Situation:

Hero, the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, has been a long-standing supporter of golf but wanted its brand to reach new, younger audiences.

The pandemic shifted sports fans online, with a race amongst rights holders to produce innovative content to keep fans engaged. Plus, sponsors have been looking for digital led promotional opportunities because event hospitality/appearances were restricted. The bar has been set high for digital content that meets the needs of both stakeholder groups.

Brief:

Take a traditionally slow and straitlaced sport, and reimagine it in an energetic way, while authentically incorporating Hero brand exposure/messaging without detracting from fans’ enjoyment.

Objectives:

• Promote DPWT and Hero brands by creating a content series that has the power to transcend traditional golf fans.

• Strong brand visibility for Hero and DPWT via social views/reach/engagements, broadcast programming and global earned media coverage.

• Showcase the exotic destinations the Tour visits each season.

Four concepts, designed to showcase the talent and personality of golfers in a variety of original formats that would build to a dramatic conclusion:

• Ep1: Chase the Ace 50/50 (July 2021): Armed with 50 balls each, we challenged Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter to defy the 2,500/1 odds and make a hole in one.

• Ep2: The Fastest Hole of Golf (Oct 2021): Four players attempt to break a ridiculously tough Guinness World Record – playing a par five hole in under 27.88 seconds.

• Ep3: The TopGolf Live Show (Nov 2021): A live show at Topgolf Dubai with four golfers taking part in a fast and fun shoot-out contest using modern interactive technology.

• Ep4: The One Yard Fairway (Jan 2022): Challenged three of the most successful golfers in the world with a near-impossible task: hitting a driver onto a fairway just one-yard wide on an F1 racetrack.

• New formats to show the sport in a different and fast paced way: physical and psychological challenges testing accuracy, skill, patience and mental-strength, with additional dramatic excitement thrown in (e.g. a Guinness World Record at stake, time pressure, live audiences, head-to-head contests etc).

• Epic/stunning locations to add visual appeal: the Yas Marina F1 racetrack; TopGolf Dubai with a spectacular Dubai skyline; one of the world’s most distinguished golf courses in Spain.

• Star names to boost reach: some of the most successful golfers in the world were chosen to appear, including Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Ian Poulter, Danny Willett and Tyrrell Hatton. They were hand-picked because of their skill and charisma/likeability. Commitment to share content.

• Multi-format content offering: not just a social media output, but a 30min supplementary behind-the-scenes broadcast programme from each challenge to ensure the content could be utilise for linear and VOD broadcast channels.

• Devised, scripted, filmed, edited and released entirely in-house. Each piece was filmed over a one-day period (with just two hours with the players) and released three days later.

• Clever story-telling (including setup, anticipation, near-misses and music changes), high-quality production values and epic visual scale all created jeopardy/excitement, drawing viewers in so they were fully invested in the outcome.

• Each piece released according to a comprehensive distribution/syndication plan, maximising media coverage and tapping into new/broader audiences, including:

o Targeted release times, hitting multiple markets.

o Series of teasers to build interest.

o Co-release on associated channels including Guinness World Records, Hero, and broadcast partners such as Sky Sports, NBC and others.

o Activation of DPWT’s unique, global syndication platform comprising broadcasters, digital/social media influencers and players, who are alerted to help like, share and comment.

o Follow-up content (best moments/unseen angles/behind-the-scenes) to elongate the life of the content.

· 23m views on DPWT social platforms with a reach of 68m and 1.4m engagements. Two of the top five most viewed DPWT content pieces ever.

· Reached new fans: 93% of all views on YouTube, 94% on Facebook, and 98% on TikTok came from non-subscribed fans. Furthermore, 54% of YouTube viewers were under 34.

· Featured on live tournament broadcasts in 160+ territories via 30min broadcast cut for each film - distributed to 230m homes.

· Earned media pickup across online/broadcast/print, such as Sky Sports, NBC, ESPN, Fox Sports, L’Equipe, The Independent, Reuters, USA Today and more, plus shared by notable sporting and celebrity influencers.

· Generated $7.1m of brand value for Hero across social, broadcast and news coverage (source: YouGovSport). Considerable ROI on a limited budget.

· ‘Gateway content’ in commercial discussions, with growing numbers of sponsors wishing to co-create content.