The most exciting 10 days in rodeo happen each year in December. This year the National Final’s Rodeo (NFR) is December 2-11, back at the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas. For 15 elite cowboys and cowgirls, this is their Superbowl – their opportunity to be named champion of their respective sports, and this year, Vitalize® is represented in four events by five of the top athletes in the business.
Ambassadors are a way to promote the products we sell, and the ambassador program is very predominant in the Vitalize line. Who doesn’t want their horse to have the same #goodgut feeling as top rodeo athletes like Emily Miller-Beisel or Haven Meged? We also have ambassadors who ride performance horses like Olympic medalists Laura Kraut and Ian Millar.
Regardless of the discipline, top equine athletes rely on Vitalize, and when the end-users discover that, it helps push them to want to use the products too.
In 2020, two Vitalize Ambassadors competed in the NFR, and BioZyme made sure to have a presences with its Vitalize and VitaFerm® lines. Barrell Racer Miller-Beisel rides with a Vitalize patch, and 2019 World Champion Tie-Down Roper Meged is patched with VitaFerm, as he feeds the mineral to his cattle on his Montana ranch.
Last year, Vitalize banner ads were on Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV websites, as well as a television commercial ran every other night of the performance, for a total of five nights.
Ten-second video pre-rolls ran on the Cowboy Channel app, and a feature article was also included with both Facebook and Instagram posts through the Cowboy Channel. Additionally, we ran carrousel ads with Team Roping Journal the week before the NFR and during the second full week.
“We saw unprecedented traffic to the Vitalize website with over 10,000 hits in that 10-day NFR span,” said Ashley Fitzsimmons, BioZyme Regional Marketing Coordinator. “We plan to do all of the same things, except run our television commercial all 10 nights this year, which should really push people to the website and the dealer locator. We have also been running a commercial all year for increased brand awareness.”
This year’s Vitalize Ambassadors that competed at the NFR include:
MARCOS COSTA – 2017 World Champion Tie-Down Roper from Brazil. This is his fourth NFR appearance, but his first since 2017. Costa is a huge fan of a variety of Vitalize products to keep his horses feeling their best.
“If you try the Vitalize® products you can’t go wrong. This is not something to give your horses just for peace of mind. Amaferm and these products make a real difference. After just 90 days I saw a dramatic difference in the performance of my horses and can say for sure I’ll be using these products until I retire (and beyond).”
HAVEN MEGED – 2019 World Champion Tie-Down Roper from Montana. This is his third consecutive NFR. Meged uses the Vitalize Alimend and Gel to make sure his horses are at the top of their game.
“I’m always making sure my horses stay healthy and on a good nutrition program from Vitalize®. I make sure everything is on top of their game, and they are getting the best supplements they can get. My horses look great.”
TREY YATES – Team Roper (Heeler) from Colorado. This is his second trip to the NFR. He won the average in 2018 at his first appearance. He relies on Hyaluronex® to keep his horse’s joints working their best.
“My horses really like Hyaluronex® Joint. They are doing awesome on it. It’s easy to feed; I just squirt it on their hay or cubes, and they eat it right up. They haven’t missed a beat and we’ve had an awesome summer. I’m so glad to be part of your team.”
TYLER PEARSON – 2017 World Champion Steer Wrestler from Oklahoma. This is Pearson’s fifth qualification to the Finals. He relies on a fast, smart horse to succeed in his sport.
“I can definitely tell a difference in how my horses feel since I started using the Hyaluronex® and Vitalize Equine Gel.”
EMILY MILLER-BEISEL – Barrel Racer from Oklahoma who will be competing at her third NFR. She relies on the Vitalize products to help keep her horses healthy and happy.
“A happy horse is a horse that’s going to perform and if they are not 100%, they can’t do their job. In a competition like professional barrel racing, you must have your horses at their best all the time. If you don’t have your horse at its best, somebody else does. Being reassured that my horses have that Vitalize® supplement and they are feeling good, is one less thing for me to worry about. If they aren’t feeling good, and time comes down to a one-hundredth of a second, everything counts. So, you have got to have them tip-top and ready to go.”
Everyone wants to be like a champion. Watching champions like these five compete during 10 nights of the NFR and seeing their featured commercial on the Cowboy Channel helps drive them to the Dealer Locator and will help drive them to you!
“We will be running our own social campaigns as well highlighting this ambassador team. Dealers are encouraged to share and promote the content being put out by Vitalize Equine and VitaFerm during this exciting time to take advantage of pull through marketing efforts,” Fitzsimmons said.
Using Ambassadors like these to promote our products are great ways to increase awareness. Be part of that growth!