Why Marketing can look like a Golf Game

At first sight golf is an easy game. You have a club, a ball and you have to get that ball into a hole. It’s just like marketing. You have a budget, you have a product, you need to get that product into the bag of the consumer.

Should be easy, right?

Well, not quite, because just like you can’t simply stick the ball in a “hole” you can’t simply stick the product in a bag. There are certain rules and strategies. And you always need to have a plan B, because the ball might take a different curve when you hit it and you’ll end up somewhere in a sand puddle.

And golf clubs are different.

Each has its own aim and purpose. You have to know which club to use if you want you ball to enter the “hole”.

It’s the same with the different communication channels.

Which communication channels are you using to get the product in the bag? What’s interesting is that the golf player has more than 3 golf clubs. Each club with its own specific and purpose. You can not use the same golf club for all the distances. Again, we come back to communication channels; you can not use any communication channel just because you want to get the product into a bag.

You need some strategy for this.

And we all know that a marketing strategy is not born overnight. It won’t come to you like an idea under the shower and neither like a “must do” while on transit. There are a few things that you need to take into account. Just like golf.

The game strategy is important.

Each player has a strategy and a backup plan. Before striking the ball he takes into account the power he must use, the place to strike, how to strike it, where it should fall, the number of strokes needed to reach the hole, what club to use from where to strike it, how the swing must be etc. Strategy is an important part in golf.

In order to play professional golf you must first train. In an amateur game at first, perhaps with amateur clubs and amateur partners. But the stronger you get into this game your investment will grow. You will need a more professional equipment that will certainly cost more than a few bucks. You will need a better golf course than your backyard and you will need a stronger competition to help you grow as well. It’s the same in marketing, you need to invest in yourself, and if you want more, you have to ask for more, to sacrifice more and give more. Easy, right?

You must think that hitting a golf ball with a club is easy too, right? Believe me, it’s not! And do you think placing a product on the market and then in the customer’s bag is easy? I can answer this as well, it’s not!

Golf is a calm, quiet and patient game. A game that must be played with the mind. A game with vision and with common sense. You can cheat, of course, but what’s the point in playing if you’re going to cheat? A game that forms relationships and helps you relax.

A clean and beautiful game.

And if you were to change the term golf with marketing it would be something like this:

“Marketing is a calm, quiet and (sometimes) patient “game”. A “game” that must be played with the mind. A “game” with vision and common sense. You can cheat, of course, but what’s the point in playing if you’re going to cheat? … A (sometimes) clean and (sometimes) beautiful “game”!

I understand now why golf is not a game for everyone.

The same way that marketing is not for everyone.

Golf | Shutterstock