Bringing The Players Championship® closer to Swedish fans
The Players Championship is one of the biggest tournaments in golf. Often called “the fifth major”, it gathers the very best players in the world. The PGA Tour wanted to create more attention around the tournament in Sweden. The goal was simple: reach more people, build interest, and get golf fans more engaged. To do that, we created a concept that combined a live experience with digital storytelling. We brought together The Players Championship, HBO Max, Eton, and golf creator Johanna Johnson.
Instead of only promoting the broadcast IngagerSports built an experience around it. We hosted a watch party in central Stockholm together with the exclusive clothing brand Eton. Their flagship store became the venue. We showed the live broadcast on big screens, and invited guests to enjoy food, drinks, and the atmosphere together. At the same time, the event became a content hub. Everything that happened on-site was turned into social content.
Building a live experience around the game, 7,600 km away from the tournament.
Connecting creators and broadcast to reach new audiences and drive engagement
We worked with our golf creator Johanna Johnson to reach a broader, younger and female audience. Together with HBO Max, we developed a new format called “The Pre-Party”, a four-hour live broadcast on HBO Max.
This was a different type of show, designed to feel more social and accessible, and promoted through Johanna’s own channels as well as broader platforms.
Through this, we introduced The Players to people who don’t usually watch traditional golf broadcasts. We also involved HBO Max commentators who joined the event, spoke with fans, and shared content through their own channels, helping us extend the reach even further.
By combining a physical event with digital distribution, we created something bigger than a traditional campaign.
A live experience that brought fans together and a steady flow of social content from multiple perspectives combined with strong engagement from both creators and commentators. And most importantly, a new audience discovering The Players Championship
In the end, we didn’t just promote a tournament. We made it feel closer, more social, and more relevant for a Swedish audience.
The effect of connecting
live and digital
From watching to experiencing The Players Championship
Objective
The goal was to create awareness for The Players Championship in Sweden and reach a broader audience beyond traditional golf viewers. At the same time, we wanted to build real interest around the tournament and get more people engaged with the broadcast.
Solution
We combined a live watch party in Stockholm with ongoing digital content production. The event became a natural content hub for social media, while we also co-created a four-hour live format on HBO Max together with the broadcaster. By integrating a golf creator into the broadcast and activating both commentators and creators in their own channels, we extended the reach and made the experience more accessible.
Results
The campaign led to increased awareness of The Players Championship in Sweden and helped us reach a new, younger audience. Engagement was higher than what is typically seen in golf-related activations, and we created a strong connection between the live experience and digital distribution.