"I have told the players we are going to make them play faster."

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John Hopkins reports on the slow play epidemic, and though he says the final pairing at The Players took only 4:15 (according to some readers it was 4:40), he offers this:

The answer lies partly in easing the set-up of some courses but more in harsh penalties for slow players. The LPGA Tour in the US recently introduced a policy of penalizing players who took more than 30 seconds a stroke and, furthermore, penalized Angela Park when she was only one stroke out of the lead. Compare this with the PGA Tour's policies under which a player has not bee fined for 15 years.

Tim Finchem, Commissioner of the PGA Tour in the US, said in an interview with The Times last week: "I have told the players we are going to make them play faster. I think we owe it the sport, to the players who play at this level and to the fans that we are doing everything we can to analyse and take steps on this issue."

Well, it's something. This isn't so hot:

Last Monday the World Golf Foundation, a body incorporating the United States Golf association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the professional tours from around the world as well as Ladies Professional Golf Association (in the US), met in Jacksonville. I understand that slow play was on the agenda but nothing substantive was discussed even though slow play was an item on the agenda.
Thankfully, there is great news. According to Doug Ferguson, the big execs in golf are working on the real priorities at the expense of their carbon footprints. What for? To grow the game with 72-holes of stroke play once every four years. 
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem headed for London this week, stopping along the way to pick up USGA executive director David Fay and LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens.

They were to join R&A chief executive Peter Dawson and European Tour chief George O’Grady at a meeting with the International Olympic Committee, the first step toward bringing golf back to the Olympics.

It was not a formal meeting, but no less important to show the IOC a unified front in golf’s desire to be part of the games.

“This will be a protracted process,” Fay said. “But this is an important first step.”

Vital. Just vital.

IM'ing With The Commissioners, Vol. IX, Goodbye Annika

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My sources have been lacking, but after The Players and Annika's retirement announcement, they finally procured an instant message exchange between our beloved Commissioners.

DaBrandLady: tim, you there?

twfPGATour©: Yes, I'm still unwinding from a busy week. My sympathies Carolyn.

DaBrandLady: for what. i'm doing great! :)

twfPGATour©: Well one of your top-of-the-line products is deplatforming and discontinuing production.

DaBrandLady: oh annika?

twfPGATour©: Yes, what a shame. But I'm sure her Q rating will spike with a pregnancy and we know how that translates for your value streaming and interfacing.

DaBrandLady: hehe i know, it's great news all the way around. we're moving outdated product off the shelves and rollingout in fresh inventory that the targeted demo relates to! speaking of that, congrats on Sergio beating that frumpy non-demo guy.

twfPGATour©:  Thanks. But don't forget that she was is the greatest single product of our time in women's golf, I'm sure you'll miss her a little?

DaBrandLady: naw. her brand was tired, lorena's our macro brand now. more importantly, i wanted to tell you how I loved your 5 tips for managing well in last week's WSJ. it got me thinking that my staff and players might want to know my 5 tips.

twfPGATour©: They might.

DaBrandLady: may i run my 5 by you?

twfPGATour©: Do it now.

DaBrandLady: oh, are you in a hurry?

twfPGATour©: No. Do it now was my No. 1 tip for managing well, remember? I would put one of those eye wink smiley faces here but I don't know how.

DaBrandLady: oh i get it! hehe lololol

DaBrandLady: so okay here's my first tip:  brand it now.  

twfPGATour©: Hmmm...strong, to the point and sound strategy. You might think of punching up with some language on the qualitative analytics of measuring commercial inventory.

DaBrandLady: okay, dutifully noted!  here's no. 2: interface, interface, interface

twfPGATour©: Interesting, resembles the infrastructure of my tip No. 2, Communicate, communicate, communicate.  But I like it. Makes good business sense. I don't particularly care for interface with my players, but someone has to do it.

DaBrandLady: me neither. they can be such a problem. and so slow on the course!

DaBrandLady: moving right along, here's no. 3: seek brand strength at all costs, but recognize when to sacrifice value streams for cohesive platform interractivity.

twfPGATour©: That's strong. I haven't used interractivity in a long time. Such a vital concept.

DaBrandLady: i thought so too!

DaBrandLady: here's no. 4: remember that, as the leader of a charitable organization, you must also generate bench strength through constant refreshment of said organization.

twfPGATour©: That sounds much like some of the language we cooked up for last week's reshuffling press release?

