Mindful Marketing
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • Mindful Meter & Matrix
    • Leadership
  • Mindful Matters Blog
  • Engage Your Mind
    • Mindful Ads? Vote Your Mind!
  • Expand Your Mind
  • Contact

A Promotion Unlike Any Other

4/23/2021

8 Comments

 
Picture

by David Hagenbuch - professor of Marketing at Messiah University -
​author of 
Honorable Influence - founder of Mindful Marketing
 

Fans of The Office know that whenever Michael Scott attended another person’s party, wedding, or baby’s baptism, he would inevitably steal the spotlight, making the event about him.  That kind of social sabotage makes for great TV comedy, but does a recent impromptu endorsement on golf’s greatest green signal that real life self-promotion is off the fairway?
 
The recent Masters Tournament seemed like a success, including that it crowned its first Asian-born champion, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan.  However, “a tradition unlike any other” also showcased some cringe-worthy commercialism that led to the son of an all-time golf great losing permanent access to Augusta.
 
Perpetuating the Tournament's prestige, Masters’ organizers invited three of golf’s living legends to serve as honorary starters: nine-time major champion Gary Player, 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus, and Lee Elder, the first African American to play in the Masters.  It was at that ceremonial tee shot when the uninvited endorsement occurred:
 
“While Elder was receiving the accolades of Augusta National and surrounding patrons, Wayne Player, serving as his father's caddie, stood behind Elder clearly holding a sleeve of OnCore golf balls in such a way as to give the logo maximum visibility.”
 
Wayne Player has a relationship with OnCore Golf that includes serving as Tour Commissioner of the Player Amateur Tour, for which the golf ball brand is the title sponsor.
 
Social media quickly condemned Wayne Player’s “guerilla marketing,” calling the tactic “an embarrassment” and “undignified,” and suggesting he hijacked a special moment to “sneak in a free ad for golf balls.”  Masters organizers apparently didn’t like the ambush advertising either:  They’ve reportedly banned Wayne Player from the Tournament for life.
 
Those are harsh criticisms and consequences, especially given that considerable commercialism already surrounds the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) and the Masters.
 
The PGA’s Partners’ webpage reads like a Who’s Who List of corporate sponsors.  “Official Partners” include the likes of AIG, Charles Schwab, Cadillac, John Deere, KitchenAid, KPMG, and Rolex.  Then, there’s a whole other list of  “Golf Retirement Plus Partners.”  In total, 54 companies can claim they support the PGA.
 
For its part, the Masters Tournament’s website contains logos and links for its three marquee sponsors, AT&T, IBM, and Mercedes, who reportedly treat invited guests to an incredibly indulgent tournament experience, all charged to their corporate accounts.
 

Picture
 
What may be even more noteworthy is that the golf balls Wayne Player held were far from the only promotion present at the ceremonial tee shot.  Gary Player wore a PXG hat, whose golf clubs he endorses, and a Black Knight shirt—his own signature brand.  Similarly, Nicklaus came outfitted in a bright yellow sweater and matching hat, both bearing his Golden Bear brand.  Elder also wore branded apparel: a PNG hat and a TravisMathew shirt—the latter is part of a formal partnership with Elder that the company announced just days before the Masters.
 
Given all of the corporate/self-promotion already present at the starting tee, what was wrong with Player strategically displaying one small sleeve of golf balls?
 
There are two main reasons Player’s product placement was ill-advised:
 
  1. It was unnatural:  It’s typical for golfers and others to will wear branded apparel on golf courses and elsewhere.  It’s strange, however, to see someone hold steadily a sleeve of golf balls precisely so its logo appears prominently in camera shots.  That’s why when product placement is done well in movies and TV shows, the products don’t draw attention to themselves; rather, viewers simply see them as part of the scene, if they notice them at all.
  2. It was uninvited:  The very unique Masters moment belonged to Gary Player, to Nicklaus, and especially to Elder.  No person or thing should have stolen the spotlight from them, at least not without the Masters’ express permission.  Ultimately, Wayne Player pulled a Michael Scott, showing little social awareness and, instead, surmising that the situation should be about him, not just the others.
 
So, the next time you’re a caddie at the Masters . . . of course, that’s a situation most of us will never experience, which makes it even more tempting to point a finger at Wayne Player, shake our heads, and wonder how he could act so insensitively.  The problem, though, is that the proliferation of social media has made it exceedingly easy for any individual or organization to do the same sort of thing and steal others’ spotlights.
 
On a corporate level, such commandeering might take the form of a company donating $10,000 to a worthy social cause, then spending $100K to brag about its kind-hearted contribution in TV commercials, print ads, and other media.
 
Individuals also are not immune.  We should be especially careful not to steal the spotlight with one upmanship.  For instance, when a friend or colleague shares a special accomplishment on social media, we shouldn’t ‘congratulate’ them with a reply like, “I’m so happy for you. I remember when I completed my first 5K three years ago.  Now I’m getting ready to run my fourth marathon.”
 
