Is Golf Tournament Sponsorship an Effective Form of Advertising?

golf tournaments have become a very popular way for charity to raise money. Probably the number one reason why most companies support a tournament is an affinity for the cause. But in addition to supporting a worthy cause, golf tournament sponsorship represents an opportunity for effective advertising. This article contains some anecdotal evidence to support this theory.

At a golf tournament a while ago, I happened to be on the same foursome and share a cart with one of that tournaments major sponsors. This fellow was a marketing manager for a car dealership. His rather enviable job description included playing in tournaments that the company sponsored, which through the summer months amounted to about two or three a week. Of course, he had some other responsibilities like making sure the cars from the dealership were displayed properly and the gift bags his company sponsored got to every golfer. So it was a long day for him, showing up well before the tournament started and leaving long after the last after dinner speech was made. But even so, he still got to golf as major part of his job. He had a hard time garnering any sympathy from our group.

As we talked throughout the day, I learned that his job of playing golf had not come about by accident. A few years earlier, he had done some extensive research and analysis of the companys advertising budgets, their media exposure and the cost effectiveness of the various types of promotion they were undertaking at the time. This analysis resulted in the very conscious and deliberate decision to drop their media advertising and focus their budget on event sponsorship.

In other words, they found that the caps and shirts they gave away at each golf tournament, the cars they had on display at hole-in-one and other contest holes, their logo on the program and on signs located around the golf tournament, and their name on the sponsor list in the paper and on the tournament website, and so on, resulted in more exposure and more people showing up at the dealership when shopping for a car, than the ads they used to run in the paper and on radio and television.

He would not divulge any numbers, but I can imagine what a major car dealership in a city of over a million would spend on advertising in a year. It would be millions of dollars. To divert this budget to sponsorships was a major decision. Given the money involved, I believe him when he talked about the homework they did before making the decision and the research they did on an ongoing basis to monitor the effectiveness of their expenditure.

He believed the strategy of sponsoring golf tournaments and other events was effective for a number of reasons. They appeared to be more a part of the community if they were associated with local causes and organizations. This elevated the perception of trust in the minds of consumers. The prizes and gifts they gave away, like caps and shirts, displayed their company logo to far more people for far longer, with that positive association, than any form of media advertising. And they could target their audience very carefully and specifically.

So when a charity calls asking your company for sponsorship of its golf tournament, think about supporting the cause, but also think about the win-win that can be accomplished by strategic placement of some of your promotion budget into golf tournament sponsorship.

Ron Strand is a part-time Instructor at the Centre for Communication Studies at Mount Royal college and the President of Strateo Consulting Inc. - a strategic marketing and communications consulting firm.

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Nintendo Wii - Smart Gaming

The new Wii is the fifth home video game console from nintendo. This gaming device is the direct successor to the nintendo gamecube and targets a broader demographic than that of the xbox 360 by microsoft and PlayStation3 by Sony. The game console comes with the distinguishing feature of a wireless controller, the Wii remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and is able to detect acceleration in three dimensions. Another feature is the WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the internet in a standby mode.

nintendo first announced the entry of the Wii console at the 2004 E3 press conference the system and later unveiled it in the 2005 E3. The console was known by the code name of "Revolution" until April 27, 2006. But later, it was changed to the Wii. It was the first home console nintendo had marketed outside of Japan. nintendo announced the launching of the console on September 14, 2006. The company announced that the majority of the 2006 shipments would be allotted to the Americas, while the 33 titles would be available in the 2006 launch window. nintendo also announced the release of the console in South Korea by the beginning of 2008.

Since its launch, nintendo Wii recorded a high rise in the monthly sale of the console beating its competitors across the globe. According to the NPD Group, the nintendo Wii sold more units in North America than the xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 combined in the first half of 2007, which was a record in gaming console history. nintendo also enjoys a large market share in the japanese market, where it currently leads in total sales, having outsold both consoles by factors of 2:1 to 6:1 nearly every week from its launch until November 2007. The sale of the nintendo Wii in Australia also created history by overtaking its competitors.

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What You Need to Know When You Start Yoga Exercises

No down you have heard about yoga for years but you may not really know much about it. If you are just a beginner in the yoga world, here are some things that you need to know about before you start.

There are several different styles or kinds of yoga exercises, that range from very gentle and relaxing positions to fairly fast-paced cardio workouts. So first decide what you want to accomplish with yoga. If you have suffered an injury or are trying to manage pain, then perhaps one of the more gentle types of yoga will be best at least for now.

So how do you learn how to practice yoga? Well, there are plenty of DVDs and videos available that can help you learn more about it. However, it's usually best to learn the exercises from a quality instructor instead. There are many yoga classes available at studios and gyms all across the country. It may be a good idea to ask around and get recommendations from others about the best yoga instructors in your area. A good instructor will be very patient with you as you start out and will focus on teaching you not only the exercises themselves, but also how to maintain proper body alignment and breathing techniques throughout the positions and poses. It's a good idea to visit a few yoga classes and perhaps sit in on a session or two to learn more about each instructor, and then choose the one that you like best.

It's important that you approach yoga with the right mental attitude. It is not a competition. It is not a challenge. You are not trying to do something better than anyone else. In fact, yoga is a very personal experience. So listen to your own body as you learn the exercises and you can't go wrong.

So what equipment are you going to need for this new adventure? Well, wearing the right clothing will be important. Your clothing needs to be comfortable and not restrictive. And since you can get very warm from practicing the poses and positions, your clothing should also be breathable and keep your skin as dry as possible.

Perhaps the most common piece of equipment is a yoga mat. They can actually come in handy for a couple of reasons. First of all, the mat can help keep you from slipping as you exercise on the floor. This gets more important as the session progresses and you perspire at your body heats up. The other benefit of using a yoga mat is that it keeps you from having to sit on a hard bare floor. There are several types of mats available, so just choose the one that fits you best.

Water will be important to have handy as you will need to stay hydrated as you exercise and replace any lost fluids. Generally, it's best to practice yoga on an empty stomach, so try to avoid eating heavy meals very soon beforehand too.

Many people have found that yoga makes a very important contribution to their mental and physical well-being. Hopefully, it can do the same for you.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including fitness. You can find free yoga exercises and free yoga poses by visiting our Home Fitness website.

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