Replace that "or" with "and" and the sentence no longer makes sense. Unless you happen to be talking about one particular LPGA Tournament.
That of course would be the Kraft-Nabisco Championship, the LPGA's first major of the season, where what's "sinking" are putts, and who ever sinks them best ... swims, in the brackish waters of Champion's Lake.
Despite the presence of mega-stars Lorena Ochoa and Michelle Wie, it's this witty twist on an oft-repeated cliche that really makes the ad above pop. A number people mentioned it to me this morning, online and in emails, including several who were neither golf fans nor players. The deceptively simple ad, was created by LPGA Marketing Veteran Tina Barnes-Budd, and as she told me earlier today, the idea was to take a small ad in a major newspaper and, in few words, get people to look beyond the obvious.
The thing is, this tournament, like so many other things the LPGA does, has a great back story; a colorful history that makes it entertaining even for those who don't follow golf. And though it may seem like a drop in the bucket - to use another well worn cliche - in these days of brand-evangelizing bloggers and viral Twitter Tweets, an intriguing tag-line... or an egaging snippet of copy... can go a long way.
Whether the message originates online or in more traditional media, with the right words, buzz grows incrementaly, through WOM Marketing that happens organically. I saw evidence of that today with this small, but effective ad.
I attend golf tournament when ever I can , PGA and LPGA and I always try to bring nongolfers with me. It's a hard sell because they think it'll be boring and they're always surprised when they end up having a great time.
ReplyDeleteI just love the fluffy bathrobes the winners get ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not a golfer but found your link on the media forum and it's interesting that you point to an example of a print advertisement that you feel may have driven readers to the internet. In the haste to close down traditional media across the board and forever, many are forgetting the legions of consumers who don't trust digital media or don't understand it. They still consume news and they communicate with others. This story shows that.
ReplyDeletePrintCodger, I also still like the print media. If interfaced properly with the internet world, it will bounce back. Golf Girl's Diary would do well in print also.
ReplyDeleteThere was definitely some drama there today when Ji Young Oh saw her ball get blown into the water right before her eyes...then got yelled at by the rules guy for suggesting that maybe it was too windy to continue playing. I felt bad for her. :o(
ReplyDeleteGood point golf growl. As much as I love golf, some things are ridiculously arbitrary and antiquated. Small minded people with little fifedoms.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Ji Young Oh was correct and that play went on far longer than it should.
ReplyDeleteYou could say, on the other hand, that everyone plays the same golf course, but that's not necessarily so. Winds pick up or die down through the course of a given day and it really had gotten to the point where it was an unplayable condition.
Television and schedules be damned, the LPGA waited too long to do the right thing.
To to top it all off, the rules official said he made an "incorrect" application of the rule in question.
ReplyDeleteP - pretty good bet that this isn't "brackish" water. Brackish means that the water is salty - not as salty as seawater, but definitely not fresh water.
ReplyDeleteThat is a fresh water lake used to water the course.
A few years back, some germ-o-phobe raised a stink and made them check the water to make sure it was safe for them to jump in, even though they had been doing it for years. They also reworked the bottom of the area where they jump to make sure nobody got injured hitting a rock.
About Ji Young Oh - first - she was not right. As long as play was continuing, the rules of golf applied. That includes balls in play that move. If she still had her mark on the green, she would've been alright. If her ball hadn't rolled into the water - she would've been alright. It's called the rub of the green.
ReplyDeleteThe official did not "yell" at her. He explained the situation very calmly. And she should know the rule. Unfortunate as it was, the official didn't have the authority to overrule the rule for her.
Charlie Reimer was out of his mind on xxx Golf Channel that night, saying that HE would've protested and sat in the middle of the green until they stopped play. Sorry, Charlie - you would've done no such thing - don't be stupid.
Fantastic finish to the tournament. And considering that Lincicome played through the worst of the weather, it was fitting that she won.
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