Putting The Gary Player Brand Building Blocks In Place
/Daniel Roberts of Forbes.com interviews Marc Player about managing his legendary father's career and other topics, including his views on the effort (so far) to build the Rory McIlroy brand. Player explains how they go after more upscale hospitality experiences with Gary at the Masters and the touchy subject of what happens to the Player brand down the road.
From the Fortune.com interview, talking about whether "a company based around Gary Player outlast Gary Player’s life?"
So, who’s done it? You can argue Bobby Jones has done it. To a lesser degree Ben Hogan’s done it. But there aren’t a lot of people that are dead and gone whose brand, the essence of who they are, is alive and well. I think it is possible. I think if you put the brand building blocks in place, not unlike a Chanel or a Versace, you will be able to produce products and services that people will pay for even when he’s no longer alive. I think 20 years from now, 50 years from now, people will go into the Gary Player boutique and they will buy the apparel. They will buy the book on diet and health. They will buy the golf instruction video. If not, then it’s just, “Gary Player was a nice golfer, he built some nice golf courses, and he’s gone.”