PR case study: The launch of Powerplay Golf
Background:
Hailed as golf’s equivalent to Twenty20 Cricket, PowerPlay Golf is a 9 hole format for professionals and amateurs, in which golfers choose to aim for one of two flags on the green, a White Flag and a Black “PowerPlay” Flag.
In the game, golfers have limited “PowerPlays” and score extra points for net birdie or better when playing to the Black Flag.
At the launch of PowerPlay golf
PowerPlay Golf’s aim was to launch the initial series of three televised PowerPlay Golf tournaments by hosting a Press Conference at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales, where the date of the first of those tournaments, POWERPLAY GOLF: IGNITION, was to be announced.
Their objectives were to maximise broadcast, online and social media coverage around the announcement, using limited access to the players and PowerPlay Golf spokespeople. They needed to clearly explain what PowerPlay Golf is about, where you can watch it, play it, sign up for information, buy tickets, and clearly define its position as doing to golf what Twenty20 has done for cricket.
The Social Media Strategy
PowerPlay Golf wanted to build their own community so they could speak directly to the audience and sell tickets to events, merchandise and help those managing golf clubs around the world to run PowerPlay Golf at their own clubs.
Therefore it was important to ensure all communication had a return path to either follow the organisation on Twitter, like them on Facebook, or ideally, contact them via their own website thereby gaining important data collection.
Social media was therefore an important aspect of the campaign, but needless to say traditional media was key to create mainstream buzz.
The main issue, however, was how to take the story out of simply appearing in the sport section of the media, and make it a wider story for news and lifestyle magazine programming.
Two angles were therefore developed to approach the media with. The first was to look at the business and financial impact of the new format, comparing it to how Twenty20 has revolutionised the game of cricket. The second was to use research agency Opinion Matters to survey over 750 golfers from the UK and gather their views as to whether they felt the game needed a new format to watch and/or play.
The other issue to overcome was that with the press conference taking place late in the afternoon in South Wales, but aimed at a global audience, it was important to deliver it live online to ensure maximum coverage by enabling the media to easily access it live online through a video stream where they could also ask questions to the panel.
Giving the golfing community the chance to quiz the PowerPlay execs and a top golfer via a webTV show directly after the press conference also helped add to the buzz of the event and ensure pickup required in both traditional and online/social media.
A comprehensive multiplatform broadcast media relations exercise was undertaken, with leading broadcasters, website owners and influential bloggers invited to the event and content provided to those unable to attend.
A temporary radio studio was built and satellite truck established onsite to deliver live interviews with UK, US and International broadcasters from 5.30am through to early evening.
Ahead of the event, B Roll footage of golfers playing PowerPlay Golf was produced and together with footage gathered at the press conference, including soundbites from key golfing personalities, was also edited onsite for global satellite distribution that day.
A multi camera outside broadcast unit simulcast a live feed of the press conference to media unable to attend and across major golfing websites, as well as the PowerPlay Golf website and Facebook page.
The set up used for the press conference was then adapted for a live interactive WebTV Show, which, as well as streaming through the Powerplay Golf website and Facebook Page, was aggregated to multiple golf, sport, news and lifestyle websites. This gave golf enthusiasts and bloggers around the world the chance to find out more about PowerPlay Golf and put their questions to Paul Casey and PowerPlay Golf Chairman, Ken Schofield.
Throughout the two week build up to the event, there was also a focus on building the PowerPlay Golf community with continual dialogue through Twitter and Facebook pushing for new ‘followers’ and ‘likes’ by sharing exclusive information in the lead up to the launch and engaging in conversation with people who wanted to find out more information about the new form of the sport.
Results
The dual approach to the story worked exactly how we hoped with the business angle being of interest to BBC Radio 5Live’s ‘Wake Up To Money’ and BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Today Programme’, whilst the lifestyle angle gave not one but two interviews with Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5Live, who called markettiers4dc back to arrange a second interview due to the number of calls they had received to their switchboard, together with texts and emails to the show requesting more information from their listeners!
Other interviews were secured with CNBC Europe, CNN, Al Jazeera, Sky Sports News, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC World Service, talkSPORT, Sky News Radio, BBC Wales, ITV Wales and multiple regional radio stations, plus in the US, via satellite including interviews with Fox News and The Golf Channel.
The B Roll, shot in advance of and during the launch, was used by multiple broadcasters both in the UK and US, including Chris Hollins on BBC Breakfast, who discussed the announcement on the sofa the following morning.
Online coverage was secured on more than 15 key targeted sites including ESPN, Sky Sports, Golf International Magazine, Today’s Golfer, Golf Monthly, CNBC, Wales Online and Sport, whilst the social media activity saw Twitter followers grow to over 1000 on the day and Facebook ‘Likes’ to over 300.
The campaign was a huge success and can be best summed up by the quote from our client Andy Hiseman, Executive Director, PowerPlay Golf.
"It was the biggest day in our history so far, and markettiers4DC turbocharged it beyond belief. We expected 10,000 viewers during the hour: they gave us 100,000 in the first four minutes. I loved working with them – what a team"
There was a huge buzz generated in the golfing community but importantly beyond that niche group too.