Ahead of the 2023 US Open, official broadcaster NBC rolled out a series of promotions featuring actors Jason Bateman and Will Arnett which reference the pair’s hit sitcom ‘Arrested Development’ and promote the USGA’s annual showpiece.
To promote the 2023 tournament, which is scheduled for 15 to 18 June at the Los Angeles Country Club and will air across NBC, USA and Peacock, a trio of 30-second promotional spots see Arnett and Bateman reference the classic TV show – which ran for five season between 2003 and 2019 (first on Fox and then picked up by Netflix) – with a somewhat similar sense of absurdist comedy.
Indeed, the promos all play on recurring jokes from the programme: for example, the ‘Sand Trap’ spot includes the show’s ‘Really Helpful’ line.
This spot features Arnett stuck in a bunker and Bateman attempts to help him out.
“Let’s approach hitting it out of the trap soon, because this is the Los Angeles Country Club, where all the best players in the world are coming to play the U.S. Open. They’ll be here soon,” said Bateman in the spot.
“Really helpful, Jason,” added Arnett as the pair name dropping some of the top athletes competing in the tournament.
While the ‘Putting’ spot includes the show’s famous ‘No Touching’ phrase.
NBCUniversal, which developed the promos internally without partnering with an outside agency, deployed them across its own linear, social and digital properties with a heavy rotation during relevant sports telecasts such as the network’s coverage of the 2023 French Open.
Arnett and Bateman also made an appearance at the tournament’s media day in the week ahead of the opening drive.
Comment
With the 2023 tournament being held in LA for the first time in 75 years, it certainly seems to make some tactical sense for a pair of golf playing Hollywood actors to front some of the marketing.
The network’s ads were even set up earlier in the year when NBC Sports posted and promoted an interview with Bateman about his passion for golf.
The ad shoot wasn’t the first time that friends and cast members Arnett and Bateman have been on a golf course together. Arnett caddied for Bateman a few months back during the late January/early February 2023 Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament. Both actors played in the tournament, but decided to buddy up after one made the cut and the other didn’t.
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