Crowne Plaza Colonial Reaches Out to Golf’s Best with Cockrell Enovation
The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial is a PGA Tour event played annually at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Despite being one of the longest running events on tour still held at its original site, the tournament struggled in recent years to attract a large percentage of the elite players on tour.
As one of only four invitational events on the PGA Tour, only the first 80 players on the previous year’s money list are guaranteed invitations. All other invitations are determined based on past champions and sponsor’s exemptions. As with any event on tour, the top players bring large crowds, increased viewers on TV and greater revenues. As part of an effort to attract and retain the elite players on tour, Colonial partnered with Cockrell Enovation to develop a marketing solution that is the first of its kind for a PGA Tour event.
Utilizing Cockrell Enovation’s EnGage storefront solution, the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial was able to develop templates that are used for congratulations cards sent to each PGA Tour professional after his victory.
The templates contain two areas for personalization – a photo can be uploaded to the front of the card (usually housing a picture of the player at some point during the previous week’s tournament), as well as a personalized message on the inside of the card. The EnGage storefront also allows for an asset library capable of archiving photos for re-use at any point in time.
The highly personalized congratulations cards work to achieve the following results:
Personalized Marketing: Colonial is able to reach out to its “customers” on the PGA Tour and send instant congratulatory messages to the players. After the cards are printed, they are delivered to the player’s home or their next stop on tour. The cards allow Colonial to maintain a top-of-mind position within the minds of the best players on the PGA Tour.
Brand Control: The automated workflow with Cockrell Enovation’s EnGage storefront allow for Colonial’s image to remain consistent, week-after-week, adding strength to the tournament’s identity.
Results: Over the past two years, the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial has held some of the highest ranked fields in golf, adding to its reputation as a world-class event and attracting significant crowds.