Video testimonials reveal courses use advertising to offset GPS system costs and create new profit centers
Austin, Texas – April 5, 2006 – UpLink Corporation announces that recently filmed video testimonials reveal customers are creating completely new profit centers and off-setting the costs of their golf course GPS solutions with GPS advertising. The series of videos filmed at January’s PGA Merchandise Show highlight voluntary testimonials from UpLink customers as well as LPGA champion, Cristie Kerr.
As Daniel Kane, general manager at Vista Ridge Golf Course in Erie, Colorado reports, "UpLink has helped us offset the cost of our system by 60% by selling sponsorship spots on our GPS screens." Jason Manke, general manager at The Oaks Golf Course in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin and Chris Briscoe, general manager at Homestead Golf Club and Resort in Midway, Utah agree, having sold $47,000 and $70,000 in GPS advertising spots respectively.
GPS advertising is particularly popular during tournaments. LPGA champion and UpLink Birdies for Breast Cancer tournament host, Cristie Kerr, comments, "At our past event, we included all of our sponsors on the GPS screens. Players viewed the ads every time they checked the live leaderboard. It not only made for an exciting event, but showed how golf course business gets done."
In the video testimonials, customers indicate that UpLink’s AdSmart program has been a significant help in getting their advertising programs off the ground and securing sponsors. According to Manke, "UpLink has been great in supporting our efforts in selling advertising to local businesses. We took the tools they provided and sold 12 holes worth of advertising."
AdSmart is a step-by-step turnkey program and set of tools that gives golf courses the ability to promote their facilities to local businesses and quickly attract and book more sponsors. AdSmart works with UpLink’s advertising management software, available as a completely integrated option to its complete GPS golf business solutions. While AdSmart helps courses find, attract and book sponsors, the advertising software enables courses to easily implement, change-out and schedule advertisements to appear on the golf car GPS screens.
"It’s not enough for our courses to have a robust GPS advertising software package. They need the right tools to promote their advertising opportunities to local businesses. That’s where our AdSmart program can help," comments Blake Ponuick, chief marketing officer at UpLink.
"We’ve spent years researching and analyzing best practices in golf course advertising and have transformed this information into a seamless program for our courses."
The success rate for the program is high, with the last 20 courses to use AdSmart generating an average of $78,000 in annual sponsorship revenue. According to Ponuick, "One of the main reasons our customers have been so successful with AdSmart is simply because local businesses want to advertise at their courses. They have the educated, affluent demographic sponsors are looking for and our GPS screens provide an ideal vehicle. In the past, courses have had limited success attracting these advertisers simply because it’s not their core competency. Now, our courses don’t have to be media experts to run a successful advertising program."
As the popularity and effectiveness of GPS advertising increases, UpLink will continue to develop software, revenue programs, training and educational sessions to help courses create new profit centers and increase long term growth. A leading innovator in this area, UpLink owns the exclusive rights to the patents that enable GPS advertising on golf courses and recently introduced the industry’s first widescreen GPS displays to better showcase sponsor advertisements.
For more information, contact Blake Ponuick at 512-637-4884 or blakep@uplinkgolf.com. To learn more about AdSmart, visit www.uplinkgolf.com/adsmart.
About UpLink
Since 1998, Austin, Texas based UpLink Corporation has developed innovative GPS-based business solutions to help golf courses, clubs and resorts across North America engage their golfers, secure their fleets and transform their bottom lines. Considered the fastest growing GPS golf solutions provider, UpLink’s solutions are installed at renowned courses across North America including Walt Disney World Resort and Poppy Hills Golf Course. This year, UpLink introduced a completely new point of view on GPS with INOVA, a complete GPS golf business solution offering a number of industry firsts including integrated widescreen dashview or roofview GPS displays, multimedia audio, integrated maintenance vehicle tracking applications and multi-event GPS advertising. Committed to helping courses generate revenue while controlling costs, UpLink offers a turnkey sponsorship program to help courses transform GPS advertising into a long-term profit center. The last 20 courses to use this program averaged over $78,000 in advertising revenue. Moreover, UpLink offers the only GPS solutions with intelligent car control options, addressing the key issues of golfer safety, car theft and course damage. Committed to innovating the GPS golf industry, UpLink owns a number of patents and is the exclusive GPS partner to leading golf car manufacturer, Club Car, Inc. For more information, visit www.uplinkgolf.com.
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