‘The race that stops two nations’ is a Kiwi-born marketing line that replaced the long standing reference to the Melbourne Cup as the race that stopped a nation.
Its continued use in the 24-hour media frenzy of the Cup proves the stickability of marketing that feels natural, if you keep at it, for years if need be.
Many years ago New Zealand’s TAB twisted the original ‘race that stops a nation’ in marketing for the 150th racing of the Cup. They wanted to create in Kiwis the same sense of ownership of the race, as Australians have.
For many years, the only place you would see it was TAB collateral. That persistence paid off. Now it is everywhere, adopted by media in their coverage and maybe now part of the Kiwi lingo for describing the big race.
This is a rare showing of patience in corporate marketing, with deep payoff when it crosses the line.