Over the past six years, I have been reporting to you more frequently about Porsche‘s golf sponsorship activities. Porsche appears to have realized that golf is a popular sport and leisure activity among its customers.
Perhaps they have taken a cue from BMW, which has seen success with its own golf sponsorships.
Deniz Keskin, Director of Brand Management and Partnerships at Porsche AG, discussed the company’s golf sponsorship mission, including its strategy, goals, and initiatives. It is certain that they want to participate in the customers’ most relevant sports.
He says:
“Worldwide, golf is our customers’ most important pastime. Within the game of golf, we meet an extremely interesting and exclusive global target group that is an excellent match for Porsche.
We are trying to take advantage of the opportunities that golf offers as an excellent experience platform to interact in the areas of customer loyalty and customer acquisition.
Our focus additionally lies on the brand experiences for customers and golf fans that we can offers as partners.”
These are the key insights:
Porsche became the title partner of the Porsche Singapore Classic* as part of its commitment to internationalization.
The entry into women’s golf at The Amundi Evian Championship in France is added. A Porsche will be at stake as a hole-in-one prize at a professional women’s event for the first time. The international Porsche Golf Community will be hosted at the Evian Resort Golf Club.
Porsche will act as the official car partner at, for instance, the European Open near Hamburg and the Omega European Masters in Switzerland, both DP World Tour tournaments.
The percentage of Porsche women customers is increasing year on year. At the same time, women’s golf is becoming more and more popular, especially in the Asian region.
Porsche has been involved in golf since 1988 through the Porsche Golf Cup. The tournament series is one of the company’s most successful customer events and has developed into an international event in which over 17,000 Porsche customers recently participated in 261 worldwide qualifying tournaments.
Porsche became the DP World Tour’s prestigious Porsche European Open title sponsor in 2015. This year, Porsche will be the official car of the tournament.
Launched in 2017, the Porsche Golf Circle is also highly successful. The international community for keen golf-playing Porsche customers allows its members to enjoy exclusive golfing experiences at unique locations and professional tournaments. This was made possible by a prestigious professional DP World Tour event played on one of Asia’s outstanding courses.
The Asian market is highly relevant from a sales point of view because of the increasing interest in golf. As an innovation hub and central Southern Asian country, Singapore is highly important to Porsche.
With the official opening of the Porsche Studio, the world premiere of the new electric Macan, and the worldwide dealer event, Singapore was, even before the Porsche Singapore Classic, a core location for Porsche activities in the first months of 2024.
Porsche’s sponsorship activities in golf have overlooked a potential avenue for promoting their cars, which is through the endorsement of tour player influencers.
Tour players have transformed into multifaceted influencers with considerable social media followings and personal brands that reach beyond their golf achievements.
By enlisting these players as brand ambassadors, Porsche can benefit from their extensive reach and diverse appeal to promote their vehicles. This strategy would enable Porsche to tap into a wider audience and strengthen its brand presence in the market.
Porsche could leverage tour players’ personal stories, values, and social platforms to create more resonant and engaging campaigns.
Sponsors must recognize that the conventional approach of using retired tour players as publicity spokespeople can no longer guarantee optimal coverage.
Therefore, employing more innovative and imaginative tactics to ensure successful outcomes is essential.
