In Minneapolis, Jim Souhan writes Rory McIlroy "is the great young player golf fans craved, but he has not and might never be the golfing celebrity" that Tiger Woods is. McIlroy, who topped Woods in THE DAILY's survey of the most marketable golfers, "might have found a sweet spot of sports celebrity." He is "successful enough to make lots of money in endorsements, but his lack of mainstream celebrity means he can break up with Caroline Wozniacki without becoming a fixture on the cover of American grocery store tabloids." Perhaps because he either is from Northern Ireland or "doesn’t look like a male model, he has become a great golfer without being asked to be anything more than a golfer" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/9).
QUICK CHANGE: Golfer Rickie Fowler has signed a long-term partnership with Quicken Loans in which he will serve as a spokesperson for the company. The Quicken Loans logo will appear on Fowler's golf bag beginning with today's opening round of The Masters. Fowler ranked second in THE DAILY's most marketable golfer survey (THE DAILY).
PANTS PARTY: In Newark, Steve Politi noted golfer Morgan Hoffmann, who is partnered with designer Charlie Schaefer, "will wear a pair of green camo pants for Thursday's round" of The Masters, "followed by a pair with tropical prints on Friday." If he makes the cut, he will look "almost normal on Saturday with a green pair with white dots and then just plain old white pants on Sunday." Politi: "I'm not sure how the golf gods will feel about the floral pants, but I do think the fashion gods will be angry" (NJ.com, 4/8).
DRIVE FOR SHOW, PUTT FOR DOUGH: CNBC’s Dominic Chu noted DraftKings claims the number of weekly users for the daily fantasy site's golf product has "grown by tenfold in just the last year." Users are spending "eight times more money on golf-related fantasy games than they were just last year.” DraftKings in February alone "doled out $3 million in entry fees for those golf-related games." Chu: "Serious golf fans are a target-rich environment for a lot of these types of companies. Some say because the demographic is really seen dishing out more of their disposal income for these types of games” ("Squawk Box," CNBC, 4/9).
GEORGIA ON MY MIND: AD AGE's Mark Bergen noted AT&T yesterday during ESPN's coverage from The Masters broke a "trio of spots at the center of its new ad campaign, called 'Focus on what Matters,' aimed at business clients." Each spot focuses on "one of the pillars" the company is "promoting in its enterprise offerings." BBDO, N.Y., created the spots, and MEC "will handle media buying." AT&T Business Solutions CMO Steve McGaw said, "The Masters is a great venue. It becomes a great launchpad for a broad branding initiative" (ADAGE.com, 4/8).