DaBrandLady: well it is, i'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable. it's just such a great metaphor.

twfPGATour©: You can run with it. I wish I had thought of that for my tip number 5. But you know I had little time to prepare my 5 Tips For Managing Well because I had misunderstood what they wanted and instead concocted my list of 5 Tips For Managing Wellness. I should have known the WSJ wouldn't be asking about my thoughts on Omega-3s.

DaBrandLady: well i would still read them!

DaBrandLady:  okay, finally, no. 5: you can pick your friends, you can pick your brand, but you can't pick your brand's nose.

twfPGATour©: I might end it with "but you can't pick your friend's brand"

DaBrandLady: oh right! that's what i get for reading my old fortune cookies without glasses!

twfPGATour©:  Well I hope the WSJ gives you a shot. I'm having my five tips embroidered to framed placemats for the 8 EVPs, the 22 SVPs and on throw pillows for the 32 VPs.

DaBrandLady: very nice touch! that's a lot of pillows!

twfPGATour©: No kidding. Say, carolyn, I hate to cut you off, but it's been a long week. We had to do over 90 minutes on slow play at a player's meeting last week and I have to write a memo to pretend I am following up.

DaBrandLady: ironical that you would have a long, slow meeting on slow play!

twfPGATour©: I'm really not believer in irony.

DaBrandLady: i'm not sure i know what it means.

twfPGATour©: Say Carolyn, I suppose we will have to keep giving the impression we are worried about this slow play issue. I've crunched value modulations on our network telecasts running long and it's a huge bonus for us when it happens, always good for a solid Nielsen point. So I'm not in any hurry to see things speed up. Is that how you feel?

DaBrandLady: wish we had that problem, but we're not on any networks in the late afternoon.

twfPGATour©: Well, in time perhaps. Give my best to...

DaBrandLady: He would say hi back if he were here!


Brand Lady: We Love Asian Women!

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196427.jpgThanks to LPGA Fan for noticing Commissioner Carolyn Bivens's response to concerns that the LPGA Tour has been invaded by Asians. It's good to see her command of the English language still stinks:

"Yes, there is a huge number (of Asian players), but if the LPGA Tour is going to remain home to the best women's golf in the world, the last thing you want to do is put quotas on it," Bivens told reporters during Thursday's opening round of the $2 million HSBC Women's Champions championship in Singapore.
"I am not concerned about Americans getting squeezed out.
"Do you want to have the best tour, do you want to have the most competition, do you want to have the highest level of performance? Or do you want to protect a nationality? We think we are doing both."
Wait, so you are protecting a nationality? Would that be, like, the Oscar party thing?
"I don't think there are any Americans out there today who wouldn't say that Asians have made this tour better and more competitive," she added.

Bivans said the LPGA was working hard to overcome the challenges of limited exposure and media coverage, but she said she was convinced this could be achieved by attracting the world's best to the tour.

"If we have the most competitive tour in the world, we'll draw the best sponsors, we'll draw the most rabid fans and our media challenges will be lessened," she insisted.

"Performance is the very first standard that we have to uphold."

Wow, not one mention of branding. This is disturbing.

IM'ing With The Commissioners, Vol. VIII

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My NSA sources have been busy trying to dig up those destroyed waterboarding tapes, but they did find time to share an enjoyable little chat between PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem and LPGA Tour Commissioner Carolyn Bivens. It seems PGA Tour executives are considering a potential new method of in-house communication...

twfPGATour©: You there Carolyn?

DaBrandLady: shalom tim!

twfPGATour©: Shalom? Is that Hebrew for Commissioner?

DaBrandLady: oh you're such a komiker! pardon me while I brush up on my yiddish!

twfPGATour©: Why's that?

DaBrandLady: didn't you hear about the lawsuit? legal was so excited when they found out!! they haven't been this busy since i deselected several longtime executives last year!!! :)

twfPGATour©: Oh is this in regard to the Jewish-American group you bumped out of the Fairmont for that new event?

DaBrandLady: yeppers! i'm prepping for the depos already. i figure it can't hurt to speak a little of the native tongue.

twfPGATour©:  I see. Well that's why you get the 45% pay raises. If only I could be so lucky.

