RBC Heritage

With a target sell-out date set for April 15, the DS+CO team went to work creating an integrated marketing plan that promoted ticket sales, communicated the urgency of buying tickets before it was too late and reimagined the post-ticket purchase experience. But the work extended well beyond the green, reaching into people’s homes to elevate their experience on social media during tournament week—with the hopes of building an audience of future ticket buyers.

On the heels of the pandemic, our team knew that golf lovers would be itching to get back on the course in search of the thrill of past tournaments. With that in mind, we focused on two truths: the tournament itself is steeped in tradition and it has a reputation for being one of the most fun stops on the PGA Tour.

This thinking pushed the creative strategy toward “Time to Play,” which reinforced our message across all tactics, including email, paid search, paid social media, pre-roll spots, digital banner ads and organic social media. And when the tournament was officially recognized as a PGA Tour signature event in the middle of the campaign, the strategy and execution proved flexible enough to embrace the exciting news without needing to re-concept or overhaul our tactical approach.

April 15 was our goal date to sell out tickets. We hit that milestone on March 9. From that point on, we zeroed in on capturing the RBC Heritage experience on social media—reinforcing our attendees’ decision to join and giving plenty of motivation for everyone else to not miss out next year. As for the social experience, the results say it all.

Key OUTCOMES
• Exceeded ticket sales goal by 24%
• Sold out tickets one month early

Key OUTPUTS
• Email revenue up 11%
• Paid search revenue up 12.4%
• Social stats:
­ • 7.45 million impressions
­ • ­12,674 new followers
­ • ­270,000 engagements