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S u m m e r 2 0 0 5 G O L F B U S I N E S S C A N A D A 9G O L F B U S I N E S S C A N A D A S u m m e r 2 0 0 58
FEATURE LARRY GULKO
It hesitated dramatically on theedge as if posing coquettishly forthe network cameras, asking –no, begging – to be noticed andremembered in the catalogue ofgolf ’s greatest moments.
Tiger Wood’s Nike OnePlatinum ball, new on the marketand new for Tiger, was nowlinked forever to The Masters
Championship, to Tiger Woods,and to the historic moment in golfwhen, with a glorious chip infrom the fringe, Tiger took a two-stroke lead over Chris DiMarcoand went on to win his fourthMasters.
It was the ultimate coup inbrand marketing for Nike, as rollover roll, the universally recognized
swoosh became forever associatedin the minds and hearts of golffans around the globe in onemomentous drop.
Essentially Nike, and TigerWoods, delivered golf ’s ultimateexperience, and along with it thehopeful promise that one day, ifthe right circumstances conspire,and if you play with a Nike balllike Tiger, you might be able topick the right line and sink a chipJUST LIKE TIGER’S.
It may be irrational, it may beimpossible to achieve, and golfersall around the world may alreadyknow in their heart of hearts thatthey will never approximate howit must have felt at that moment,to see that second shot on 16drop, but as golfers who keepcoming back to the sport, we willall try.
And in our quest, we will buywhatever we believe will help usalong the way.
Distinctive Branding
CULTIVATE
ORIGINALITY
AND
CAPTURE THE
IMAGINATION
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FEATURE
EMOTIONS RUN HIGH
Marketing is a battle of perceptions andperception drives reality.
What motivates people to buy a certain product, travel to a particular island,eat at a specific restaurant, or for that matter,choose your golf course over another is noteasy to define or to pin down with any senseof permanency. But it IS a coveted key tolong-term success if you can tap into it.
Your brand is one of the most valuableassets you own, and favourite brands are apersonal choice. Consumers buy theirfavorite products as a result of bothunderstanding the rational reasons formaking the purchase and feeling an emotional tie, the emotional connectionthey have to specific brands.
One can normally name the rationalreasons for buying a product or playing acertain course… “It is the closest publicfacility to my work.” “They offer a goodnine and dine deal on Friday nights.” or “Iplay in the house league, so I usually bookmy tee time when I am there.”
The rational reasons typically do notrelate to the customer’s experience to thepoint of building brand loyalty – some-thing that is critical to enhancing theaverage customer’s lifetime value. Whatdrives brand loyalty is the consumer’semotional involvement with our product.
As consumers, we ultimately makedecisions to buy specific products becausewe can identify with that product’s brandimage as it relates to our own self-image,and the purchase makes us feel good.
The emotional wrapping is what helpsus bond and connect with our customers.
THE EMOTIONAL EQUATION
The strongest, most valuable brands inthe world, Coca-Cola, Apple, Nike, Intel- even Tim Horton’s here in Canada - areall stand alone brands where customersaren’t looking to price compare or samplethe competition, but simply WANT theproduct and none other.
A great example is the Paul Newmanbrand. Consumers enjoy paying a bitmore for Paul Newman’s marinara saucebecause, in addition to the fine taste, theyfeel good that a portion of their purchaseis going to support Paul Newman’s donation of $150 million to charities.
Emotional connections work -whether it’s buying a new car, vacationhome, or simply a hair shampoo, we buyfavorites because of our relationship withthe product and the company that sellsthe product.
McDonalds sells comfort and convenience and Apple markets cuttingedge and cool (everyone wants an iPod).
If, in the minds of your loyal customers, you can elicit an emotion orbelief that your course offers premiumvalue, you eliminate the perception thatyour services are a commodity, and youwill be able to command your price, aspeople will spend more money on theirone and only brand than on one of manyother products of the same offering outthere in the market.
In looking at your course, what isthe unique emotional and psychologicalexperience your brand delivers?
BUILD YOUR BRAND
Branding is not a destination, but a holisticapproach to marketing that continues foras long as you operate your facility. Whileone can offer tips for creating brandawareness, actually conveying a brand –the psychological effects you wish to capitalize upon and use to advance yourbusiness – is personal to your business andto what atmosphere you wish to create,and it requires a ‘visionary’ mindset.
