Arnold Palmer's Legacy Honored in Mastercard Commercial
March 13 2017 - 10:55AM
Dow Jones News
By Matthew Futterman
Just in time for the Arnold Palmer Golf Invitational at Bay Hill
near Orlando, Mastercard is releasing a commercial that shows how
valuable a legend can be, even after his death.
The ad shows a series of scenes in which one character, from
children to touring professional golfers, inevitably gives another
a piece of advice and ends it with the phrase "Arnie would." In the
opening scene, two kids are in the trees on a course. "Go for the
green," one boy says to the other. "Arnie would."
Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer for
Mastercard, said the spot, as well as the ongoing sponsorship of
the Arnold Palmer Invitational, is about "honoring Mr. Palmer for
the way he lived his life, his values and morals and his tremendous
philanthropic efforts."
Mastercard, which recently renewed its relationship with
Palmer's estate, is hardly alone. Palmer, who died in September at
the age of 87, was the first modern sports entrepreneur, a man
whose income off the golf course dwarfed his winnings on it, and
that income figures to keep rolling in for a long time.
Alastair Johnston, the longtime IMG executive who has
represented Palmer for nearly four decades, said the Arnold Palmer
business remains brisk. In addition to Mastercard, Johnston has
renewed agreements on behalf of Palmer with the equipment
manufacturer Textron, Inc. and Arizona Beverages, which markets
flavored iced tea drinks under his name. There are more than 400
Arnold Palmer sportswear stores in Asia, where Palmer became an
adopted favorite son long ago.
This isn't an accident. During the last decade, as Palmer aged,
Johnston began focusing on selling the legacy of Arnold Palmer
rather than the man himself.
"Time doesn't stand still but it can endure," Johnston said in
an interview Saturday. "What we found is that there is a way to
sustain an image and a legacy in a way that is meaningful and not
just reflective."
Earnings from the ongoing contracts go to the series of
companies under the umbrella of Arnold Palmer Golf, Inc., as well
as well Palmer's philanthropy, Arnie's Army.
Johnston described an odd conversation with Palmer a few years
back when he was about to embark on a trip to Asia to do some
business on behalf of his star client. Palmer asked if Johnston
wanted him to come along. Johnston said it wasn't necessary because
the customers weren't really doing business with the actual person
named Arnold Palmer but rather the idea of him.
Now, six months after his death, the Palmer that gets recreated
and sold can be a dashing 25-year-old, a wise veteran of 50, or a
70-year-old who achieved near royal status in golf and sports in
general. That has allowed the Arnold Palmer business to be
reborn.
"It remains opportunistic," Johnston said. "He would have wanted
it that way."
Write to Matthew Futterman at matthew.futterman@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 13, 2017 11:40 ET (15:40 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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