How IBM’s Masters campaign marks a shift in its sports strategy

With the Masters Tournament starting today, many golf fans will have Georgia on their minds. Since not all of them will actually be able to experience Augusta National Golf Club in person, IBM is bringing some of the fun north.

The tech giant, which is celebrating 30 years as a partner of the Masters, is transporting a bit of the tournament to its backyard in New York City with its Masters at Madison Square Park activation. The experience kicks off today, in time for the Masters, and it includes a golf simulator, merch, food, and decor all meant to replicate the vibe at Augusta National.

The campaign represents something of a pivot for IBM’s sports marketing strategy: While it’s been in the business of sports for almost 40 years, its work has typically been more behind-the-scenes, focused on clients and tech that the general public may not see.

Now, under Kameryn Stanhouse, who joined IBM as VP of global sports and entertainment partnerships just under a year ago, the company is working to use its sponsorships “to engage more than just our clients and customers,” Stanhouse told Marketing Brew.

Unlocking the vault

One of the ways IBM plans to bring its Masters sponsorship to life in Madison Square Park through the weekend is through a golf simulator complete with the company’s AI-powered “hole insights,” as well as its Masters Vault, a digital collection of more than 50 years’ worth of final-round broadcast coverage that fans can explore.

The activations reflect IBM’s practical work with the Masters over the decades; through the partnership, IBM has helped the Masters create its first website, its first app, and its first AI integrations, Stanhouse said. The company has also done AI and digital work with Wimbledon, she added, which is its longest-standing sports partnership.

“What makes [Wimbledon and the Masters] special and so coveted is that history and legacy,” Stanhouse said. “One of the misnomers on both of them is that protecting history and legacy means that they’re not leading into digital and technology, and that’s quite the opposite.”

In addition to the tech experiences, IBM is partnering with Shake Shack to serve food and beverages inspired by the Masters at the chain’s original Madison Square Park location, like a pimento-cheese sandwich. IBM is also offering limited-edition Masters merch to attendees, and the event will serve as a watch party spanning tee-off through the final round on Sunday. The IBM flagship office on Madison Avenue, which overlooks the park, will be wrapped in Masters branding.

Shake Shack is also activating against the Masters on its own, having partnered with US Amateur Champion Mason Howell for the brand’s first long-term athlete partnership. Howell is set to wear the Shake Shack logo on his sleeve while he plays alongside Rory McIlroy this week to kick off the two-year sponsorship.

“Spheres of influence”

IBM’s sports partnerships, which also include the US Open, UFC, and Scuderia Ferrari HP, serve several purposes, Stanhouse told us. When her team evaluates sponsorship opportunities, they first and foremost look for an opportunity to provide the organization with technology offerings “that only IBM can provide,” she said.

As is the case for many B2B companies involved in sports marketing, sponsorships that allow for hospitality experiences for clients and prospective clients tend to be key, too, Stanhouse said. She also looks for opportunities that get IBM employees themselves involved and excited.

“There’s no better brand ambassador than your own employees, and we’ve got 290,000 of them,” she said. “We have really leaned in, since the US Open of last year, to how we make our IBMers feel like they’re part of…these events.”

Increasingly, Stanhouse and her team have been pushing to take IBM’s sports partnerships out of the office and to a more general audience. While many people may be familiar with the IBM name, fewer may understand what the company does, something Stanhouse said she’d like to change through its sports work, which has recently expanded to include a fantasy football partnership with ESPN. During the Masters, that educational effort includes ads focused on brand storytelling, she added.

“It’s not just our direct clients, but it’s the spheres of influence and how we engage them,” Stanhouse said. “The next generation—or current generation—has grown up with the Googles and the Amazons of the world. We need to continue to stay relevant.”