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These Ladies Can Communicate!
 
Women are controversial. Actually, women aren’t controversial; society’s views of women are what are contentious.
 
Combine that with the public’s perception that women’s athletics are not as exciting, and therefore lack the same level of interest, as sports played by men and the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) has a significant challenge as it promotes women’s golf and attempts to grow the game.
 
The LPGA, the primary governing body for women’s professional golf, has for years tried to escape the shadows and increase awareness. They’ve had success in recent years, with the “These Girls Rock” marketing campaign, for example. But, the LPGA’s efforts have also occasionally come with controversy.
 
For one, how much to promote the sex appeal of the players? Jan Stephenson was among the first players to push for more provocative marketing in the 1970s and ‘80s. But many current players – and most modern women in general – are talented, intelligent people who want to be known for much more than their sexuality.
 
More recently the Tour drew criticism for introducing a proposal encouraging players to conduct media interviews in English, which was widely viewed as a response to the growing number of successful Korean players who have difficulty interacting with predominately U.S.-based media and fans. The Tour backed away from elements of the plan, but the truth remains that some of the LPGA’s rising stars are not fluent in English and that presents a communications challenge.
 
The women’s pro golf circuit is both more appealing and more international than ever. An infusion of young, impressive talent – many of them fit, fashionable and, frankly, foxy – is reshaping the face of the game. And, with players from nearly 30 nations on Tour, the LPGA has an incredible opportunity and responsibility to expand the women’s game globally. The marketing implications are huge.
 
As a result, the LPGA is embracing new media and social networking more swiftly and, we believe, more effectively than some other major sports organizations. And, many of the member players – each of them independent contractors – are also taking to the Internet on their own, providing fans with incredible access and the LPGA with increased exposure.
 
For the most part the LPGA and its players enjoy a wholesome reputation, which has contributed to increased sponsor support. No steroids or dog fighting here. And, at least until the recent U.S. recession, prize money and advertising revenue was on an upward trajectory. But, with hundreds of players, many of them communicating online every day (the LPGA keeps a comprehensive list), the opportunity for controversy and communications consequences is perhaps greater than ever.
 
Can the LPGA continue its momentum? What is it doing online that other sports aren’t? And, how can it help players communicate with fans without causing problems?
 
NiceBallz recently emailed* with LPGA officials about the organization’s efforts to increase awareness of women’s golf. LPGA Chief Communications Officer David Higdon responds to our questions about the Tour’s communications guidance for players, how social media presents new opportunities and challenges for the Tour, and the future of the game in the Internet era. We hope you’ll learn something about the LPGA’s brand strategy.

*NiceBallz includes links to relevant examples and information in our articles.  These are not provided by the individual/group being interviewed. 

NiceBallz: It appears the LPGA has taken the initiative to embrace social media more. What was the timing and trigger for this shift?
 
LPGA: In the past year, social media has exploded on the sports scene as a popular way to gain fans and keep interested parties informed. Additionally, we are finding many journalists looking for alternative methods of reporting. We’re a nimble organization that’s quick and eager to pursue exciting new ways for our fans to follow golf.
 
NiceBallz: Give us a brief overview on how you’re leveraging new media to promote the tour and your players?
 
LPGA: The LPGA has created accounts on YouTube, Facebook and, most recently, Twitter. Many of our tournaments have done the same since these are efficient ways to share the latest news with fans. Each of these mediums allows fans to sign up for news feeds sent to their mobile devices. LPGA.com and tournament Web sites are great places to drive fan interest, but being able to pique interest with a quick 140-word teaser delivered directly to fans (i.e. Twitter) is invaluable. Additionally, YouTube has allowed the LPGA to produce in-house material that shows the ‘outside the ropes’ side of our players.
 
NiceBallz: How is social networking and new media helping expand the reach of your brand and player personalities internationally?
 
LPGA: We live in a world that demands information 24/7. Social networking and new media allow us to keep up with this demand and to ensure that our fans around the world receive up-to-the-minute news about the Tour and their favorite players. The LPGA values its incredible diversity; we have 122 players from 27 countries competing on Tour this season. Web applications and new media outlets enable us to connect with our global fans in the most intimate and engaging ways.
 
