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The Challenge
The European Professional Development Tour (EPDTour) was founded
in 1997 as a tour designed to provide greater opportunities
for aspiring PGA Tour players to develop their golfing skills.
Just two years after the creation of the tour, ITMS Sports
was retained to create a comprehensive tour sponsorship program
and fulfill the task of effectively marketing the tour so
that it would develop into a national success. The objective
of the promotional campaign and sponsorship program was to
turn the EPDTour into a marketable and recognizable sports
brand.
The Solution
ITMS Sports utilized their full range of services to effectively
develop a sleek corporate identity for the EPDTour. The integrated
marketing campaign included placing PR features in national
golf and lifestyle publications as well as regional publications.
Promotional materials were distributed to many of Germany’s
golf clubs as an additional way to raise the EPDTour’s
profile and take the tour to the next echelon of international
sports extravaganzas. ITMS Sports also strengthened the existing
event format into a complete spectacle that would appeal to
players, fans, sponsors, and the media alike.
ITMS Sports’ sales team used this newly created market
positioning to secure renowned corporations such as US Airways,
Titleist, FootJoy, Cobra, and Jaguar as tour sponsors. The
lifestyle fashion brand ESPRIT followed as title sponsor in
2004, rebranding the tour ESPRIT Pro Tour. These sponsors
were critical for securing the needed tour funding and they
also helped to market the tour through their own advertising.
The Results
Through effective promotion and acquisition of essential sponsorships,
ITMS Sports successfully turned the EPDTour into one of Europe’s
premiere professional golf tours. In 2001, the European PGA
Tour officially sanctioned the EPDTour as one of only four
officially recognized 3rd level tours in Europe. This honor
proved to be beneficial to the tour owners who were able to
sell the now popular EPDTour to the PGA of Germany for a mid
six-figure amount.
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