Know-How Exchange : Taglines/Names

I don't think the problem is that a 20-something doesn't think he "can" join a country club...when I was in my 20s I didn't *want* to join a country club. It wasn't even on my radar.

I do believe there's a subset of 20-somethings who might be interested in this, but have you done any market research to determine this?

I think most people join country clubs for the social aspect, and when you're in your 20s, that's less of a problem than when you are in your 30s and 40s.

I would want to do some research to find out what would make that unique subset of 20-somethings join a country club, and then base my marketing on that.

Will the motivator be the actual amenities (presumably golf, swim, and tennis), or will it be the social aspects? And what social events will you have for this age group? (And do you offer a pure social membership?)

I agree with the above. Do your current members have young adult children at that age? Could you target them to purchase membership for them?

i'd slant it to "Not Just For Your Father". And create a whole junior set of benefits. Country club membership has always been known as a great place to network, and impress clients. Young professionals need help in that way. You could establish a mentoring group to help them with solid business and career advice.

When I was 24 I DID want to join a country club or other such as University Club. And I wanted to for the above reasons.

Sell Well and Prosper tm
Carol

Is this a country club where applicants have to run the gauntlet of multiple cocktail parties and membership committee interviews before being approved? Or is it like many of the new country clubs that are built by large developers where membership approval is based solely on ability to pay?

In either case, I'd recommend mailing a #10 closed face letter from the president with a personal invitation to join with a side bar invitation to join him for lunch or dinner. No headlines. Just a traditionally formatted letter, on the club stationery, with copy that's warm, inviting and makes the recipient feel special and wanted.

I have tested mailing a postcard against a #10 closed faced envelope many times. The letter mailing always wins by a large margin.

Plus, the image of a country club and postcard don't work together. No matter how hard you try, even the most elegantly designed and worded postcard will always look "commercial"... not private and exclusive.

To have any hope of making this impactful, we would need to know the name of your club, the city, and what the other clubs use as features and benefits. Usually us marketers conduct a SWOT analysis on the marketplace - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats - before we ever attempt idea creation. If you're comfortable giving us the club name/website, or at least what the other clubs talk about, we can help a lot more. My curiosity is raised by your statement that there are 8 country clubs in a blue collar town?? Are you near an auto plant or steel mill where golf is a major pasttime?

What do you mean folks in this age category don't want to join a club? How many of these kids strive to join the 'in' crowd listening to the same music, wearing trendy clothes? How many of these same people try to join a sorority or make their letters?

I think the trick is, you need to push the fun side of being in a club. Socializing in the club house, playing a few rounds with your friends. The other 'extra' will come in time. In the meantime, I think you need to bring your message more in tune with where the 'youthful' interests lie.

As Inbox_Interactive and CarolBlaha have mentioned, you need to figure out the key benefits you offer your targeted prospects.

It may be simply to enroll the next generation of the existing membership.

But for people that have never been a member of a club, you need to educate them that the cost of membership is a two-fer: networking and relaxation/exercise. Instead of "Young Professional", consider "New Entrepreneur" or "Young Executive". In either case, you want to support this initiative with a program that makes introductions for the new/young members better. For example, interview new members to their needs, and match up existing members with them (breakfast hosted by the club).

I'm not sure about using a postcard to sell a country club membership, but as far as taglines go:
- There's More To Life Than Work
- Make New Friends and Network
- Invest In Your Future

Have you hosted the local young professionals group? Maybe team up with a local charity that caters to the younger crowd and host an event at the club. I remember going to "celebrity waiter" fund raisers for the American Heart Association at a country club. Get the young professionals to the place without being a member -serve them good food and a good time. They'll have a connection to you. Getting their foot in your door is the angle here.

Good Luck!
CVN

Hello JK,

I love the responses, and is particularly taken by Mike's slogan of "Add 50 yards to your life's drive." I think that it's absolutely spot on with your target market. It certainly appeals to me.

I am a 20-something golfer who is a member of one of the premium clubs in Dubai. I have signed up for my love of the game, and not really a particular fan of the kind of "stuffy" bit that goes on in the club. I use it (apart from playing golf) because it provides me with the kind of network I could leverage on to generate more business opportunities. The fact is, if the club had more people from my age group, that will make it so much more attractive to me on a "social" aspect.

You definitely need to do something about the Junior. And the slogan of "The Future of SCC is You," would be construed as a bit of a cumbersome message to your target market.

A few years back we held a tournament for our prospective 20 somethings. It was run by the head pro and tournament committee. Each was paired with a member in a 4 ball round robin that was run and played as though is was an actual club tournament, food, prizes, forecaddies etc. At the time we had 8 Jr. Executive opennings. None since.