NiceBallz: How much are you directing your players to get involved with Twitter, Facebook and other social media, etc.?
 
LPGA: We recently hosted an LPGA Tour Summit at Kingsmill Resort and Spa leading in to one of our tournaments, the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill. We had more than 100 players attend and we were very direct about the numerous mediums now available for them to reach out to their fans and connect with people on an increasingly more personal level. Social media allows players to give their fans small glimpses into their lives off the course, while controlling the content they share. We had a tremendous response from players following the Summit and, as of early May, 18 players had signed up. It’s incredible how fast everyone is catching on to these mediums. In the past 18 months, the LPGA has gone from producing content for LPGA.com to expanding our digital presence on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and FanBook. Our tournaments are doing the same.
 
NiceBallz: What guidelines are you giving players about how, what and when to communicate online with fans and sponsors?
 
LPGA: We have not published any formal guidelines – we leave it up to the players to
decide how engaged they want to be. We will provide guidance where we can. Many of our players have grown up in the midst of the social media explosion and find it easier to connect with fans via quick notes throughout the day, rather than sitting down and responding to fan mail in a more formal manner.
 
NiceBallz: To what extent are you concerned for players, some of them still teens, about privacy, stalking and other online ills?
 
LPGA: Safety is always a priority in anything that we do, especially when it comes to our members. We encourage players to be smart and utilize ‘fan pages’ for many of these alternative mediums, which means not sharing personal information. Share information as to what your favorite food is, or what you’re working on with a coach, but nothing that is too personal. 
 
NiceBallz: In an effort to increase awareness and improve player engagement with fans, the LPGA in the past has provided their players with communications guidance. These efforts have included, the Five Points of Celebrity Initiative and the Tour’s preference for player interviews to be conducted in English. What lessons has the LPGA learned from their past efforts that the Tour is applying with its current embrace of social media via Twitter, Facebook and blogging?
 
LPGA: The use of social media by the LPGA and its individual members really brings our Five Points of Celebrity and Fans First focus to center stage. Social media is the perfect way for the LPGA and its members to really be able to connect with fans outside the ropes and let them get to know each player’s personality and ‘favorites,’ if you will. We have a global fan base, which our members – who represent 27 countries – are now able to stay in touch with, no matter where in the world the Tour finds itself. Social media continues to allow us to embrace the global nature of the Tour and celebrate a growing fan base.
 
NiceBallz: How much interest have you seen from bloggers to become credentialed for LPGA events, and how many have you approved so far?
 
LPGA: Our blog policy was released at the end of March and we are steadily seeing an increased interest at each event, especially when we play in close proximity to larger media markets. As with any traditional publication, budgets can still be an issue, but there are bloggers who do report on the LPGA and professional golf on a regular basis and we want to encourage responsible journalism, while engaging more of our fans. Additionally, as we see sports departments shrink within the traditional media realm, many of these reporters are turning to blogs to provide coverage. So, as the media landscape evolves, we knew the right thing to do was to evolve with it.
 
NiceBallz: What do you think the future holds for women’s professional golf and its convergence with emerging communications mediums?
 
LPGA: The possibilities are endless. LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens is adamant – and spot-on – when she says that if we can introduce a potential sponsor or fan to one of our players in a pro-am, they’ll be fans for life. We obviously cannot provide everyone a pro-am experience, but social media does provide a personal glimpse inside the LPGA and a ‘behind the scenes’ look at the sport in a way we’ve never been able to share in the past.
 
At NiceBallz, we’re fans of the females because they are often friendlier than their male professional counterparts and we can relate to the length of their golf game. Sorry, we can’t hit a 5-iron more than 220 yards like the big boys. For information about the LPGA, please visit http://www.lpga.com/ or follow the LPGA at http://twitter.com/LPGA. For more golf reviews and commentary and humor, follow us at http://twitter.com/NiceBallz and http://twitter.com/GolferWriterGuy. Or email us at staff@niceballz.com.