Last Friday we hurriedly completed the work at hand by noon in order to head down to the COX Classic. We spent 7 hours in the hot sun with some friends who are BIG golf fans. Unexpectedly, they knew someone on the tour who we then spent following around the course offering our support. After throwing my hair up in a ponytail and grabbing my 4th bottled water (yes, water… I’m pregnant), I started to make some mental sponsorship notes. Now, the COX Classic isn’t quite on the PGA tour, but it’s still taken pretty seriously, as noted by the energetic volunteers with the “quiet” signs (apparently some of us need to practice our “quiet voices”), and the golfers throwing golf balls out to the fans who were thoroughly grateful for the gesture. Also note that the winner, Martin Piller did secure for himself a spot on the PGA TOUR in 2011 as a result of his win.
What I observed is that, like almost always, there were a few sponsors right on with their established presence, and others that probably could have capitalized more effectively. Now, with an event like this, there are probably hundreds of sponsors involved, for which there is a huge “sponsor board” that allows for this tremendous group to be featured as spectators march past. This isn’t a bad thing, especially if you’re just sponsoring enough to really just enjoy some of the perks and benefits, but I must say that it took a more aggressive package/investment, or a highly customized partnership to truly make a splash and stand out among so many other sponsors.
A couple of days after our attendance I asked my good friend, who is the avid fan of golf and with us for the entire 7 hours who he remembered as sponsors of the event. He stammered a few seconds as he pondered the question and then rattled off two names; the presenting sponsor – Lexus, and then someone who was not actually a sponsor. He quickly corrected himself and recognized their competitor as the one who was actually the sponsor – he was right. Interesting… Happily, the sponsor that we helped them connect with, was smart enough to actually brainstorm a highly customizable package that established a clear goal, and both parties were quite happy with the partnership at the end of the day. They stood out to those in their target market who had a direct interest in the information they provided. Well done.
Lexus did a great job with the wow factor, and offered interactive physical presence with their cars and the benefits they provided their car owners. There were Lexus vehicles scattered in highly visible places throughout the course and at entrances and exits to the event. I can’t tell you how many oohs and ahhs I got from the ritzy crowd of onlookers; I heard two women point out their dream vehicles to their husbands and sweetly establish how the so adored the car and would do anything to have it. The cars were a big hit. Lexus also had an exclusive tent for their vehicle owners, and what went on in the tent I’ll never know for sure, but from the sounds of the laughter from within and the smiles pouring out, I think they did their jobs well. It made onlookers want to have a Lexus just to get into that exclusive party and feel important.
My personal favorite was Office Depot. They sponsored the Legacy Club where much of the corporate hospitality originated. This was the air conditioned room complete with free beverages and a fantastic buffet – which I thoroughly took advantage of! We plopped down at one of the tables on the outer edge of the room, chatted, and enjoyed our food. The table had a bright centerpiece highlighting the Office Depot name and logo – you couldn’t miss it. The room was full of big picture windows overlooking the city where you had a direct view of the closest Office Depot store; it was almost like the store itself was in attendance and waving at you from the widow beyond. Brilliant… The only thing I was skeptical of was most of the marketing they used scattered throughout the room. You would have to walk up to it to see and read it, and I didn’t see one person actually take that kind of initiative, just wasn’t’ the priority when you walked into that room. I would imagine a quick one liner with a direct message easily read across the room might have been more beneficial; or even scattered coupons on the tables which linked directly back to the event (measurable ROI) might have been more effective.
All in all it was a fun experience; I learned a bit more about golf and you just can’t go wrong ending up on a golf course with thousands of happy fans on a Friday afternoon! Just thought I’d share the highlights with you.