Backed by what it calls “extensive research,” Matthews/Mark is launching ads for Odyssey that comi cally blame the greenkeeper for all golf putting follies.
The San Diego agency launches four TV spots this month promoting the client’s putters. The global campaign, which includes print ads, paints the greenkeeper as a highly educated but evil saboteur.
“The green is the breeding ground of paranoia,” joked agency president and creative director Michael Mark. “There’s a myth that the game is between you and the golf course. In reality, there’s a man out there, the greenkeeper, who is your opponent.”
Historically, Odyssey has spent $2-5 million annually on advertising. Matthews/Mark handles creative and media planning. The client handles media buying in-house.
The ads, each dark and brooding, suggest the insidious greenkeeper is out to make life hell for putters. One 30-second spot shows him handling the tools of his trade in his work shed. An announcer intones, “Green keepers must have an intimate knowledge of topography, botany and, apparently, evil.” The tagline is, “Even the score.”
“It’s fantastic,” said Odys sey product manager Allison Anthony. “I think this campaign approaches thinking about putting in a whole new way. It’s very creative.”
Anthony said the four commercials—two 30-second and two 15-second executions—effectively convey the Carlsbad, Calif., company’s intention of being the No. 1 brand of putters.
Odyssey is a wholly owned subsidiary of Callaway Golf, also based in Carlsbad.
Odyssey Finds a Golfing Enemy: the Greenkeeper
