As small business owners, we are always looking for ways to get our product or message out in front of our target audience. It is hard work, with some hits and a lot of misses.
But, sometimes you get a gift in the form of free promotion and you need to take advantage of it. That happened to Bud Light at the Masters Tournament over the weekend.
An article from the website sportingnews.com reported:
Masters 2018: ‘Dilly Dilly’ phrase reportedly banned, Bud Light responds
The Masters is known for being a classy event, which is why ragamuffin phrases like “Dilly Dilly” have been banned, Bunkered Online reported.
According to the report, any person heard yelling the phrase will be “removed immediately.”
Bunkered Online noted that a staff writer was told by security that they were handed a list of banned phrases. Dilly Dilly apparently made the cut.
Dilly Dilly became a viral sensation late last year after it became popular from Bud Light commercials. It morphed into a life of its own, with T-shirts and other memorabilia created to reflect the phrase.
Now Bud Light has heard of the reported ban and released a statement saying it will “make 1,000 Dilly Dilly shirts that shall be delivered to Georgia in time for the festivities.”
“For if thou cannot say Dilly Dilly, thou can still wear Dilly Dilly,” the statement reads.
The crackdown of hecklers during golf tournaments has been high since the season started. Justin Thomas recently had a fan removed from a tournament in February after the person kept yelling at him to “get in the bunker.”
Sergio Garcia had a fan ejected last month and Rory McIlroy has also complained about rowdy fans yelling at the players.
There were many other articles about this, including Golf magazine, SBNation and USA Today. I even heard a disc jockey talk about it over Masters weekend. She talked about how Bud Light was sending Dilly Dilly t-shirts and caps to Augusta, GA to be given away at the tournament. If you want to read some of the articles, just Google “Dilly Dilly Masters Tournament” or something similar.
There were later articles that said uttering the phrase “Dilly Dilly” would not get one removed from the Masters. But, the original stories were out there and Bud Light took full advantage of them.
The key take away from this is that you should be looking for situations where your product is mentioned and be prepared to take advantage of the free publicity. Bud Light issued the proclamation by King John Barley IV and gave away t-shirts and caps.
Use Google alerts to monitor when your company or products are mentioned in the press or online. Think about how you might apply this lesson to your business and products.
Struggling to promote your product or service? Contact the UGA SBDC in Rome to develop an in-depth marketing strategy. Click here to contact our Rome office, serving all of Northwest Georgia, or give us a call at 706) 622-2006.
Written by: Matt Pearce, UGA SBDC Business Consultant