A co-branded campaign from Nike Golf and Starwood Hotels & Resorts will offer golfers a chance to win an opportunity to hit into the world's biggest sand trap: The beaches of Kauai Island, HI.
Starwood alone will spend in the “low seven figures” on the multimedia effort, according to Jennifer McCarthy, director of marketing partnerships and programs for the hospitality chain.
In addition, Nike Golf is expected to begin sending several traditional and e-mail messages to duffers in its half-million-name database in late February, and will air a direct response commercial on a Fox Sports Network show.
Golfers will be offered Starwood vacation packages and Nike merchandise.
The two marketers decided to go ahead with the full-year campaign after a double postcard test in November to 150,000 Starwood customers yielded a 1% booking rate for the hotel operator's properties.
The next phase of the effort, which was scheduled for late February, went deeper into Starwood's customer file, although exact quantities were not available at deadline. Of the 4 million active customers in the database, fewer than 1 million are golfers, McCarthy estimated.
Starwood used oversized double postcards in November, and planned to use them again for the February mailing.
The February card features a photograph of Starwood's newly acquired Kauai Island time-share golf resort. The back showcases several European golfing destinations. The piece offers a Nike golf wedge to anyone signing up for a Starwood golf vacation.
Respondents are being steered to live operators if they want to book a vacation. While this might slow down the impulse buyer who wants to book immediately, McCarthy feels “there's an advantage to talking to a Starwood concierge.” Concierges are schooled in course availability and distances from the airport to the links. Details on vacation packages also are available on Starwood's Web site (www.starwood.com).
Nike Golf is planning a simultaneous traditional mail/electronic strategy. The Beaverton, OR-based company built its customer database through its Web site, warranty cards and research projects. Consumers can get information online.
While the two companies will share marketing material, they will not merge customer files. While this precludes doing any sort of merge/purge, Chris Mike, director of marketing and advertising for Nike Golf, is not concerned about double soliciting.
“I would call that frequency [of contact],” Mike said.
“I don't have an issue with the same person getting a Nike Golf newsletter one week and then the next week receiving a Starwood golf resorts newsletter.”
Nike Golf's contact strategy includes its own double postcard mailing to selected members of its database as well as three e-mail efforts through April. It won't do a full-file mailing because of the expense, Mike said.
But it will purchase a direct response television spot on the Fox Sports Network's “Best Damned Sports Show Period,” and is featuring take-ones at retail outlets.
