The Greenest Show on Grass: Jani-King and the WM Phoenix Open
Jani-King International, a leading global commercial cleaning services franchise company, has partnered with the PGA Tour and its caddies to support the WM Phoenix Open, also known as the “Greenest Show on Grass.” With approximately 800,000 fans visiting TPC Scottsdale during tournament week, Jani-King is responsible for cleaning up after the event.
Julie Robinson, Jani-King’s regional franchisor in Arizona, takes pride in her company’s long-time involvement in the hometown tournament. For Robinson, being “green” not only means keeping the venue clean but also presents an opportunity to attract more business and generate revenue for franchisees throughout the year. By demonstrating how Jani-King can handle the massive challenge of cleaning up after such a large event, they can impress potential clients and secure cleaning contracts.
“The Open in Phoenix is where business happens during tournament week. Everyone is out there,” says Robinson. “If we’re trying to reach decision-makers to secure cleaning contracts, they’re at the Open, either entertaining clients or being entertained by others. So, for us, it’s a benefit to be able to say we’re a partner in making this an amazing experience for the fans. We’re proud of our two local franchisees and their team of 90, providing exceptional service at the largest event on the PGA Tour.”
The Spring Clean Challenge: Taking the Tour Relationship to the Next Level
At the WM Open, Jani-King plans to elevate its Tour relationship with the Spring Clean Challenge. During the pro-am on Wednesday at TPC Scottsdale’s lively par-3 16th hole, caddies of participating players will use specially made green Jani-King golf towels to indicate their involvement in the challenge.
The Spring Clean Challenge will span nine events, starting from April 4 at the Valero Texas Open and concluding in mid-May at the PGA Championship. These tournaments align with a group of regional franchisors who strongly support Jani-King’s PGA Tour sponsorship. These franchisors will promote the challenge through local public relations efforts and engage customers and prospects by utilizing a participating player that week. The primary purpose of the challenge is to showcase the story behind the company represented by the towel.
“The people at Jani-King have been incredible,” says Ryan Palmer, who has been endorsing the company for the past decade. “It’s been a great relationship for me because I admire their dedication to the game of golf. Working with people like that makes you feel at home. It means a lot to me that they trust me to represent them.”
The Spring Clean Challenge will award FedExCup points to the five committed players: Palmer, Joel Dahmen, J.T. Poston, Adam Schenk, and Sepp Straka. The top three finishers will receive a bonus from the $55,000 prize pool, which includes $5,000 and a commemorative trophy for the winning caddie. Colt Knost, a former Tour player and one-time Jani-King playing ambassador now working for CBS, will serve as the host and promoter of the challenge.
Jani-King: A Hole-in-One Sponsorship
Jani-King’s partnership with the PGA Tour and its caddies has proven to be a successful under-the-radar sponsorship. The commitment to the Tour expanded due to a round of golf that led to a partnership between Jani-King and the caddies. James Edmondson, Ryan Palmer’s long-time caddie, invited Mike Biggs, Jani-King’s senior vice president of sports partnerships, to be his playing partner at a member-guest tournament at Colonial Country Club in 2015. Edmondson had recently played a role in forming the Association of Professional Tour Caddies (APTC) and saw the opportunity for sponsorships to benefit caddies.
During their round at Colonial, Biggs expressed his desire to support the caddies, and they brainstormed ideas. The caddies owned one valuable sponsorship “asset,” the towel. Recognizing the connection between cleaning and towels, Jani-King saw the perfect fit and quickly developed plans for a multi-year sponsorship. Today, it’s common to see over 100 caddies carrying Jani-King golf towels on any given Thursday on the PGA Tour. The towel has become a cultural icon in the golf accessories market, similar to Titleist.
“It’s gone from ‘what is this?’ to ‘this is what you’re supposed to do,'” says Edmondson. “Other companies would love to be a part of that, but Jani-King took the leap of faith in the caddies. There’s a mutual respect among our group, and it’s been really cool to see what it’s turned into and how it has benefited a group of guys.”
Expanding Sports Marketing Efforts: Jani-King’s Commitment to Golf
Prior to its partnership with the PGA Tour and its caddies, Jani-King had a history of sports marketing involvement. The company sponsored NASCAR and short-track racing over 20 years ago. However, as Jani-King shifted its national branding focus from motorsports to golf, the commitment to the PGA Tour made sense.
Mike Biggs, who has been involved in golf marketing since 1991 and currently serves as Jani-King’s senior vice president of sports partnerships, explains the reasoning behind the decision: “First and foremost, more decision-makers in the business world are associated with golf than any other sport. It’s an excellent opportunity to entertain customers and engage with decision-makers for commercial cleaning needs. Additionally, many Jani-King franchise owners are passionate about and support golf. So, expanding our efforts through a PGA Tour partnership was a no-brainer and aligned perfectly with our goal of enhancing brand awareness through sports marketing.”
Throughout this journey, the Jani-King golf towel has become more than just a cleaning tool. It has become a cultural phenomenon. At The Sentry in Maui, a volunteer approached James Edmondson, who now works for Tom Hoge, expressing her desperation to obtain one of the towels. The volunteer happened to share the same name, Janice King or “Jani,” as the company. Edmondson gifted her a towel, and the gesture was met with sheer delight.
For further information about Jani-King or the Spring Clean Challenge, please visit www.janiking.com or follow Jani-King on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
By: Martin Kaufmann
Title: Jani-King: Cleaning Up and Supporting the PGA Tour
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2024/01/29/jani-king-cleaning-up-with-its-support-of-the-pga-tour-and-its-caddies/
Published Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2024 14:00:02 +0000
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