For athletes in training, accidents are too often a fact of life. Edward Wimmer learned that the hard way when, in 1999, he was run off a road by an oncoming truck while he was training for a marathon. He was not wearing identification, and no one knew where he was. The close call inspired him to create Road ID, a line of athlete-friendly identification. The first design was inspired by military dog tags, but today they offer velcro-strapped and rubberized band designs. In addition to the wrist and ankle options, Road ID also sells shoe pouches and Road ID for dog collars.
Users rave about the benefits of the product: in a post-accident daze, they don’t need to worry about remembering important names and telephone numbers, and emergency responders can quickly and easily learn about relevant allergies. Wimmer worked closely with emergency services educators to ensure that the Road ID was easy for responders to use and designed to fit the most relevant information.
Since 2002, Road ID’s revenue has increased fifty percent each year, a trend Wimmer expects to continue for the next three to five years. Part of Road ID’s success is its aggressive marketing strategy. Not only does Wimmer’s company sponsor as many as eight thousand running and cycling events, but they connect with their customers through Facebook and Twitter. Every customer gets a discount code that they can share with as many people as they want to for up to thirty days; in this way, Road ID turns its customers into advocates.
Customers use the distinctive Road ID for more than emergency identification, it helps them find other like-minded people to train with. Road ID’s success is not only good for the company, but also for the people who use the product; accidents may never go away, but with the Road ID, delayed treatment and identification are less of a problem.
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