Cannes Lions

EUROPEAN GOLF TOUR

SAATCHI & SAATCHI, London / EUROPEAN TOUR / 2011

Awards:

3 Shortlisted Cannes Lions
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Overview

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Credits

OVERVIEW

Description

In golfing circles, it’s widely accepted that The European Tour hosts the most challenging and diverse courses in the world and that by contrast, the PGA courses are all very consistent and similar in their design. Therefore golfers need a greater shot making ability to succeed on The European Tour versus the PGA Tour.The aim of the campaign was to build The European Tour brand, make it famous and if possible attract the attention of non-golf fans.We created a line that surmised the superior shot making ability needed to compete on The Tour - 'See every shot imaginable'.To prove it, we devised a series of near impossible challenges for some of The Tour’s best golfers to attempt. We’d film their efforts and edit viral films from the footage.There was no media budget whatsoever – so it had to be a viral campaign in the truest sense of the term.

Execution

We created the line, ‘See every shot imaginable’, to surmise the superior shot making ability needed to succeed on the European Tour.We then devised a series of near impossible challenges that would prove this – showcasing the skill of the players and their personalities too.The first challenge was the ‘200 yard gong shot’. Four golfers competed to be the first to skim a ball 200 yards across a lake and ring a 9 inch gong floating just above the water level.We created a branded YouTube page and uploaded the film, along with some incredible archive shots from past tournaments.The second challenge was the ‘Clay Pigeon shot’. Four golfers attempted to hit a clay pigeon out of the sky, but with a golf ball instead of a bullet.

We uploaded the film to the YouTube page, along with some more incredible archive shots. There was no post trickery applied to either film.

Outcome

Two near impossible shots were achieved - David Howell hit the gong and Simon Khan smashed a clay pigeon!Despite having no paid seeding, the virals were passed on by blogs, journalists, Facebook, Twitter, the front page of the Guardian website, Wired, CNN, ESPN and YouTube’s homepage.The YouTube channel now has over 5 million uploaded views.Many non-golf fans enjoyed them, leaving comments such as, "Hate golf, love this." People also had a new admiration for the players' skill with comments like, "This is where amazing happens."The Sky Sports network picked up both films and broadcast them for free, as part of their scheduled programming. With each broadcast came a global audience of over 500 million people. The line, See every shot imaginable, has also become part of The Tour’s commentators’ language.Independent golf clubs around the globe have recreated the 'Gong' challenge for their members to try. We don’t know if anyone is attempting the 'Clay Pigeon Shot', though.

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