Press
Releases
(REPRINTED)
"We All Need Each Other To
Feed Multicultural Markets"
This Story Published April 25, 2005
By Tom Cordova
(Page 25)
Finding multicultural participants at this
year's PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando was like searching
for a golf ball in the Open rough. Among the displays
of gleaming new clubs, peacock apparel, grinning sales
guys and tidal wave of white faces, there were relatively
few faces of color beyond the amiable custodians and
concession workers.
Yet nestled in a single booth far away from the glare
and glamour of the big-timers, something was happening:
the sprouting of minority golf entrepreneurialism.
The seeds of nine fledgling African-American businesses
had been planted together through the determined cultivation
of Debert Cook, publisher of
African American Golfer's Digest. Earnest business
people like Glennon Bazzle, who offers
what he considers the surest way to the world's best
golf swing, pooled their resources and made it to
the big show.
The thought conjures images of an Appalachian Spring
where the emergence of a tiny bud is a hugely dramatic
moment. It's a wonderful development for the entire
golf industry that these newcomers now understand
the show and have begun acquiring a degree of familiarity
and comfort with the humongous undertaking. Certainly
these advance scouts will communicate their experiences,
success stories and frustrations to other hopeful
minority enterprises.
PGA
Merchandise Show in Orlando opened a
small window to minority golf entrepreneurs Since
Census 2000 was released, there has been great excitement
and confusion over the potential of multicultural
audiences. For corporate America, most of the conversation
and subsequent efforts have focused on selling products
to the burgeoning populace. That's only natural, as
people tend to focus on their own needs. The enlightened
reality is that everybody needs each other; often
the best way to satisfy one's own needs is by satisfying
those of others.
The needs of the fledgling businesses are obvious.
Like any startup, they need meetings with decision-makers
and influencers. They need encouragement, they need
criticism, they need orders, and they need to be included.
What's really neat about this situation is that the
new kids on the block bring to your door things that
are as much or more important than the actual goods
and services they purvey. They bring knowledge of
diverse cultures and customs; they bring a richer
perspective that leads to new channels of thought.
They bring awareness of the community. They bring
news of trends way before the story in Newsweek. They
bring immediate access. They help foster trust. The
value of earning trust among multicultural customers
cannot be overemphasized.
You can imagine the stories that spread through minority
neighborhoods like cholera. Tales abound of shoddy
products at high prices, of exploitation and of general
disrespect. Studying Hispanic's purchasing traits
clearly demonstrates that they have a value equation
and a belief in quality. The proof is that Hispanic
families have been loyal to quality brands like Tide
detergent for multiple generations, because they trust
the company and the value it delivers.
In African American Golfer's Digest, Debert
Cook nicely establishes common ground. The full spectrum
of golf is presented, from Champions Tour professional
Jim Dent, to the Tee
Divas
and Tee Dudes of the Western
States Golf Association, to what's wrong
with Tiger's swing. There is a sense of community.
Regular human beings who buy clubs, clothes and other
stuff, are pictured beaming when their pictures were
taken after playing probably the game of their lives.
This sort of publication helps erase the differences
between black, white and brown. It demonstrates the
universality of aspiration and determination, and
the joy of a sand save. Companies that typically associate
themselves with the golfing crowd, such as Morgan
Stanley, wisely are advertising in the pub.
Yet in the latest issue I read there are no ads for
any major golf equipment manufacturers or many of
the other products found in general audience golf
magazines. Think about it: Few golf equipment ads
in a golf publication.
A few things could improve the situation. Currently
the PGA Foundation supports colleges focusing on creating
golf pros. The focus must be extended to include minority
golf entrepreneurs.
Next, PGA Merchandise Show owner
and promoter Reed Exhibitions needs
to collaborate with the PGA to create more opportunities
for emerging companies to get noticed. Granted, Reed's
job is to sell booth space, pure and simple. But by
creating a special showcase for minority entrepreneurs,
much like it aggregates Asian companies in a special
setting, and running seminars to educate the golf
business world about the dimensions of multicultural
golf, it could sell more space.
In other words, by satisfying others needs, Reed and
the show would satisfy their own. Finally, let's admit
to ourselves that we love our sports jobs and are
pleased as punch with ourselves for having them. Then
let's push away the excuses, forgo some time slots
with the usual suspects and open the doors for the
new guys who want to come in and get acquainted. Let's
see what kind of business we can hook up and seek
out what there is to learn. It only makes sense. We're
in each other's neighborhoods, and, we need each other
to profit.
NOTE TO MEDIA:
Debert Cook, CMP is available for interview
and speaking engagements.
Please contact Event Planners Plus!
139 Fulton Street, Suite 209
New York, NY 10038
or call
(212) 571-6559, ext. 11. |
