New Tagline Will Be ?PGA TOUR Driven’
(Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) – The Nationwide Tour will officially launch a new marketing campaign on Thursday designed to focus on the Tour’s ever-growing impact on the PGA TOUR.
The new campaign will feature a new tagline, “PGA TOUR Driven”, reflecting the Nationwide Tour’s role as the official proving ground of the PGA TOUR and will be a central element in all communications and advertising. The campaign will feature new creative materials for national and tournament market use on television and in print, radio, outdoor, online and onsite applications.
EDITOR’S NOTE: To view two of the new commercials and samples of a national and a local print ad on PGATOUR.com, copy and paste the following link into your Web browser: http://www.pgatour.com/2008/company/01/08/driven/index.html
Nationwide Tour staff and members of the PGA TOUR’s Brand Development department collaborated with the TOUR’s advertising agency, GSD&M’s Idea City of Austin, TX, to conduct comprehensive research, develop the strategic approach and, ultimately, the execution and fulfillment of the campaign’s creative elements.
“Given the evolution of the Nationwide Tour over the last several years and its growing impact on the PGA TOUR, the time was right to engage in a comprehensive review of our position in the marketplace,” said Nationwide Tour President Bill Calfee. “It was a thorough process that included research among fans and a cross-section of constituents. The research findings formed the basis of the new positioning, tagline and advertising campaign. We think this new direction will elevate the public’s understanding and appreciation for the Nationwide Tour, the quality of its players and the Tour’s connection to the PGA TOUR.”
“As the initial research unfolded, it became apparent that golf fans did not have a firm grasp of the connection the Nationwide Tour has on the PGA TOUR,” said Duff Stewart, President and COO of GSD&M’s Idea City. “When they didn’t realize that two-thirds of the PGA TOUR membership played on the Nationwide Tour and alumni had won more than 200 TOUR events, that was the revealing moment. It was clear we needed to further communicate this connection.”
“In addition to highlighting the Nationwide Tour’s impact on the PGA TOUR, ‘The 25’ program, which was initiated last year, will receive continued focus,” said Kent Simon, PGA TOUR Vice President, Brand Marketing. “The season-long quest to earn one of the 25 TOUR cards each year is another tangible and direct connection to the PGA TOUR.”
The new national television spots will debut on Thursday on GOLF CHANNEL’s first-round coverage of the PGA TOUR’s Sony Open in Hawaii. The spots will air throughout 2008 on select GOLF CHANNEL, CBS and NBC telecasts of the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour.
The new advertising materials will feature players who won on the Nationwide Tour in the early 1990s such as Jim Furyk and David Toms. They will be complemented by other players with recent ties to the Tour who have enjoyed early success on the PGA TOUR, including reigning Masters champion Zach Johnson, 2007 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Brandt Snedeker and popular winner Boo Weekley.
About the Nationwide Tour
Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Nationwide Tour identifies those players who are ready to compete and win on golf’s greatest stage. As the official proving ground of the PGA TOUR, 67% of the current PGA TOUR membership played on the Nationwide Tour. Tour alumni have won more than 200 PGA TOUR titles, including a grand slam and three PLAYERS Championships. Twenty-five PGA TOUR cards and a record purse approaching $19 million will be at stake over the course of 30 events in 2008. Recognizing the Tour’s growing stature, Nationwide Insurance has renewed its umbrella sponsorship of the Nationwide Tour through 2012. The PGA TOUR, through the efforts of its three tours and their tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, supports over 2,000 local charities and has surpassed $1 billion in charitable giving. To learn more about the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit www.PGATOUR.com.
About Nationwide
Nationwide, based in Columbus, OH, is one of the largest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the world, with more than $160 billion in assets. Nationwide ranks No. 104 on the Fortune 500 list. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, life, commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions and long-term savings plans. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.
Nationwide is a federally registered service mark of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.
About GSD&M’s Idea City
In 1971, a group of friends started an advertising agency after graduating from The University of Texas at Austin. Through 36 years of helping grow some of the world’s most successful brands, GSD&M’s Idea City has become a leading national marketing communications and advertising company using the power of Purpose-based Branding and Dynamic Collaboration to create a destination for visionary ideas that make a difference for our people, our clients, our country and the world. For more information go to www.IdeaCity.com. GSD&M’s Idea City is part of Omnicom Group, Inc. (NYSE:OMC).
Contact:
Jeff Adams
Director of Communications
Nationwide Tour
Tel: 904-273-3397
Email: jadams@pgatourhq.com
John McGrath
Vice President, Communications
GSD&M Idea City
Tel: 512-242-4349
Email: john.mcgrath@ideacity.com
