The Comrades Marathon, the world’s largest ultra-marathon [over 25,000 runners per year] has combined their brand with Monopoly to produce the first City Marathon Monopoly Board Game.
History of the Comrades Marathon Centenary Monopoly Board
Considering years and years of history behind world city marathons, the touching points of landmarks and places of interest on the running courses with the heart of the monopoly board game being “properties” and the fact that these world class marathons are strong brands, make it easy to conclude that when two such strong brands wish to join and share their legacies another success story is born.
These world-renowned marathons have become City Festivals and producing a Custom Monopoly Board will not only appeal to the present and past hundreds of thousands of marathon runners but also to their millions of supporters, family members & friends, the spectators following the Marathon live on route but also on television and through the media. Then there are also all the sponsors, partners, beneficiaries, and suppliers of these marathons.
The Journey: From idea to first ever city marathon Monopoly Edition
Some years ago I noticed that Monopoly started producing Monopoly Board games using interesting, but more important other existing brands and points of interest. I was fascinated and immediately became a collector of Monopoly Board Games. There are over 1,000 different themed Monopoly Board Games and this include Movies, Artists, History Retailers and strong brands in general. Sometime an established brand will reach out to Monopoly to produce a “inhouse” Monopoly Board Game to celebrate a special occasion. Good example was when Brooks Brothers, celebrated their two hundred years of “American Style” clothing shops.
As a Comrades Marathon Runner it struck me one day that the world famous Comrades Marathon could make an ideal Monopoly Board not just that this brand is only 2 years younger than the Monopoly brand but also of all the synergies between the two brands. Both brands include “landmarks”. My investigation started and I soon realised that never before have any famous City Marathon or Road Running Race been used for a Monopoly theme!
The Monopoly Board Game owners loved the idea and so did the Comrades Marathon Association, next stop,- Boston Marathon, Athens Marathon, Big Wall of China, etc.
Leon Swanepoel – CEO of Sportsvendo, Comrades Runner, Monopoly Fan and driving force behind the Comrades Marathon Monopoly Edition.