DaBrandLady: it is unacceptable that you haven't crossed the $10 million threshold yet. especially considering your platform-based market share dynamic q-rating and those great fedex cup tweaks you just, hahaha, delivered.

twfPGATour©:  Delivered! That's an oldie but a goodie! I sure wish you were on the Independent Board of Directors.

DaBrandLady: you don't pay enough. lololololol

twfPGATour©: We don't? Who says?

DaBrandLady: just a joke tim

twfPGATour©: Look, I had a quick question. Do your C-levels have in-house blogs?

DaBrandLady: so funny you should mention that!!! not more than 2 minutes ago i made a note to myself that we need to have our c-levelers sharing their most important thoughts each day for all of the staff to learn from.

twfPGATour©: But you don't really any other C-levels, besides yourself of course.

DaBrandLady: precisely!

twfPGATour©: Well it's something we're looking at but I just can't really see the benefit of Ed or Charles or Henry getting much benefit out of having a blog. Would our staff or the product benefit from hearing their inner most thoughts?

DaBrandLady: no, but it gives the product the perception that executives are working hard on their behalf. 

twfPGATour©: True.

DaBrandLady: but what about you tim?

twfPGATour©: My bandwidth is stretched thin as it is. Between trying to value-stream licensing agreements and bucketizing offshore brand revenue equity, I hardly have time to sit down and write memos much less write a blog post about the negative amortization of Nationwide Tour revenues.

twfPGATour©: Plus, I've used that story about going to that Stones concert too many times now.

DaBrandLady: i don't agree. sure, it was the steel wheels tour and that was about 5 tours ago, but it still connects you with a younger demo, which is why you should blog, tim. it's a great way to communicate with the product and your consumers without actually having to engage in any interface.

twfPGATour©: You really think so?

DaBrandLady: yep. i was just thinking about how my first post was going to be on shtemplen dynamics and Bangalorization of non-essential platform maintenance.

twfPGATour©: I'm familiar with Bangalorization of non-essential platform maintenance. We just set up a new call bank for PGA TOUR© travel in Nelamangala.

DaBrandLady: how's that going?

twfPGATour©: Great, all of our call takers use names like Boo or Bubba or Tiger or Annika. The product gets a big kick out of that.

DaBrandLady: wow, why didn't i think of that!?!?!?

twfPGATour©: But Carolyn, you mentioned shtemplen dynamics. I know that I know what that means, but could you give me an example on the latest in product shtemplenization?

DaBrandLady: oh you shmendrick. a shtemplen is yiddish for brand!

twfPGATour©: Ah okay. My Yiddish never has been what it should be.

DaBrandLady: tim, you are a shtemplen whether you like it or not. you know that any good shtemplen leverages their shtemplen-equity to extrapolate maximized value streams, even if this means sharing details of your personal life as any good blogger does.

twfPGATour©: You put it that way...and, well I'm still not sure. I'll have to think about it and monitor the blog by our non-C-levels to see how that goes. I just have a feeling this will lead to some staff deselection and I know how much it pains Ed and Charlie when they have to fire people.

DaBrandLady: just call me. deselection is one of my favorite parts of the job!

twfPGATour©: Well on that upbeat note, Merry Christmas. Or is it Happy Chanukkah?

DaBrandLady: it's all a mitzvah tim! Mazel tov!

twfPGATour©: Give my best to...

DaBrandLady: He says mazel tov back!

 

Brand Lady Got Big Raise In '06

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Even though she couldn't do much right in 2006, Jon Show reports that Commissioner Carolyn Bivens enjoyed a 45% pay bump.

Tax records show she was paid $690,000 in 2006 after making $238,782 during her first six months of employment in the latter half of 2005. Prorating that amount would have come to about $478,000 in 2005.
Snow notes...
Bivens’ first year with the LPGA was mired in controversy, including the departure of top staff members, disagreements with the tournament association over raised sanctioning fees and cancellation of events, and a tiff with the media over photographic rights. But she has appeared to weather the storm.

“I’m sure there are some things she would like a do-over on, but for the most part, change was necessary,” said one golf marketer, who did not want to be identified. “Looking back, I think she’s done a good job.”
Well, I'm sure a huge increase in reven... 
The LPGA’s revenue for 2006 was $69.7 million, up from $67.4 million a year earlier. That does not include money brought in by events that are not owned by the LPGA. The tour owns and operates the Solheim Cup, which is a biennial Ryder Cup-style event, and now fully owns the ADT Championship, where it bought out IMG’s stake after the 2006 event.

