Pro Golf Endorsements Drive Corporate Branding in Houston and Around the World

by

shanemolliwan

In 1901, Texan Adolph \”Ad\” Toepperwein was a champion marksman and sharpshooter. In what is probably the first

branding

agreement in business history, he agreed to endorse Winchester firearms products at shooting exhibitions. As the first sportsman to strike a deal with a sports-related company, Toepperwein kicked off the business of endorsements, where a celebrity athlete endorses a product in exchange for cold hard cash, or in the case of Toepperwein, an unlimited supply of bullets. Endorsements pay off with corporate sponsors in the form of

branding

, where consumers see a particular product as the only game in town. Nowhere are corporate sponsors and athlete endorsements more evident than in professional golf.

During events like the Shell Houston

Open, when the TV camera focuses on a professional golfer, the viewing audience sees names — usually multiple names — on every article of clothing the golfer wears. In fact, some players seem weighted down with

branding

embroidery — on hats, shirts, gloves, club head covers, and bags. Some corporate names stitched on the bills of visors are well known to the golfing public, others less so.

Unless you are a wealthy traveler to exotic locations, the name splashed across the hat and shirt of Irish golfer Rory McIlroy might be a mystery to you. The golfer\’s recent wins have given The Jumeirah Group, a Dubai-based luxury hotel and resort company, plenty of exposure. Whether or not it pays off for them remains to be seen because their market isn\’t your average Sunday golfer. Nevertheless, they have contributed handsomely to McIlroy\’s take of $10 million a year from his three primary sponsors, which, in addition to Jumeirah, include Titleist and Oakley. While not to be sneezed at, McIlroy\’s endorsement earnings are small potatoes compared to golf legend Tiger Woods. In 2004, Woods earned more than $5 million in tournament winnings — and $70 million in endorsement income. According to Golf Digest, Woods\’ earnings through 2010 were estimated to be $1.082 billion, which includes golf winnings and \”off-course income.\” Woods\’ endorsement of Nike Golf took the sports retailer from a non-player to one of the fastest growing brands in golf, pulling in an estimated $600 million in sales. Woods himself gets a cut from the sales of Nike\’s clothing, shoes, equipment, and golf balls. Nike even named one of its corporate buildings after Woods. One wonders who is branding

whom.

Branding

isn\’t limited to the athletes themselves. Professional golf tournament sponsors pay big bucks to get their names on everything remotely related to the tournament. The

Houston

Open is now the Shell

Houston

Open, reflecting the corporate sponsor\’s involvement in the game and the value of the purse. In 1946 at the

Houston

Open, winner Byron Nelson took home $2,000 of a $10,000 purse. In 2012, the Shell

Houston

Open paid out $6 million, with winner Hunter Mahan pocketing a cool $1,080,000.

In 1958, golfer Ken Venturi summed up a golfer\’s opportunity for additional off-course income: \”If he tries to exploit and develop his opportunities, a leading player\’s outside income should match his tournament winnings.\” And then some. Branding Houston

– For

branding

in

Houston

, John Manlove Marketing & Communications creates influence. Whether it\’s an everyday internal communication or a major announcement, our branding, creative advertising, and integrated media solutions will influence the right people. Email: info@johnmanlove.com or call 281.487.6767. http://www.johnmanlove.com/index.html

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