Media partners included ABC7/NewsChannel8 & TBD and ClearChannel. The 2010 "re-launch" as also resulted in a 2011 race date that will mark the final race for both the USA Cycling National Race Calendar and the USA Crits series.
Client Quote
"Diligent Rocket has been an integral partner in helping us build the CapCrit into a world-class cycling event. Their strategic insight on branding and bringing the many moving pieces together was invaluable. They helped maximize the real potential of our event, and their ability to visually and tangibly express our goals in a timely and comprehensive manner was extremely impressive. I highly recommend these guys to anyone looking to take their brand to the next level."
Mark Sommers
Founder & Race Director
Capital Criterium