A few years ago, the American Marketing Association published a piece I wrote about the “Three C’s of personal branding.”  In the article I argued that communication, which is what many people solely associate with branding, should only be the “icing on the cake.”  A strong personal brand, or corporate brand, must first include a foundation of “cake”: character and competencies.
 
When we steal another’s spotlight and try to make their moment ours, we not only misplace our personal marketing communication, we reveal the serious character flaw of callous self-absorption, which is very destructive to any brand.
 
No self-promotion should come at others’ expense.  In fact, the best self-promotion actually benefits others. 
 
It’s easy to argue that Wayne Player’s golf ball product placement at the Masters was a bad idea.  It’s also easy for any of us to succumb to similar temptations in everyday situations and make another’s moment our own.  Pulling a Wayne Player, or a Michael Scott, makes any of us guilty of “Mindless Marketing.”


Picture
Subscribe to Mindful Matters blog.
Learn more about the Mindful Matrix.
Check out Mindful Marketing Ads
 and Vote your Mind!
8 Comments
Zachary Mayro
4/25/2021 02:36:48 pm

I thought that it was interesting how much backlash Wayne Player got, including getting banned from The Masters. It seems justifiable, and coming from the other sponsors who had to pay to be advertised, I would be upset as well. There have been similar issues coming from the world of Track and Field with advertisements. Some stories are of athletes who are sponsored by a certain brand, but then are not allowed to wear that brand at Track meets. One runner named Nick Symmonds went as far as to tattoo his sponsor's name and logo on his arm since he was not allowed to wear their clothes.

Reply
Belosan Jekale
4/27/2021 04:16:40 pm

I believe it is very disrespectful the fact that Wayne Player stole the moment of recognition that was meant for Elder. I didn't think that banning Player for life was necessary but it is good that Masters' did take some type of action to show that it was wrong what Player had done. Overall, the stunt that Player pulled caused more backlash and ended up creating issues for him. I believe he could have gone about it in a different manner that would have been respectful and wouldn't have painted him in a bad light as well.

Reply
sydney brennan
4/29/2021 03:18:39 pm

This was inappropriate behavior on behalf of Wayne Player, if it was in the background, it would be forgivable but this was deliberate and over the top disrespect. Wayne Player's career might be massively changed from this blatant disrespectful behavior. If I was in his shoes, I would make a public apology to everyone, and pay respects to Elder. I would also give a sum of money to whatever charity Elder is strongly apart of.

Reply
sydney brennan
4/29/2021 03:20:11 pm

Wayne Player's career might be +permanently+ changed

Reply
Josh Bratager
4/29/2021 09:33:10 pm

I would completely agree that this advertisement was mindless. It was not the time or place to promote a product, let alone make it so blatantly obvious. When someone is advertising a product, I do not feel like it should be shoved in my face. Like it says in the article, some of the best product placement in movies is when you don't even realize it is there. That way, it does not seem overbearing. The product placement in this case seems way too forced, and now it will have an opposite effect then the company would have intended. People will have a more negative view of the company and they greatly decreased their stakeholder value due to their failure to uphold societal values.

Reply
Martin Gobbo
4/29/2021 11:34:31 pm

I don't think this was effective marketing at all. To promote a good you should not be in someone's face about it and also that should not come at the detriment of others. It showed lack of social awareness and lack of marketing skills by Wayne Player. In this age where there are so many advertisements everywhere it is important to not force an advertisement at people all the time but rather show the product in use and its benefits and the people who have that need will see it and want to purchase it.

Reply
Madelyn Blake
4/30/2021 02:20:20 am

I really enjoyed reading this article because it answered the questions that came to my mind as soon as they did. While I think banning Wayne for life is too harsh of a punishment, I do have a better understanding after reading this article as to why others would think that that punishment is justifiable.

Reply
Emilie Rush
4/30/2021 12:54:47 pm

Wayne's move was definitely in bad taste, especially because it was a moment to honor Nikalus, Elder, and of course his father. Although at first it seemed extreme to ban him from the event, I think that in the end the PGA did the right thing and set a precedent for anyone who might try that level of shameless promotion in the future.
I like how the article mentioned that it was first and foremost unnatural. I think wearing clothing that's attached to a certain brand is fine, because at the end of the day nobody is going to be too focused on a golf polo during a big tournament. The eyes are on the green and on the play.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe to receive this blog by email

    Editor

    David Hagenbuch,
    founder of
    Mindful Marketing    & author of Honorable Influence

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    Categories

    All
    + Decency
    + Fairness
    Honesty7883a9b09e
    * Mindful
    Mindless33703c5669
    > Place
    Price5d70aa2269
    > Product
    Promotion37eb4ea826
    Respect170bbeec51
    Simple Minded
    Single Minded2c3169a786
    + Stewardship

    RSS Feed

    Share this blog:

    Subscribe to
    Mindful Matters
    blog by email


    Illuminating
    ​Marketing Ethics ​

    Encouraging
    ​Ethical Marketing  ​


    Copyright 2020
    David Hagenbuch

Proudly powered by Weebly