July 10 2017
During the Dallas Spring Meeting for PRGN members of the Leadership Roundtable, we were given the opportunity to get out of the hotel conference center and explore one of Dallas’ top corporate headquarters (and a Three Box Strategic Communications client) – Topgolf. While the visit was a great opportunity to cut loose and have a little fun, it also served as an opportunity to learn from a top national brand and get a refresh on some basic PR principles we should be applying to our work each day.
Three Key Learnings from Topgolf that apply to all PR professionals
Your Message: It has to resonate with your audience(s).
This point is an oldie but goodie and it was nice to hear Topgolf reinforce it during our visit. We heard from director of corporate communications Adrienne Chance and she discussed the breadth of audiences that Topgolf has to reach with their message from millennia
ls and families with children to avid golfers and traveling businessmen. Each audience is unique, but the core message must stay the same.
As PR experts it’s our responsibility to ensure the message is aligned with the brand and resonates with each defined audience. However, we also can’t be everything to everyone so we must clearly define which audiences are most important and play to their pain points in our outreach and message.
Embrace your differences. They’re what make you stand out.
Although the word golf is in the name at Topgolf, they are far different from your typical driving range or golf course. Golf is simply the sport that’s played at Topgolf while you’re entertaining or socializing. Some folks may go to Topgolf to hone their skills, but the majority are there for what makes Topgolf different from any other sports facility in the world – the atmosphere.
As Topgolf was becoming what it is today, they embraced their differences. They aren’t just for serious golfers, although some go there to practice. They’re for anyone who likes to have a good time, experience excellent service and socialize with friends.
In the PR world, we have to take notice of the unique differences in all of the brands we work with and continue to highlight them. Being different is what makes people talk and they sure talk a lot about Topgolf. Look at all of the great media coverage and celebrity quotes they’ve received courtesy of Three Box Strategic Communications!
If you can’t have fun it’s not worth doing.
The final and most important thing we learned from our friends at Topgolf is that there’s time for work and time for play. Making things fun is what they’re all about. Turning a sport that induces naps on a Sunday afternoon and rage from a frustrated player on the course into entertainment has to involve fun. Just as we PRGNers spend a lot of time working during our meetings and beyond we were able to enjoy ourselves at Topgolf that afternoon! Check us out in the bay where we may have missed more balls than we hit but had a great time doing it.