Capturing mindshare, or owningsomething in the consumer’s mind, is theultimate goal in brand marketing and is avery powerful tool.
Ralph Waldo Emerson truly under-stood the concept of brand marketingback in 1840. His mantra? “Do not gowhere the path may lead; go insteadwhere there is no path and leave a trail.”
What the best companies and thebest brands have done is just that - createa new category, dominate the market, andbe the best-selling brand in that category.
Follow the Leaders: Learn from the top brands on the world stage - what have they done to be innovative, cater to their customers and ultimately capturemindshare?
Follow the Leaders: Learn from the top brands on the world stage - what have they done to be innovative, cater to their customers and ultimately capturemindshare?
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Case in point. To ‘FedEx’ somethingis to send an overnight package. For adhesive bandages, we ask for Band-Aids,and many people don’t even differentiatebetween Kleenex and an actual tissue –they are the same thing.
How did everyone in the industrycome to know the Titleist ProV1 as the #1ball in golf, and Taylor Made the #1 driver?
The answer is not a straightforwardone, but each of these powerful brandshas one thing in common. They “own”something in the minds of the customers.They created a new product category,built their brand in the consumer’s mind,and are driving huge business value longterm. After all, when you try to be allthings to all people, you generally end upbeing nothing to many.
THE BRANDING MINDSET
Marketing starts in the minds of the customer…not in the minds of manage-ment. And, as we know, consumers’habits change very slowly.
Before spending any money on webdesign, logos, marketing brochures orworse… money on paid advertising, youmust focus your business, develop astrategic marketing plan, evaluate thedemographics and psychographics ofyour current customers, define your idealcustomer, and build your intimacy withthe industry and the customer.
Customer intimacy isn’t the aspiration,it’s the foundation - you need informationthat is insightful, timely, top-of-mind,interesting. It’s important to understandcustomers’ “sweet spots” relating to theirneeds, attitudes, perceptions, expectations,likes, dislikes, and to ensure expectationsare met and/or exceeded. Somehow, youneed to discover what encourages them to buy and what factors (emotional,financial, psychological) prevent themfrom buying.
This advance research is key to making your efforts pay substantive dividends now and in the future. Do notforget that once a brand is planted within
the minds of your customers, it willbecome much bigger than any budget youhave for advertising. Like Mastercardstates…it’s priceless.
DEFINE WHAT YOU’RE SELLING
First, to adopt the proper branding mind-set, recognize that you are not just selling18 holes, pro shop products, 19th-holedining, or golf lessons. You’re sellingsomething much more grand - be it enter-tainment, family time, championship-level competition, or escaping the urbanlandscape to commune with nature…
When you think about it, all of yourcompetitors have the same physical facili-ties on their green acres. So, what makesyour club compelling? Why should some-one take the time to make your club theirdestination?
Adopting this new brand mindsetdoes not require a hefty budget. It simplydemands you first take the time to look atyour business as a brand that delivers a specific value and a phenomenal experience, then make key decisions thatwill result in driving your business to anew level of success.
BREAK THROUGH THE MARKETING CLUTTER
So, how do you create a unique sellingproposition, a winning brand thatendures over time? Create an integratedcommunications program that has “onevoice” - one focused message that rein-forces your positioning strategy.
Every element of your communica-tions mix should incorporate the samebranding messages. Whether it is advertis-ing, direct mail, public relations, website,point-of-purchase, or collateral, they allshould be saying the same thing with thesame tone, the same look, the samecolours and the same corporateidentity/logo placement. By doing this,everything will work together to createsynergy, strengthen your brand’s positionand ultimately push the demand curve up.
FEATURE
GET CREATIVE
Your management team should be developinginnovative communications and programsto attract, retain, and build the most valuable customer relationships.
How you and your team communicateyour brand’s personality and focus, interactwith customers, keep them informed,excite them about “happenings” at theclub, and encourage their participationwill directly impact the prestige andgrowth of your company - and directlyrelate to successfully increasing participa-tion and revenues while building a greatersense of community.
Admittedly, not all operators of golffacilities are the same level of ‘visionarybranders’ as a top marketing executive at aprominent corporation, but all wouldadmit they want to succeed now and wellinto the future.
