FootJoy launched an integrated, global brand campaign titled ‘Feel the Joy’ campaign spearhead by a launch spot titled ‘Pin Hunters’ which sees PGA Tour stars Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala face off in a Wild West, high noon style shootout with irons instead of pistols.
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‘Feel The Joy’ was created by Opinionated and helmed by SMUGGLER Director Randy Krallman, the campaign aims to connect with passionate golfers on an emotional level by ‘providing a relatable and sometimes humorous take on the unique joys and camaraderie of the sport’.
The campaign kicked-off on 10 February with the world broadcast premiere of the 60-second film taking place during the NBC broadcast of the ‘Waste Management Phoenix Open’ (also known as ‘The People’s Open’).
Creatively styled like an old school Spaghetti Western and shot with a backdrop of mountains and tumbleweed, the campaign centres on a series of cinematic spots in which the brand ambassadors and up-and-coming Tour favourites Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala (plus LPGA star Danielle Kang, amateur Anna Davis, Wyndham Clark and Max Homa) send townsfolk scurry for cover as they flash their club skills on the links.
Soundtracked by a cover version of ‘Big Iron,’ a song originally written by country and western legend Marty Robbins, ‘Pin Hunters’ dropped digitally on 5 February and seeks to drive viewers online to learn more at https://www.footjoy.com/pin-hunters.html
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It will be followed in March by a spot called ‘Down the Hole,’ also part of the Feel the Joy campaign, is slated to launch in March.
In the USA, the ‘Feel The Joy’ campaign will run throughout the year on The Golf Channel with appearances on NBC during the national golf broadcasts of the Valspar Championship, the Children’s Houston Open and the Valero Texas Open among others. It will also stream on Peacock and the Golf Channel App and run online on Meta and YouTube. It will also include a series of digital and social ads running across platforms including TikTok, Reddit, SiriusXM and NBCSports.
The campaign was created for Footjoy by agency Opinionated, with production by Smuggler, post and VFX by Royal Muster and Parliament, editorial handled by Friendshop and sound and music by Butter Music.
“This campaign is all about bringing FootJoy’s message to life through cinematic hyperbole. Rather than describing this true-to-golf joy, the goal was to let our audience feel the joy,” said Opinionated Copywriter Lauren Olson.
Nate Corrado, Opinionated Art Director added: “This spot focuses on that feeling you get when, despite the high-stakes of the game, you’re locked in and shooting the lights out, with the swagger of a pin-hunting gunslinger.”
“Joy is central to the golf experience and is an integral part of our brand’s unique personality,” commented FootJoy SVP of Brand Strategy and Consumer Experience Ken LaRose. “We are incredibly excited to celebrate that emotion and share our passion for golf through the ‘Feel the Joy’ campaign.”
This is the first FootJoy work from Portland-based independent agency Opinionated since being added to the roster in July 2023.
Footjoy, which escribes itself as ‘the number one shoe in golf and the shoe of choice on professional Tours around the world’, has been making shoes for more than 100 years and claims to ‘focus more on lifestyle than equipment and specs’ and this campaign seems to seek to reinforce that approach whilst welcoming new fans and players to the sport by celebrating all the feelings familiar to real golf fans: including euphoria, satisfaction, delight, relief, wonder, pride, thrill, and surprise.