(Source: Google Trends)
* Lots of you have asked for a breakdown of products or services whose popularity is in retreat. Here’s our first attempt at that.
The Anti-Signal: Last week, creditors of Tough Mudder filed an involuntary petition to push the obstacle course race (OCR) into bankruptcy. Founded in 2009, the firm has had over 5m people participate in its popular OCR events but has lost money in every year other than 2015, according to court filings.
Tough Mudder’s search interest in Google Trends has seen a steady decline over the past 5 years, an indicator of waning interest in its events. One of its competitors, Spartan Race, was in talks to potentially acquire Tough Mudder, but those plans are now on hold.
The Opportunity: The OCR space certainly has fervent fans (as your social media feed will happily tell you), but the sudden closure of Warrior Dash in 2019 and Tough Mudder’s plight does beg the question: Has OCR run its course?
If so, what will be the next competitive activity to capture our leisure imaginations? Something new like competitive gaming? Or variations on popular multi-sport endurance events (e.g., sprint triathlons, acquabike, duathlon relays).
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