Case Study: Alumni Team Championship
The Situation
Acura was a strategic partner for Pinehurst Resort from 2005-2018. As the preferred vehicle of Pinehurst, Acura was focused on increasing exposure for the Acura Brand, increasing the number of “Butts in Seats” Guest Drive opportunities, and driving exposure to new markets for their catalog of vehicles. At the same time, Pinehurst Resort was looking to maximize the opportunities with one of their lead partners and increase “Heads in Beds” to drive revenues and room nights.
The Opportunity
Tarheel Communications Solutions was tasked to create a national golf event for Acura at Pinehurst that would reach out to a new market for the Acura brand while increasing new room nights and revenues for Pinehurst Resort.
The Solution
Created the Acura College Alumni Team Championship, which was a grassroots events that provided Acura with branding exposure at NCAA Division I University golf tournament fundraisers held at the local level, leading to a National Championship at Pinehurst. Sixty universities participated annually. Acura gained exposure to over 10,000 potential customers at the local levels, plus the branding exposure with a National Championship at Pinehurst. Pinehurst generated over 700 room nights and revenues in excess of $500,000 annually with the Acura College Alumni Team Champioship. In addition, the universities all saw increases in their fundraising efforts due to Acura’s and Pinehurst’s involvement with their local qualifying events.