Hardy Cubasch, Group Consumer Director for DP World Tour & Ryder Cup, explains how businesses should strike alliances that are built on a shared purpose, which hold common values and a commitment to achieving collective goals to truly make those partnerships successful.
“Traditional transactional relationships are a thing of the past,” said Hardy. “These days, partners are seeking properties whose visions and values align with their own, where the alliance would go beyond a basic ‘sponsorship’.”
He believes organisations, in this case golf destinations, need to view their brand partners as strategic allies whose mutual commitment is to enhance customer, member and guest experiences, foster brand loyalty, and promote social impact.
“The clearer the USP and value proposition, the better the understanding of what makes a venue appealing to a brand,” he said.
“Is it the fact that it’s an exclusive private members’ club, that attracts very affluent customers, and is ranked among the world’s best golf resorts, for example. Being clear on what you have to offer is key.
“On the flip side, venues must understand what a prospective partner brand is trying to get from the alliance to ensure both parties can extract value.
“Venues need to understand what sort of businesses they are approaching, what their products or services are, who their target audiences are, and what they can offer that is unique, more personalised or bespoke, and be able to communicate how they are best placed to fulfil this proposition.”
Hardy points out how certain clubs might have a sought-after, affluent customer base or a ‘hard to reach’ member pool that a lot of brands, and in particular premium ones, will want to get in front of. However, as a venue, there is a responsibility to protect this coveted audience.
“Brands you work with should be well aware that the more personalised their approach, the more responsive the membership will be because they are being made to feel special, what they are being communicated is more bespoke than they see the brand doing elsewhere, that they feel they are part of a select few.” he continued.
“Brands that do it right, are ones that really shape the messaging or go the extra mile to do something unique for that specific audience that isn’t being done elsewhere. These types of approaches can generate high levels of engagement, which in turn lead to brand affinity, loyalty and depending on the activity, social impact.
“Therefore, the better understanding you have of your membership, their preferences, what their habits or lifestyles are, the more personalised and impactful experiences brand partnerships can provide, deepening the relationship between all parties, and ultimately creating profitable and meaningful partnerships for the destination.”
Once venues have struck an alliance with one or two recognisable ‘anchor’ partners, Hardy describes how he’s seen this draw in other similar brands or industry sectors whose values, principles or philosophies align.
“Brands tend to be more open when they see organisations with successful existing partnerships. It’s also much easier to keep and grow partnerships than go out and find new partners,” he adds. “So having a degree of flexibility and being adaptable is key. Spending time understanding your partner, their business, how they’re evolving and showing willingness to adjust – or change – to ensure the alignment continues for both brands.
“At the Tour and Ryder Cup, we’ve found that striking purposeful alliances that leverage the power of data and set strong, strategic foundations that are still flexible in their approach are paving the way for sustainable success.”