By Gabriella Young
As spring comes into bloom the notorious azaleas of the Augusta National Golf Course (ANGC) become exigent. Whether you are a fan of golf or not, it is highly likely that you will start to take notice of the major tournament to come. The communications and content team of ANGC, led by Pat Kravitz and Michael Crowley, were hard at work to ensure that you knew spring is here and so was The Masters golf tournament.
From a public relations student perspective, there were several things I found to show how well ANGC and The Masters tournament “mastered” the branding. Here is a list of traits I noticed that have shown the attention to every detail from the communications and content team :
1) Quality and Quantity Content
From its first post in December 2024 the traditional “Signs of the Season” video is released signaling viewers to start thinking of the upcoming tournament. Its iconic invitations that are sent to players are featured, you can feel that something great is coming. From the first post in December to the last day of the tournament, I counted over 300 posts between its X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok. While some of the content is repeating, a majority of the content is unique to each platform tailored to what format works best according to the respective platform. On TikTok you will find simplistic, impactful short form content that showcases the players, patrons, and traditions. On X you will find more long form, blog-style content. This goes to prove, they know their audiences and what they want. This point is also proven with the amount or components of content timed out with the events of the week. For example, leading up to the coverage of the tournament instead of making multiple posts telling viewers the tournament is coming, they have insightful content. For example, in a TikTok this year, professional golfer Max Homa analyzed past champions' golf swings. This combined the homage to the tournament while relating to the new generation with a current player.
2) Upholding the values through content creation
The Masters is known for tradition. It is even the basis of its trademarked slogan “A Tradition Unlike Any Other.” While there is a laundry list of wholesome traditions I could name, the important thing to look at here is how the branding emphasizes this. Aside from the slogan itself, throughout the content and coverage of the Masters you will hear the song “Augusta” by Dave Loggins. This song was written in 1981, but still plays every tournament to this day (Gallas, 2022). This sound combined with content creates another sensory connection to the tournament while upholding the use of this song. Due to the exclusivity of the tournament itself, the team knows that they can invite viewers to experience these traditions through the screen. I will touch on this next, but focusing on the coverage aspect, the content we see emphasizes the tradition. We get extensive coverage of the champion’s dinner, the par three contest, and even the physical changing of the scores.
3) Creating a unique experience that is consistent to the brand messaging
As I hinted in describing the emphasis of tradition, there is a very big gap that the team seems to try and close through online content. While this may not have always been the case, over the years it seems that the content gets more niche. It may seem that everyone is at the tournament because of the amount of days. However, it really is exclusive as far as getting a ticket. Therefore, it really is up to the team to give an inside look while also maintaining the allusiveness of actually going to the tournament. Every year, people who are not able to make it to the tournament are offered a chance at a “Taste of the Masters.” I believe this is a play on words and a great one. People can actually order food that is served every year at the Masters. The order includes branded decorations, labels, the sandwiches, branded cups and more. This is just one of the many ways that the experience is welcomed to viewers who are unable to physically attend.
4) Proven adaptability to promote longevity
Just because the values center around tradition does not mean that the communications and content team has to take a back seat on innovation. Every year, there is fresh content that has a modern take to keep up with the times. This past year a new series, Under the Umbrellas, was released hosted by Kira Dixon. The series kind of tapped into the podcast format that has taken the media over. This also created a space to open conversation that is more than just coverage of the tournament itself. Another take on adaptivity while keeping the tradition would be another development of this past tournament. The team published “The Vault” which is a storage of film tracing back to 1968. This centralized a lot of this stock footage that can be accessed all year round.
Every year I find myself ogling over the content and innovation that is the communications and content team of ANGC. I can only hope that one day I am a part of a legacy such as this one. They prove every year the concepts we learn in school. Consistency matters, minimizing crisis matters, brand consistency matters, and so much more. I cannot wait to see what is in store for 2026 and future tournaments. I will strive to foster this level of branding and audience relationship in every position I take on in my future and I hope you do too.
Reference :
Gallas, J. (2022, April 6). What is the name of the Masters theme song? Its lyrics and history. The Augusta Chronicle. https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/sports/pga/2022/04/06/masters-theme-song-plays-cbs-breaks-augusta-what-its-name/7138167001/