Tournament revenue was up about $1.5 million to $50 million, which includes money brought in from new events and renegotiated sanctioning fees with existing events, as well as increased sponsorship dollars.

And...

Money from television was down $500,000 to $9.5 million. Corporate sponsorship was down from $5.2 million to $4.8 million, which the LPGA said reflected the termination of an exclusive international licensing contract with New York-based Summit Properties International.

Salary consultant Steve Unger questioned Bivens’ 2006 salary in relation to the LPGA’s revenue, but said it is impossible to accurately analyze her income without knowing if there was an automatic increase, or if she met certain parameters for success that triggered more salary.

“The optics of the deal are bad, but it might be totally in line depending on what the LPGA was expecting from her,” Unger said. “It seems like a lot of money for a little revenue.”

But you can't put a dollar value on what she's done for the brand!

"I believe the commissioner mis-spoke"

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Shocking as it may seem, apparently the Brand Lady was not entirely accurate in her Wednesday remarks about control of the ADT Championship's television production. Craig Dolch reports:

Who's calling TV shots?: When LPGA Tour Commissioner Carolyn Bivens said Wednesday that for the first time her tour would be producing all nine hours of television for this week's ADT Championship, that was news to NBC Sports executives. Especially executive producers Tommy Roy and Tom Randolph.

"We are doing the production of everything," Bivens said. "That means we are covering the nine hours of this tournament. We've worked in combination with the Golf Channel and with NBC, but for the first time the LPGA will be guiding what is seen on television."

Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC sports, said Thursday that's not the case.

"I believe the commisisoner mis-spoke," Miller said. "They are producing some of the below-the-lines aspects of the telecast on site and the LPGA did oversee the productions of some vignettes on some players.

"But clearly the television you see this week, the guys calling the shots and having the final say will be Tom Randolph (Thursday-through-Saturday on Golf Channel) and Tommy Roy (Sunday on NBC). No golf ever goes on air of our 29 golf telecasts without our executive producers doing the producing."


"Our people are our product."

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bivensx.jpgThe Brand Lady got off to a great start in her lecture to the assembled scribblers who dared to show up for her pre-ADT Championship press conference. Paragraphs of dialogue without anything to make fun of? 

But she's still the Brand Lady...

They say that every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. So with that in mind, as we come to the end of our 2007 season, we deliberately chose the ADT Championship as the first tournament to exclusively display our brand new logo, the LPGA's first new logo in 15 years, and one that truly reflects and celebrates the diversity, the global strength and the evolution of our brand.

This tournament and our logo both epitomize our commitment to a bold new look and to bold business, especially when you look at the LPGA has taken ownership of the ADT Championship for the first time. This year everything you see, from beginning to end, the LPGA is calling the shots. Another first, we are actually producing all nine hours of television that you'll see.

I don't know a lot about golf and television, but in general is that really something to brag about? Isn't it better when someone pays you to do the production?

As we acquire more strategic assets, the LPGA brand will continue to flourish. Last month's launch of our first-ever on-line pro shop opened for business. For those of who have not visited, LPGAproshop.com is part of a merchandising program that we expect will grow to be a significant revenue stream for the LPGA.

 Is that definition of significant like the USGA's?

Also located very closely to the media tent, not by accident, is our first-ever pro shop and merchandise shop, so please visit. You have all week.

Please, slingers in attendance, tell me that last sentence was said with a wink and a laugh? Oh how would you know, you had already made your way to the door shop 'til you drop.

All of these are signs that point to the strength of our product, to our members and to our brand. I want to thank you all for recognizing the talents and the attributes of our players and for sharing their stories with your readers.

Outside the world of golf, coverage of the LPGA could be found in airline magazines, Business Week, Newsweek. In fact, in mid-October Lorena was actually the cover story on the Latin American edition of Newsweek. One of our greatest strengths is the fact that we don't separate our people from our product. Our people are our product. The LPGA is an organization, and our members as individuals are not afraid to assume greater responsibility and to hold us all to a higher standard.

I wonder how many times she practiced that mantra in front of the mirror? Try saying "our people are our product." It isn't easy (on many levels). That's why she gets the big bucks.

