Golf Ads™ is celebrating 20 years in the business. This is no small feat for a company that has grown both footprint and offering to become South Africa’s leading media specialist within the golfing environment.
Formerly known as Green Advertising before rebranding to Golf Ads™ the company has contributed extensively to golf, as an industry and as a sport, over the past two decades whilst growing the opportunity for brands and advertisers to engage and connect with this sought-after affluent audience.
Golf Ads™ started with one ball washer on one golf course, but has since grown into the most significant player in the industry, with multiple advertising rights on 186 golf courses nationally.
According to Golf Ads™ Founder John Bayly, the idea of creating a formalised media offering in this environment was triggered whilst he was on the green: “It was during a game of golf with English cricketer Robin Smith at the Royal Cape Golf Club that the idea to create set media platforms on the green came about. He needed to wash his golf balls but there was nowhere to wash them. That got me thinking,” Bayly recalls.
“The very first golf ball washer I installed, geared for media use, was at the Clovelly Golf Course on the third hole, exactly 20 years ago. The manager at the time, Jeremy Linquist, said he would be surprised if it lasted a month. Soon afterwards, I signed up MTN on 100 ball washers at 50 golf courses for a period of two years – that was the first major turning point for Golf Ads™.”
As brands and golf courses expressed greater interest in what Golf Ads™ had to offer, the company expanded within the golfing environment. “We had Nashua as a client for 13 years. They had a set contract with Golf Ads™ and they helped us grow from 50 to 150 golf courses,” says Bayly.
“Another brand that is part of our success story is Mercedes Benz and Sandown Motors. They are one of the biggest dealerships in South Africa and we successfully provided them with an affluent audience with a propensity for luxury german vehicles. With the launch of our Digital Clock platforms almost four years ago we have also developed a great relationship with TAG Heuer, who have helped us grow the digital space in over 90 golf clubs around the country.”
Another significant turning point for the company occurred when whisky brand Bell’s launched the Give that man a Bell’s campaign across 150 golf courses on Golf Ads™ platforms. To accommodate the campaign, the company’s offering grew to include not only golf ball-washers, but clocks and mini-billboards situated in key areas of the golf course. “They used our offering primarily to drive brand awareness and sales, but the campaign was so innovative that it received a Roger Garlick award,” explains Bayly.
Then in 2016 the biggest growth in the business from a strategic point of view happened – leading Out of Home company Provantage Media Group acquired a controlling share of Golf Ads™.
“CEO of Provantage Media Group Jacques du Preez has helped us bring world class innovation to the golf environment, with platforms that augment the golfing experience for all stakeholders – golfers, brands as well as the golf course,” says Bayly.
The rest, as they say, is history. Today, Golf Ads™ brings brands to the attention of some 500 000 golfers every month – no small accomplishment as each of these golfers is a purchase-decision maker and very sought after from an advertising perspective.
As part of Provantage Media Group, Golf Ads™ is expanding its innovations on the course with the introduction of Golf.TV™ and other digital offerings. According to Bayly, Golf Ads™ has installed R4 million worth of products on 180 golf courses around the country, including golf courses in outlying areas such as Newcastle, where other media offerings for reaching this target audience are minimal. Over the years, the company has invested R10 million plus in South African golf clubs in the form of products which add value to both the club and players.
Bayly believes Golf Ads™ is poised to build on the tremendous success of the past 20 years. “Our offering continues to get bigger and better, and we will continue to bring advertisers innovation, more opportunities for engagement and a progressively larger and wider audience. Here’s to the next 20 years!”
Golf Ads™ offers a comprehensive range of advertising formats for reaching an upper LSM audience in an environment that offers high dwell times and excellent frequency. For more information contact Simon Turck simon@golf-ads.co.za, 083 252 8387 or go to www.golf-ads.co.za and follow @ProvantageSA
