The Grant Thornton Invitational - Two Tours. One Competition.
The 6th Annual Awards
- Best Brand Sponsorship
- Diversity Equity Inclusion Belonging
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
At Grant Thornton, we understand barriers are part of the golf course but believe they shouldn’t be part of the game. That’s why we developed the Grant Thornton Invitational—to go beyond the expectations of sports sponsorship and create a more equal playing field for golf. While the fight for pay equity has made headlines for several sports in recent years, professional golf has lagged in action. We wanted the world to clearly see the gap in visibility, reward and esteem between male and female golfers—and, more importantly, to close it.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
In uniting the PGA TOUR and LPGA with a barrier-breaking, mixed team, co-sanctioned event highlighting an equitable playing format, we captured the attention of the golf world and engaged fans in an entirely new and innovative way. By prioritizing gender parity across the event’s coverage, promotion, marketing representation and payout structure, we set a new standard for representation, parity, and inclusivity in golf that turned our branding into an unforgettable experience and achieved measurable impact on growing the game of golf.
Objective
A mixed-team competition had not happened since 1999 and had never been co-sanctioned by both the LPGA and PGA Tours. The Grant Thornton Invitational was our opportunity to challenge expectations, walk our talk on DE&I in golf and take a tangible step to build a future for golf that is more equal, inclusive and representative for all golfers.
We distinguished our innovative event from expected diversity-driven sponsorship activations by:
- Uniting the PGA TOUR and LPGA with a historic, mixed team event highlighting an equitable playing format that captured the attention of the golf world.
- Prioritizing gender parity across the event’s coverage, promotion, marketing representation and payout structure.
- Delivering on our equality message and achieving tangible proof that we’re growing the game.
If we could make this happen, it would be a monumental step toward putting both male and female players on an equal playing field and moving the needle for gender parity and representation for the game at large.
Strategy & Execution
The Grant Thornton Invitational was not about re-branding the previous tournament it replaced, but an opportunity to make an impactful statement through our new, innovative event.
We collaborated with players to create our format, ensuring parity and equality were at the heart of play. No other professional golf event incorporates players’ voices like this.
A notable $4M purse, split equally between the male and female winning team.
Our six brand ambassadors represent diversity in age, gender and culture and were featured equally in all event content and promotion. From client entertainment to PR to charitable initiatives, they lent their platforms to promote our shared mission.
Our visual brand embodied our mission, including a “pair of tees” secondary logo (playing on the word “parity”) and a re-imagined trophy symbolizing the best of golf coming together for equality.
Each client hospitality guest (50% female) had a front-row seat to history. A Women’s Executive Forum highlighted powerful female voices.
Through our sponsorship of six HBCU golf teams, we provided the opportunity for one male and female athlete to play in the Pro-Am. During the tournament, we co-hosted a golf clinic for local athletes with intellectual disabilities with the I GOT THIS Foundation.
Organizations
- Grant Thornton
- Grant Thornton Invitational
- Wasserman
- Weber Shandwick
- imre
- Sugar Shack
- PGA TOUR
- LPGA
- NBC/Golf Channel
Links
Featured
- Cameron Champ
- Nelly Korda
- Jessica Korda
- Mel Reid
- Rickie Fowler
- Tony Finau
- Michael Wilbon
Credits
John Harmeling
former CMO
Grant Thornton
Allison Kelly
Head of Sponsorship Marketing
Grant Thornton
Libby Erker
Associate Director, Sponsorship Marketing
Grant Thornton
Reedy Foster
Associate Director, Sponsorship Marketing
Grant Thornton
Todd Saunders
Associate Director, Sponsorship Marketing
Grant Thornton
Kelly Bodi
Senior Associate, Sponsorship Marketing
Grant Thornton
Amanda Hopkins
Associate Director, Sponsorship Marketing
Grant Thornton
Anna Gentile
Senior Associate, Sponsorship Marketing
Grant Thornton
Jon Rucket
Senior Director, External Communications
Grant Thornton
Adam Bond
Associate Director, External Communications
Grant Thornton
Chris Castleberry
VP, Golf
Wasserman
Rob Hartman
Tournament Director
Grant Thornton Invitational
Andrew Culp
Associate Director, Golf
Wasserman
Kate Roundy
Senior Manager, Golf
Wasserman
Brian Gabriel
SVP, Sports
Weber Shandwick
Ben Paradossi
VP, Sports
Weber Shandwick
Nick Eber
VP
imre
Hunter Glasoe
Account Manager
imre
Sami Ari
Senior Director, Digital Experiences
imre
Eddie Kopp
Founder
Sugarshack
Arian Antonucci
Co Founder, VP
Sugarshack
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 6, 2024 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
