That's our topic this week, inspired in part by an encounter I had today at the Travelers Championship. Walking the course among the golf fans, golfers, and golf media types. Were two young ladies in decidedly un-golf-like attire. As in: tiny tank tops, short skirts and knee socks. And these gals were voluptuous... to say the least. As such, they certainly stood out. (pardon the many puns)People stared... as they would if a couple of exotic birds with multi-colored pulmage had lighted on the clubhouse lawn.
A couple of matronly women clucked disapprovingly as the two girls walked among them near the central putting green, but soon they were flagged down by a group of young men holding beers. As I walked on... in pursuit of Vijay Singh or someone... the group photos were being (raucously) taken.
Here's the thing they were advertising a website ... One called GOLFMOOLAH ...and it seemed to be working.
So, was this brilliant or low-brow?
Patricia,
ReplyDeleteI believe I need a photo to make an educated assessment.
Isn't brilliantly low-brow a possibility?
Bob
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ReplyDeletepatricia,
here in SoFla there are many "clothing optional" tournaments
the latest fad is body painting
these events as you would imagine are typically well attended and actually a lot of fun
the unwritten rule is - you know in advance what you are going to be exposed to, so don't come just to enforce political correctness
however if these "ambassadors" show unannounced to a public arena in less than acceptable attire, i would also say they are wrong to do it - there might be children or families or others who would be offended
in the same way we don't want someone at the table next to us in a restaurant surprise us by changing a stinky diaper, these ambassadors should not come as a surprise if the attendees are not previously notified
but please post pictures ! so i can, of course, give a more reasoned answer
have a good show
frankD
ft liquordale
I'm looking forward to the photo too. ;o) I'm hoping the ladies won't distract the players... some of those hole don't need any additional hazards.
ReplyDeletePhotos to follow later today...
ReplyDeleteBob - brilliantly low-brow sounds like a definitel possibility.
Frank - Very good point about expected/unexpected.
Shark - Definitely could be distracting. ;)
For those of you who want to see how these "representatives" were dressed, head over to the company's Facebook Page http://bit.ly/drkqrZ . Note, there are pics from several tournaments.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of whether or not this is appropriate, I can safely say these girls are wearing more clothing than the women in the Golf Channel's Big Break-Sandals TV ads. Even the LPGA golfers themselves do their best to dress provocatively, e.g. tight, sleeveless shirts short enough to provide quick tummy shots on every followthrough, short skirts not much longer than the jean shorts these "representatives" are wearing.
In any case, sex is used by the biggest golf media company in the world as well as LPGA Tour players themselves to sell to consumers. This small startup company is simply following the same strategy because, obviously, it works.
Regardless, you shouldn't expect to see any FullForesome.com bunnies running around at Tour events anytime soon because, right or wrong, it IS a little tacky.
Hello All,
ReplyDeleteI am the founder of Golfmoolah and would like to provide my two cents on the topic at hand if you don't mind. I first want to thank you for the discussion as it has made our efforts seem worth while in promoting the newly launched application.
It is difficult for small players in the starting out to compete against the large guns at these tournaments as they have much deeper pockets then we do,thus the creative/grass roots marketing techniques. We like to refer to them as the "baywatch" effect, one of the most viewed shows in the world and history based on good looking people running on the beach.
It doesn't take much to realize that the demographic of golf tournaments is mostly male and what do males generally like to see....well, good looking females. Seems only elementary in our minds.
We hope to get to a point where we can incorporate other avenues of advertising, but for the time being this seems t be doing the trick. Thanks and hope everyone enjoys the Tournament.
We are hear all weekend so come say hello
Terence Fitzpatrick
Golfmoolah.com Iphone App
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ReplyDeletemr fitzpatrick,
i have read your product website and seen a picture of the girls in the foreground of a tee shot by cink
i conclude your main problem may be with the USGA on unauthorized use of electronic devises (giving players advantages over each other) and / or gambling
to my eye, those two young girls were wearing age appropriate attire, and anyone who has visited a mall lately shouldn't be surprised (although i didn't know what L F M O O L meant at first glance)
while i am old school, no cellphone or pager and i have yet to change from metal spikes, and i see golf as a get-away from real life, including all the electronics, for a few hours, i wish you all the best in finding success with your venture !
frankD
ft lauderdale
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ReplyDeletepatricia,
if you wanna see exotic birds of the female kind dressing way-out and off-the-chart "eye candy" let me direct you to opening night of art basel here in miami
what are they advertising ? -themselves ! and i guess their perceived place on the "top" of the monied fashion scene
i could try to describe what i saw here in words, but it wouldn't even come close to the real encounter i experienced nor would i know where to even begin
and compared to those young kids at the golf tournament, these "mature" women at the art show you would think, should know better than leave the house the way they looked - even lady ga ga would take notes !
anyway be well
frankD
ft lauderdale F L A
No telling how successful the advertising was. This goes on a lot at the Merchandise Show, but I don't know how many people buy a product just because a nice smile and a big rack hand you a card and smile for a picture. You still have to get online and, in this case, spend $30 for an iPhone app.
ReplyDeleteBy the way - it IS a pretty cool app after looking at the web page. But I don't have an iPhone, so no big deal to me.
It's a pretty nifty site and app - not sure about the promotion methods but I'm guessing it worked pretty well.
ReplyDelete