Q. I think, Carolyn, you said that the LPGA was producing the TV for this week. What exactly does that mean?

CAROLYN BIVENS: It means that we hired a production company, Castro Communications, somebody we've worked with before. We've worked with the Golf Channel, with ESPN to get our production crew, accepted as the ones who would be producing and calling the shots.

We've done profile pieces on just about every woman who's competing here. Those will run periodically during the telecast. We are doing the production of everything. That means we are covering the nine hours of this tournament.

We've worked in combination with the Golf Channel and with NBC, but for the first time the LPGA will be guiding what is seen on television.

Gee and I was looking forward to watching some of this.

LPGA Unveils Green-Haired, Yellow-Rumped Brand Vision

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LPGA07logo-c_125px.gifThey've taken Tiger's old follow through, morphed it with the World Golf Championship and First Tee logos, and voila, leveraged brand equity is born...
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Oct. 3, 2007 -- The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) today unveiled its new logo, a contemporized version of its classic “swinging lady” mark. Working with SME, the world leader in strategic sports branding and design, the LPGA brought the vision of its dynamic future to life with a series of bold brushstrokes designed to stand the test of time.

“We designed a logo that represents the power, strength and athleticism of our LPGA athletes, and with the use of the bold colors, highlights our international membership and global business,” said LPGA Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens. “This new logo underscores the changes in women's sports and the LPGA in recent years, and communicates the LPGA's bright future.”
That's not what I got from it. I got: why does she have a green ponytail?
The sleek new logo, which features an effortless, bold stroke-form of a female golfer, was designed to reflect the power, energy and contemporary lifestyle of the LPGA athlete. For the first time in the association's 58 years, the LPGA's primary mark will not be enclosed in a frame, representing a future with limitless potential.
LPGA07Logo-solid_125px.gifOh nice symbolism. And time for the traditional quote pile-on...

 

"Throughout the creative-design process, we sought a logo that offered a balance between the classic and traditional nature of the sport, but also captured the passion and drive of today's LPGA members," said Bill Susetka, the LPGA's chief marketing officer. "We also needed a logo that we could easily reproduce on merchandise, billboards and signage, and one that could carry its meaning to all points around the world. We've achieved this with our new logo."

"Of all the prestigious brand development assignments that we've been fortunate enough to work on over the years, the LPGA is among the most exciting," said Ed O'Hara, SME's chief creative officer and senior partner. "The new logo is a dramatic expression of the special and unique attributes of the brand, and truly symbolizes the LPGA's brand promise of showcasing the very best in women's golf."
And there's even more good news... 
Fans do not have to wait until the ADT Championship to catch their first glimpse of the striking new logo. A wide array of official LPGA merchandise and golf related items are available for the first time today via the LPGA's new online pro shop: www.LPGAproshop.com. A wide array of LPGA-branded apparel and golf-related items are now available on the Web site.
300730.jpgI think I know what I want for Christmas: the hat pin and hat clip ball marker combo platter. Though I wouldn't be upset if you got me a "These Girls Rock" hat too.
The logo redesign, the first since 1992, and LPGA Pro Shop launch are part of the organization's on-going branding initiatives that reinforce the LPGA as one of the world's most dynamic sports brands.

Just looking at the logo, I feel better about the LPGA already. 

On a serious note, it is an improvement. Seriously, it is. 

"From Day One, Bivens moved fast to reshape the LPGA. She replaced the exiting staffers with a team heavy on marketers and intellectual-property lawyers"

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0926_bivens.jpgNow I'm sure that the LPGA Carolyn Bivens inherited was far from perfect and that as with any organization, some change was necessary. But if you believe BusinessWeek (and that's hard to do considering how they pandered to ranking partner ESPN), you would be under the impression that the LPGA Tour was a complete and utter disaster and that her initiatives have completely turned things around.

Is it me or does Dean Foust's breathless piece reads a bit too much like an official LPGA press release:

If you think the inauspicious start chastened Bivens, think again. The LPGA chief makes no apologies for rattling cages at the 58-year-old tour, telling more than one interviewer: "I didn't take the job to be voted Miss Congeniality." She sees her game-changing overhaul as crucial to making sure the players reap their fair share of the spoils from the growing fan interest in the LPGA. "There were a number of people invested in maintaining the status quo," says Bivens. "It would have been criminal not to change the business model. The value of the LPGA had changed exponentially, and the contracting and the fees hadn't caught up to that."

