The Campaign

The 2011 Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship was set to be the biggest professional women’s golf tournament in Taiwan’s history, and first LPGA event, with grand prize money of US $2 million. Taiwan’s Yani Tseng had recently been crowned the world’s top-ranked women’s golfer. The stage was set for a major event that, executed right, could put Taiwan in the golfing world’s top spotlight.. It had been almost a decade since Taiwan hosted an international golf event of this caliber. 1999’s Johnnie Walker Classic had been boosted by Tiger Woods’ first visit to Taiwan, and the event set records for publicity generated, media attendance and on-site gallery. With that in mind, the bar was raised for this event. But could the women’s event win over golf’s – and Taiwan’s -- traditionally male sports consumer? The PR team set out to exceed expectations, deploying an ambitious media outreach plan in several phases to build buzz, staffing an impressive media center to offer exceptional service to journalists, and maximizing coverage throughout Taiwan and the world. The tournament proved to be one of the most successful sporting events of any kind in Taiwan, drawing 67,000+ spectators, generating nearly USD 22 million in AVE, and creating high profile publicity benefitting Taiwan, the LPGA and sponsors.

The Brief

Transcend the market • Drive strong (sell out) ticket sales and attract maximum on-site spectators to make the Sunrise LPGA one of the biggest and most successful sporting events in Taiwan. • Build anticipation and buzz, as well as increasing news momentum throughout the months preceding tournament. • Maximize national coverage of event by both golf/ sports media and consumer lifestyle media.

Results

It doesn’t get any better than this Not only did the event set an all-time record for an international professional golf tournament in Taiwan, it trumped all previous sporting events on the island. In all, the tournament drew 67,000 spectators, smashing the previous record of 30,000 when Tiger Woods played in Taiwan. With Yani on the leaderboard, eventually retaining the trophy in her hometown, tournament news headlined Taiwan’s leading newspapers, transcending sports pages. More than 300 journalists reported on site. Combined tournament coverage generated 990 newspaper reports, 1,344 TV segments amounting to 45 hours of coverage, an additional 1,000 stories online and on radio, plus 12 magazine features ( filling 39 pages). Total AVE of coverage exceeded USD 22 million. Twenty-nine countries aired the tournament to 189 million households worldwide. In the words of LPGA officials: “The Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship is the most successful event for lady’s golf anywhere in the world.”

Execution

Warming up Taiwan to Women’s Golf • Hosted a media luncheon with LPGA chief rule officer Jim Haley to discuss LPGA venue standards and criteria. • Staged press conferences with Yani Tseng, Vice President Siew of ROC (Taiwan), first upon her arrival at the airport to provide media with photo/interview opportunities, and a second with LPGA representatives and high-ranking central and local government officials. Both helped to elevate Sunrise LPGA to a major national event. Launching Tournament Plans with Fanfare • Another press conference celebrated the tournament’s big sponsors, with a video greeting from participating players. • Photo release. Organizer’s reps visited Women’s British Open to extend invitation letters — and iconic Taiwan pineapple cakes —to LPGA players. • Media cup. Journalists invited to dine and golf in the hosting venue. • A full service media center catered to journalists from around the world throughout the tournament week.

The Situation

Settling for Par Wasn’t an Option The assignment was sponsored by Chinese Taipei Golf Association, whose Chairman also runs the Sunrise Golf & Country Club, the hosting venue and tournament title sponsor. Pre-event strategy set out to attract critically needed event sponsors, gain the support of Taiwanese government officials, and drive advance ticket sales. Hampered by limited advertising budget and minimal access to celebrity golfers for publicity appearances, the association relied ono the power of PR and earned media to make the tournament a success.

The Strategy

Give everyone a stake in the success Taiwan’s Yani Tseng, the top-ranked LPGA player in the world, was undoubtedly the big draw among sponsors, potential spectators and average fans. But the PR team’s mission was to promote the tournament itself, its organizers, and the significance of an “LPGA event debuting in Taiwan,” rather than highlighting specific players who were largely unavailable to help promote the tournament. The team rolled out multiple layers of messaging to appeal to different tournament stakeholders and generate buzz, including — sponsors, potential sponsors, government entities, sports and non-sports media, players, and the world golf community.. Excitement was built in phases utilizing strategic press communications and activities to maximize talk-of-town effects, increasing news coverage, on-site spectators and maximum television viewership.