Lifestyle‑led advertising and marketing can unlock new audiences for sport

Over the previous two years, The MTM Agency has supported England Golf on its nationwide ‘Get into Golf’ marketing campaign. What grew to become abundantly clear is that breaking down participation obstacles wasn’t about selling guidelines, gear, or approach. Instead, it was about repositioning golf as a life-style, reflecting who individuals are and the way they need to dwell.

Lifestyle‑led storytelling breaks stereotypes quicker than reality‑based mostly advertising and marketing ever will, and this marketing campaign is a main instance of this. Our problem: to succeed in new audiences and show that golf is accessible for all several types of individuals. We did this not by telling individuals golf is completely different, however by exhibiting them the way it matches into their life-style, and the way it could make them really feel.

We reframed golf as a low‑influence health possibility, a wellbeing ritual, a option to socialize, a family-friendly exercise, and a private problem that helps construct confidence. Instead of actors or polished adverts, we filmed actual golfers who included girls, households, and younger {couples}, all talking truthfully concerning the sport and what it delivered to their lives, which was primarily issues like extra power, extra headspace, extra enjoyable, and extra high quality time collectively.

Emotion beats data

Sports entrepreneurs miss a trick once they focus too closely on rational messages like well being advantages, value, gear, and guidelines. Tapping into feelings and id is what truly drives habits. Our analysis, supported by conversations with PGA skilled Emma Booth, revealed one thing essential: individuals weren’t rejecting golf; they had been rejecting what they thought golf mentioned about them. Women didn’t see gamers who regarded like them. People with disabilities weren’t represented. Families felt unwelcome. Couples didn’t know methods to begin. The checklist goes on.

So our artistic technique targeted on 4 key pillars. Firstly, creating a way of belonging, ie ‘people like me play golf.’ Secondly, self-image, ie ‘golf fits my life, my values, my vibe.’ Thirdly, ease, ie ‘I don’t have to know the foundations to attempt it.’ Fourthly, emotion: ‘Golf makes me feel good.’

When audiences really feel understood, not instructed, participation follows.

Surround your viewers

In this multi-faceted marketing campaign, we would have liked every channel to inform a linked story. Social media grew to become the heartbeat. Through TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, we showcased candid movies presenting golf as energetic, numerous, enjoyable, and achievable.

With a targeted paid media funds, we didn’t attempt to do every part. We boosted the strongest-performing property that celebrated actual individuals. Engagement stayed excessive, and prices remained nicely under business benchmarks.

For PR, we labored with golfer Caz Grant to amplify her transformative journey into the game, supported by our personal shopper analysis, which revealed some distinctive insights across the nation’s misconceptions about golf, and likewise their urge for food to attempt one thing new. This mixture of a human-centric story paired with data-driven insights meant the marketing campaign traveled quick, organically reaching 2.85 million listeners throughout 25 radio stations.

All the awareness-building led to Get into Golf Week, a nationwide marketing campaign designed to create the best doable entry level into the game for first‑timers. Hundreds of golf equipment participated, reporting a big rise in enquiries from individuals who’d by no means thought-about golf earlier than.

While we racked up an 87% improve in Instagram engagement and a couple of.5m paid media impressions, the actual success was reaching individuals who had by no means pictured themselves holding a golf membership earlier than, who had been now keen to offer it a go.

Lead with individuals

If sports activities need new audiences, they need to begin by promoting the life-style it unlocks. Lead with individuals, not the game itself, and present the feelings and identities your sport helps. Make content material aspirational however achievable and let actual individuals be your storytellers, as a result of authenticity wins each time.

From an built-in advertising and marketing perspective, encompass your viewers so that each touchpoint reinforces the identical message: ‘This is for you.’ Then create a second that invitations motion; an activation week or a nationwide occasion that turns curiosity into participation.

Whether it’s golf, biking, cricket, operating, or climbing, the identical fact applies: individuals don’t be part of a sport; they be part of a group, an id, a sense. When we market sport as a life-style, as a supply of pleasure, connection, confidence, and wellbeing, we don’t simply develop participation, we open the doorways to individuals who’ve been standing outdoors, questioning in the event that they belong; and that’s the place the actual transformation begins.