Ah the value. Of course.

The tour Bivens inherited was far from healthy. Since 2001, the number of tournaments had shrunk from 40 to 35, and interest among TV networks was so limited that the LPGA not only didn't receive rights fees but had to buy air time to broadcast. The tour couldn't even afford to provide health care or retirement plans to its players.

And that has changed?

Perhaps more important, the LPGA didn't control any of the tournaments on its calendar. That left it vulnerable to the whims of tournament operators. For example, in 2006, CBS decided to move the final rounds of the McDonald's LPGA Championship to early afternoon—a time slot that was clearly unpalatable to the tour. NBC was willing to air the tournament in a better slot for $1.5 million. But the tournament's owner opted for The Golf Channel, which cost much less—about $300,000—but could deliver only a quarter of the NBC audience.

From Day One, Bivens moved fast to reshape the LPGA. She replaced the exiting staffers with a team heavy on marketers and intellectual-property lawyers who could help strike better deals with sponsors, licensees, and networks. For players, she hired a "branding coach" to help enhance their marketability. What's more, Bivens gradually hiked the sanctioning fees charged to the tournament owners to $100,000, from the $10,000 or so many had paid—a fee that wasn't enough to cover the cost of setting up the course and providing weekend child care for players. That triggered a backlash among tournament operators, but many players backed Bivens. "In the past I think our leadership was in a position of wanting to please too much. She wanted to do things differently," says tour veteran Wendy Ward.

I always forget that all change is progress! Stupid me.

This was also curious, since the ADT started under the prior regime:

To that end, she has already gained control of the season-ending ADT Championship held in mid-November in West Palm Beach, which pays two-thirds of its $1.55 million purse to the winner (winners usually get 15% of the purse). That disproportionate payout upset some older tour players, but their complaints have fallen on deaf ears. One more reason Carolyn Bivens won't be winning that congeniality award anytime soon.

IM'ing With The Commissioners, Vol. VII

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My friends at the NSA have been waiting for LPGA Tour Commissioner Carolyn Bivens to return from the Solheim Cup, knowing that an inevitable instant message chat with the PGA Tour's Tim Finchem would take place after all of the FedEx Cup excitement died down. Previous chats are here, here, here, here, here and here).

twfPGATour©: Carolyn, are you there?

DaBrandLady: hi tim! wow, you never say hi first. what's wrong?

twfPGATour©: Well, the usual stuff.  More importantly, how about that product Sunday?

DaBrandLady: i know, who would have though morgan would beat annika!!!!!!

twfPGATour©:  Oh.

twfPGATour©: No, I meant the conclusion to the PLAYOFFS©

DaBrandLady: oh right. you know i tito'd it and was going to watch it this week after i got caught up.

twfPGATour©: Well it was pretty spectacular, even though Tiger chose not to embrace certain platform dynamics that we had outlined in the witty and truly spectacular FedEx Cup creative that ran in the first quarter of this year.

DaBrandLady: what, he didn't whistle eye of the tiger?

twfPGATour©: No, that was the third quarter creative. I was referring to the ingenious "Who will be the first to kiss the Cup" line from our friends at GDS&M.

DaBrandLady: you mean GSD&M?

twfPGATour©: Right! Always get that mixed up.

DaBrandLady: here's what i think. it's tiger's loss that he didn't embrace the brand momentum! especially since your prediction came true that the events would be "the most impactful series of events in the history of the sport."

twfPGATour©: Thanks Carolyn. Yes, I must say they were pretty special. And thanks for putting that in quotes.

DaBrandLady: anytime. speaking of impactful tim. are you a milk of magnesia man?

twfPGATour©: No, I eat a spinach salad every day when I'm here at headquarters and I really nurse the flax seed oil when I'm on the road. Family history with IBS.

DaBrandLady: you mean ubs? they did some nice stat work for us at the evian masters and we're really hoping to sign them up for an account in the fourth quarter of this year, preferably for something on the domestic schedule.

twfPGATour©: No, no, IBS, irritable bowel syndrome.

DaBrandLady: oh, sorry.

twfPGATour©: Well I've been lucky so far. And thankfully, I'm not one of players, it looks like one of the IBS drugs may be on our banned list.

