Golf Ads™ celebrate two decades of golf media business

According to Golf Ads™ founder, John Bayly, the idea of creating a formalised media offering was triggered while he was on the golf course. “It was during a game of golf with English cricketer Robin Smith at the Royal Cape Golf Club that the idea to create set media platforms on the green came about. He needed to wash his golf balls, but there was nowhere to wash them. That got me thinking,” says Bayly.

Brands such as Mercedes Benz and Sandown Motors expressed greater interest in what Golf Ads™ had to offer. “ They are one of the biggest dealerships in South Africa and we successfully provided them with an affluent audience with a propensity for luxury German vehicles,” says Bayly.

He adds, “With the launch of our digital clock platforms almost four years ago, we have also developed a great relationship with TAG Heuer, who have helped us grow the digital space in over 90 golf clubs around the country.”

To accommodate the whiskey brand Bell’s campaign, ‘Give that man a Bell’s’, the company’s offering grew to include not only golf ball-washers, but clocks and mini-billboards situated in key areas of the golf course. “They used our offering primarily to drive brand awareness and sales, but the campaign was so innovative that it received a Roger Garlick award,” says Bayly.

In 2016, Golf Ads™ reached a turning point when Provantage Media Group acquired a controlled share of the company.

“CEO of Provantage Media Group, Jacques du Preez, has helped us bring world class innovation to the golf environment, with platforms that augment the golfing experience for all stakeholders, golfers, brands as well as the golf course,” adds Bayly.

As part of Provantage Media Group, Golf Ads™ is expanding its innovations on the course with the introduction of Golf TV™ and other digital offerings.

According to Bayly, Golf Ads™ has installed R4-million worth of products on 180 golf courses around the country, including golf courses in outlying areas such as Newcastle, where other media offerings for reaching the target audience are minimal.

Bayly concludes, “Our offering continues to get bigger and better, and we will continue to bring advertisers innovation, more opportunities for engagement and a progressively larger and wider audience. Here’s to the next 20 years!”

For more information, visit www.golf-ads.co.za.