The world is swiftly changing. Consumer spending of women is on the rise – they literally drive 70-80% of total purchases. To quote Bloomberg, “if the consumer economy had a sex, it would be female.” Golf is no exception.
According to the 2018 golf industry report from the National Golf Foundation, 24% of golfers are women or 5.8 million women. It’s simply a fact over the past 10 or so years that the number of girls playing golf is increasing while the number of boys playing decreased. This is the new bullseye for the industry which has been in decline for many years: Junior girls (ages 6-17) continue to be the “sweet spot” in the market. If you’ve been in a tournament with any of these junior women golfers as I have – they are seriously talented.
It seems obvious – but at a very basic level, your marketing should not be offensive to women. And if you are looking for growth – you want to attract the emergent market of young women.
Let’s put forward a few case study examples of how to target women who golf and how not to do it.
And let’s not mince words. This isn’t some politicized message of feminism or political correctness. This is about money. How to get more of it. Or how to lose it. If a woman is offended – she’ll vote with her wallet. It’s that simple. As a brand, you can choose your “voice” and your audience. If you choose to offend – be prepared to lose the “sweet spot” and possibly more than that.
The Bad – or What Not to Do
Swing by Swing Golf, Inc. (Newly branded as SwingU) posts swimsuit shots of women golfers from their Instagram accounts on their website and e-newsletters. Even the language on the Swing-by-Swing site is really offensive to women as golfers are referred to as “golf babes” or “peppy blonde golfers”. They give the golfer’s credentials to make a point that they are both accomplished and pretty. But it is what it is – without similar sexy photos of “golf guys” – they are assuming their audience are mainly men who want to see pretty pictures of young women.
And not all men are amused by these tactics. According to golf professional Rich Conwell, Shorewood Country Club, PA, “Gotta be honest, this actually is a demeaning way to talk about women. As a golf professional trying to grow this segment of the population, this type of correspondence is sophomoric at best and demeaning at worst.”
The Good
There are plenty of good examples to choose from. Golf Shot gives airplay on social and on their blog to women golfers without having to resort to beauty shots. They treat the sexes equally. In fact, all of the top 5 golf apps listed in a recent story by Lifewire – Golf Shot, Hole 19, Golf Logix, Mobitee and SonoCaddie did not have offensive content and featured women’s golf appropriately or equally to men’s golf.
If your brand is choosing to remain misogynistic in order to entertain or ingratiate a male audience, ask yourself if the content is appropriate for a girl 6-17 years of age. That’s who is online shopping for golf apps, clothing, equipment, etc. I don’t think they will be amused. And neither will their parents.
We grew up with the stigma of being a woman and a golfer – but they don’t have to be shaped by negative stereotypical messaging. Like the post we found by Golf Shot – young women can dream about becoming sports #champions – no swimwear required.
Lori Dolnick is a 30+-year public relations and marketing professional. She joined the noted home design agency Frank Advertising in 1995 and is currently Senior Vice President. Prior to Frank Advertising, Ms. Dolnick was a senior account manager for one of the world’s best-known brands at the Leo Burnett Company – McDonald’s. She has won numerous awards for her copywriting and strategic execution of public relations and social media: 2x Winner of Golden Thinker, APEX, Telly, MarCom Creative and Event Technology.
Ms. Dolnick also served as an adjunct marketing professor at Rider University and is currently the Chair of the Marketing Advisory Board. She also serves on a Steering Committee for DIFFA’s (Design Industry Foundation Fighting Aids) Specify with Care program and is an active presenter and writer on today’s marketing trends.
Follow Lori Dolnick at her website loridolnick.com and on Twitter @dolnick.
Cover photo of Sung Hyun Park signing autographs for fans at the 2018 U.L. International Crown by Ben Harpring