DaBrandLady: oh how's that coming along tim? i'm anxious to see what you guys do with tetrahydrogestrinone and modafinil.

twfPGATour©: Big announcement Thursday. Email Ty. He'll get you in on the conference call if you'd like.

DaBrandLady: well, good luck with the testosterone issues.

twfPGATour©: I'm not having any problems. Did someone say I was?

DaBrandLady: oh tim, it's always about you!
DaBrandLady: i was talking about the testing for steroids and measuring rises in testosterone levels.

twfPGATour©: We are testing to detect the T/E ratio on testosterone to epitestosterone, drawing the line at 8:1

DaBrandLady: oh no, you have to go 6:1. you also have to subject the urine samples to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

twfPGATour©: is that where they heat the product to turn it into gases so they can separate and analyze the molecular levels?

DaBrandLady: that's the one. characteristic “signatures” will betray the presence of banned substances every time.

twfPGATour©: Jeese. Most of our guys didn't understand deferred compensation, I can't imagine the player meetings on performance enhancing drugs.

DaBrandLady: but just think tim, this testing does so much for our brand positioning and upward integrity streaming.

twfPGATour©: That's right, just what I told the sponsors in a conference call today.

twfPGATour©: I need to run Carolyn.

DaBrandLady: the UBS acting up?

twfPGATour©: No, but close. Phil Mickelson on line two. Give my best to, uh...

DaBrandLady: he says hi back!

IM'ing With The Commissioners, Vol. VI

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My sources aren't what they used to be, so it's been hard to obtain instant message conversations between the PGA Tour's Tim Finchem and the LPGA Tour's Carolyn Bivens. Thankfully my NSA mole lifted this chat on the eve of the FedEx Cup. Previous chats are here, here, here, here and here.) 

DaBrandLady:  you there tim?

twfPGATOUR©: Yes, how are you Carolyn?

DaBrandLady:  super duper. haven't seen you online much lately.

twfPGATOUR©: Just returned from a very productive week of meetings and retreats in Colorado. Just me and the Co-COO's, Senior Executive VP's, Executive VP's, Senior VP's  and other potential VP's.

DaBrandLady: wow, that's a big group. you guys must fill up the broadmoor!

DaBrandLady:  tim, u there? it was just a joke...

twfPGATOUR©: Yes I am. I just had to close out something. Craig's List.

DaBrandLady: is stadler complaining again?

twfPGATOUR©: No, something else entirely it's a web site where, well, forget it.
twfPGATOUR©: Say, I think you would have been impressed with the program we had in Colorado. We had several group brand-bonding exercise sessions.

DaBrandLady:  oh, which courses did you guys play?

twfPGATOUR©: No, these were actual seminars structured to educate our executives on brand value building as we leverage equity in the FedEx Cup Playoffs© and beyond.

DaBrandLady: good thinking. you can never do enough brand building as far as i'm concerned.

twfPGATOUR©:  We looked at the entire brand building process, with a focus on verbal and visual identity, monetizing logo graphics and manipulating other imagery aspects essential to classic brand building and upward equity paradigms.

DaBrandLady: fascinating, wish i could have been there!

twfPGATOUR©: I tell you, I feel rejuvenated. It's been a rough few weeks here.

DaBrandLady : oh, yes I've seen all of the fedex cup criticism.

twfPGATOUR©: No, I was referring to something else that came up. It's nothing, just make sure your VP's stay off this Craig's List at work.

DaBrandLady: you know they refuse to monetize that intranet site?

twfPGATOUR©: I know, makes no sense. What's the point of doing something if you can't monetize it?

DaBrandLady: my feelings exactly.

twfPGATOUR©: Wait, what FedEx Cup criticism? I've been looking at PGATOUR.com everyday and the writers there have been very positive. My people say there was more buzz at the PGA Championship about our playoffs than there was about that so-called major.

DaBrandLady: well tim there is some question about the points system and, tiger is skipping round 1, that's kind of unfortunate.

twfPGATOUR©: You aren't going negative on me too, Carolyn?

DaBrandLady: well as you know we had a very successful adt championship under my watch, and all i'm saying is... DaBrandLady: the format has merits...i'm biased of course, since i came up with it.

twfPGATOUR©: I thought the adt concept developed was under Ty's watch?

