PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- "These Guys Are Good," the longest running and one of the most recognizable tag lines in professional sports marketing, gets a fresh look through a new round of advertising from the PGA TOUR's longtime agency, GSD&M of Austin, Texas. "THE PROFESSOR" campaign will include as many as 10 different TV brand and tune-in ads along with print, radio, Internet and retail.
The campaign launches during NFL broadcasts on CBS the week of Christmas, on NBC during the ADT Golf Skills Challenge December 30-31, on ABC during the PGA TOUR Season Preview Show airing New Year's Eve, during various programming on The Golf Channel, and during ESPN's prime time telecast of the Mercedes Championships January 5-8.
The new campaign focuses on the highly competitive nature of PGA TOUR members and the obstacles they face. Even casual golfers will appreciate the message -- there is the potential for elation and glory in every shot, and the potential for agony, as well.
The new ads put a spin on the different dimensions of competition in sports. Most sports are largely man vs. man. In golf, however, players not only compete against each other, they face equal and sometimes greater challenges of man vs. nature and man vs. himself. To highlight this idea, the campaign features a mock professor describing fictitious clinical scenarios of various life obstacles that are also realities that both TOUR players and recreational golfers can relate to, such as man's inner demons and the forces of nature.
"TOUR players are confronted with a new set of obstacles with every shot, with a fine line between success and failure. That creates a great deal of intrigue, drama and excitement among golf and sports fans," said Ric Clarson, Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing for the PGA TOUR. "There's a story in every shot, and every shot counts."
In one of the ads, "Pressure Seeker," the professor describes a person who derives satisfaction from extreme pressure situations. While most people succumb to pressure, TOUR players are the best in the world at coping with it. The professor suggests these type of individuals, even when dealing with extreme situations, can often appear "cool as a cucumber."
In "Fan-a-mania," the professor talks about golf's unique form of fan obsession, where otherwise normal people turn into obsessive fans, "...following their favorite sports heroes around for days at a time." Their behavior is characterized by "spontaneous outbursts, awestruck looks and uncontrollable clapping."
"Dendrophobia" has the professor discussing the fear of trees, rare among the general population but very common in even the best golfers. The professor suggests "...those afflicted with dendrophobia seek open grassy spaces."
New to PGA TOUR TV ads this season will be the addition of a tune-in component on ads running on Sundays that will promote the following week's PGA TOUR event.
About The PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is a tax-exempt membership organization of professional golfers. Its primary purpose is to provide competitive earnings opportunities for past, current and future members of the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour; to protect the integrity of the game; and to help grow the reach of the game in the U.S. and around the world.
Nearly 110 events were contested on the three Tours in 2005, for approximately $320 million in prize money. In addition to providing competitive opportunities for its membership, TOUR events also generate significant sums of money for charity. TOUR events recently eclipsed the $1 billion mark in all-time charitable giving, dating back to 1938, the first year such records were kept. The PGA TOUR's Web site address is www.pgatour.com.
About GSD&M
Since its founding by six college students in 1971, Austin-based GSD&M has grown to more than 600 people and 2004 billings estimated at more than $1.4 billion. GSD&M has become widely known for developing visionary ideas for brands with a purpose. Some of those brands include BMW, Wal-Mart, AT&T, Chili's Grill & Bar, Southwest Airlines, the U.S. Air Force, DreamWorks and MasterCard. GSD&M is part of Omnicom Group, Inc. (NYSE:OMC).
COPYRIGHT 2005 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
Contact
Home
A
Dandy-Walker syndrome