DePuy Mitek, a PGA Tour official marketing partner and sponsor of the tour’s mobile health and fitness facility, will highlight three golfers in a series of vignettes throughout the spring and summer on PGATour.com.
The Johnson & Johnson company is working with tour stars Stewart Cink, Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry to chronicle their workouts in a series of 60-second and 90-second videos produced by PGA Tour Entertainment. Cink, Furyk and Perry will also answer questions in each episode about their eating and health habits.
The golfers were chosen because of the frequency with which they visit the tour’s health and fitness trailer and because they represent varying age groups: Cink in his 30s, Furyk in his 40s and Perry in his 50s — essentially the demographic sweet spot for the tour’s audience as well as the customer base for Orthovisc, the DePuy Mitek brand therapy that treats osteoarthritis of the knee.
Eight vignettes for each of the three golfers are being prepared and they’ll debut on PGATour.com’s fitness section in early April. One will run each week for a total of 24 weeks.
“Some of the most popular facets of PGATour.com are the segments that offer visitors a sneak peek into the players as people, so this is a chance to get a few tips from the pros and integrate what they do as they prepare to play golf,” said Lisa Huston, senior product director for Orthovisc.
DePuy Mitek is the orthopaedic sports medicine division of Johnson & Johnson and Orthovisc is the consumer brand that it activates through the tour partnership. The PGA Tour struck the deal with DePuy Mitek in 2009 and it runs through this year. Official marketing partnerships can range from the low seven figures to high seven figures depending on how much media is involved. The company also has an expo presence at several PGA Tour and Champions Tour events throughout the season to educate consumers on knee pain and treatment.
Cink, Furyk and Perry will not be endorsing the Orthovisc brand in the spots or talking about the product, but some of the branding that’s typically seen in the health and fitness trailer will be visible in the background.
“DePuy has done a good job positioning itself around health and activity,” said Lee Bushkell, vice president and general manager of PGATour.com. “If they’re able to align themselves with players and the tour around health and activity, it’s a good way to get people talking about the medical piece of their business.”
The relationship between the golfers and DePuy Mitek isn’t a traditional endorsement deal.
“They’re not wearing our logo or endorsing the product,” Huston said. “It’s just an opportunity for us to align ourselves with the guys who use the health and fitness trailers on a regular basis and show how they stay fit and active. It’s just a different way to get to know the players better.”
DePuy Mitek worked with GMR Marketing on the vignettes. The players will be involved in a social media aspect to the program as well, sending Twitter messages associated with their visits to the health and fitness mobile facility.