DaBrandLady: well i did the brand building on it, so in essence, it's mine.

twfPGATOUR©: True, true.
twfPGATOUR©: Well you just watch. My VP of FedEx Point Permutations and Playoff Licensing has crunched the numbers and he's confident it will all play out nicely. And he doesn't go on Craig's List, he swears.

DaBrandLady: huh?

twfPGATOUR©: Long story. Say, I have to run. The Falcon is prepped and fueled, I'm off to NYC for a round of meetings, then up to Westchester. Very exciting times.

DaBrandLady: yes it should be interesting. good luck!

twfPGATOUR©: Thanks Carolyn, enjoy the FedEx Cup Playoffs©!  Give my best to...

DaBrandLady:  he says hi back!


"While increasing the economic opportunities for our members, marketing opportunities for sponsors and opportunities for fans..."

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Who else could so relentless use the same word in one sentence? Why you know who, the Brand Lady, probably fresh from a downward brand stream integration meeting where they decided this news would be branded as creating "opportunities."

Readers LPGA Fan and Phil sent this news...

LPGA acquires Duramed FUTURES Tour

Women’s professional golf now under one umbrella

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., July 18, 2007 – Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens, in conjunction with Zayra Calderon, president and CEO of the Duramed FUTURES Tour, announced today that the LPGA has acquired the Duramed FUTURES Tour effective immediately.  The Duramed FUTURES Tour has been the official developmental tour of the LPGA since 1999.  The announcement was made at the LPGA’s HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship at Wykagyl Country Club in New Rochelle, N.Y.

        The Duramed FUTURES Tour offers rising stars in the women’s game the opportunity to prepare for a career on the LPGA.  For the past eight years, the Duramed FUTURES Tour has operated in a licensee role with the LPGA.  In recent years the organizations have worked closely to align business practices to assist the members of both tours with professional development, and to prepare members of the Duramed FUTURES Tour for the transition to the LPGA.  One of the biggest examples of the synergy between the two organizations over the years has been the awarding of coveted LPGA Tour cards for the top money leaders on the Duramed FUTURES Tour.  In 2003, the LPGA increased the cards from three to five.

“We are absolutely delighted that we have reached an agreement for the LPGA to acquire the Duramed FUTURES Tour,” Bivens said.  “This acquisition demonstrates our desire to fortify the LPGA as the home to the best golfers in the world, providing us with a powerful development system for women, while increasing the economic opportunities for our members, marketing opportunities for sponsors and opportunities for fans to enjoy the next generation of future LPGA stars.”

The acquisition will put women’s professional golf in the United States under one umbrella.  Together, the tours will bring the world’s best female professional golfers to more markets, resulting in increased exposure for the players, sponsors and tours.  Currently the LPGA has 35 tournaments worldwide and the Duramed FUTURES Tour has 19 tournaments in 14 states.

“The Duramed FUTURES Tour has strategically aligned with the LPGA to provide a seamless transition for Duramed FUTURES Tour players to the LPGA,” Calderon said.  “This agreement solidifies what all of us have been working toward for years – a cohesive tour system for the best talent in women’s golf.  The LPGA Tour features the very best in the game and the Duramed FUTURES Tour offers talented golfers and rising stars the opportunity to prepare for a career on the LPGA.”
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.  Notable terms call for Calderon to remain as president and CEO of the Duramed FUTURES Tour and become a member of the LPGA’s senior management team. In addition, the Duramed FUTURES Tour staff will relocate from Lakeland, Fla., to the LPGA headquarters in Daytona Beach, Fla., by the end of the year.

Everyone Wants To Have Their Own Tournament!

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Doug Ferguson reports that Lorena Ochoa is the latest, but the Brand Lady is worried. Thanks to the Golf Chick for this:

Ochoa's brother said the $1 million tournament would be limited to the top 30 players from the money list, and he was hopeful of a date the week before the season-ending ADT Championship, a spot on the calendar now occupied by the Tournament of Champions. He said he had a title sponsor lined up, but declined to identify it until contracts are signed.

LPGA Tour commissioner Carolyn Bivens, however, said nothing has been determined.

“I don't know how I'd handicap that,” Bivens said when asked the chances of the No. 1 player having her own tournament. “Next year's schedule is still being refined. She'd love to have a tournament down there next year, but it depends on finding a title sponsor and the right mix of sponsors.”

That's a non-committal committal.