If you don’t feel you have the marketingand creative resources internally to createan award-winning, results-oriented campaign,recruit some top talent to join the team orwork on a freelance basis or, as anotheroption, hire a marketing or advertisingagency to assist you in creative develop-ment, production, and execution.
In selecting the right people, digdeep to explore past work with clients interms of problem/opportunity scenariosand quantitative results. Discuss his or herphilosophies regarding creative and mar-keting approaches, and, naturally, be sureyou feel confident there is good chemistrybetween you and the candidate.
It’s not necessary to hire someonewho only works in the golf industry, either.In fact there’s an abundance of creativetalent beyond this industry, looking ateach challenge as new work of art.
DEMONSTRATE RELEVANCE
The hallmark of every customer interac-tion is relevance, and developing newmessages, ideas and communications thathave personal relevance to your audienceis paramount to capturing mindshare.
One of the fastest, easiest and mostpowerful ways to learn what resonates
with your golfing customer is to generatekey customer information using onlineWeb-based interactive surveys.
For starters, make it a habit to askeach customer for their email addresswhen they make a tee-time, buy productsfrom your pro shop, or dine in yourrestaurant. By doing this you’ll create avaluable database for both surveying customers and other marketing and promotional opportunities.
Email target marketing is a commu-nications tool that lets you easily communicate with customers andprospects… 24/7. Not only will you beable to communicate with them, but youwill also have the ability to interact withthem, establishing long-term valuedfriendships.
Focused, relevant e-marketing willachieve impact and increase rounds, par-ticipation and drive new revenues. Use itas an educational tool to announce newprograms, schedule changes, offer golftips, and provide interactive learning withgolf pros. Design electronic newsletters,which allow you to communicate timelynews and club information at a fraction ofthe cost of traditional newsletters.
Customer feedback is vital to runningyour company and guides you in improvingyour operations and increasing customersatisfaction. The immediate feedback youget lets you know where today’s problemsare – not six to nine months from now. Italso enables you to immediately addressissues so you can respond to your customers’needs in a timely manner and show thatyou care.
The more you ‘click’ with your customers, the more they’ll stick withyour brand. It’s that simple.
THE ONE AND ONLY
The sum of customer experiences createsyour brand.
Enhancing brand loyalty andincreasing the average lifetime value ofeach customer means you must deliver onyour initial promise, keep integrity inyour message and at every touch point,
continually demonstrate to your customersthey can depend on your company forthis unique experience. It’s one thing toget new customers, yet another to keepthem - keep them spending, participating,happy, raving about your club and spread-ing the word as to all the wonderful thingsyour club represents.
Word of mouth communications ispowerful. Make every customer an evangelist, raving about your product toeveryone - the best sources of new revenuestem from your existing customers andthose they refer.
Understand what your customersexpect, then experience the pure thrill ofexceeding their expectations. Be creative,unique and generate new, exciting brandmarketing ideas – be one of a kind.
Remember…an idea is called eccen-tric until the idea succeeds. So, make yourideas a great brand that succeeds.Cultivate originality, capture the heartsand minds of your best customers, andfocus only on those initiatives that willmake your brand “their brand.”
Larry Gulko, well-known marketing
coach and public speaker, is an expert
in creating winning brands. Larry
has a successful track record in creating
remarkable ideas that capture
mindshare, drive brand preference,
dominate the market, and drive sales
success by making products the
#1 brand in their product category.
Larry can be reached by email
LARRY GULKO
NEED NEW GLASSES?We can help.
The GOLFMAX Group Benefit Programme is specifically tailored for golf course owners
and employees, and exclusively for NGCOA members.
• No minimum group size• Flexible plan options• Customized plans for groups of 15+• Coverage for returning seasonal employees
RetirementBenefitsI N S U R A N C E A G E N C Y LT D .
The GOLFMAX Group Benefit Programme is specifically tailored for golf course owners
and employees, and exclusively for NGCOA members.
• No minimum group size• Flexible plan options• Customized plans for groups of 15+• Coverage for returning seasonal employees
NEED NEW GLASSES?We can help.
13G O L F B U S I N E S S C A N A D A S u m m e r 2 0 0 5
