In 1950, 13 brave women changed the face of golf, disrupting conventions and inspiring countless women athletes to take to the course. Seventy-three years later, the LPGA is one of the longest-running women’s professional sports associations in the world, and is breaking records with more than $101 million in total prize money and 33 official tournaments on the 2023 schedule.
In this same spirit, Mizuho Americas partnered with the LPGA to disrupt the status quo again, by creating the inaugural Mizuho Americas Open – Mizuho’s biggest sponsorship ever in the Americas, and our very first entry into sports sponsorship here. Now, we know what you’re thinking – “A financial services firm sponsoring a golf tournament? Groundbreaking…” But the Mizuho Americas Open marks a departure from the typical plug-and-play sports sponsorship.
We had a vision for a tournament that is a purpose-driven extension of our company values and brand – an event founded on our core values of equity and opportunity, to promote women, celebrate excellence, and advance the next generation of talent both on and off the course.
To launch the exciting news to our employees and to the world, we knew we had to do so with a bang. Our goals were to elevate expectations and spark anticipation for this new tournament, highlighting the aspects that make it unique, including the world-class talent, groundbreaking format, premium spectator experience, and iconic location.
From the outset, Mizuho had a vision for a purpose-driven tournament that promotes equity and opportunity for women and supports the next generation of talent. To engage clients, players, and spectators right from the beginning, we produced a launch video that showcases all the elements that make the Mizuho Americas Open a truly special event on the LPGA tour, and spotlights the event’s unique focus on advancing opportunities for women.
The launch video focuses on capturing the story of the trailblazing women who have strived for success and equity in sports. Pulling archival footage, the video span the LPGA’s earliest days to the present, displaying footage of the LPGA’s first members and some of the best women to play the game ever since.
The video debuted at our firm-wide, annual Americas Town Hall in September 2022, followed by a public launch the next day at our Mizuho Americas Open press day. At press day, New York-area sports and finance journalists were invited to Liberty National Golf Course for a press conference featuring LPGA icon and Mizuho Americas Brand Ambassador Michelle Wie West, and had the opportunity to play the beautiful course, with the New York City skyline in the background. A press release accompanied the video on press day.
The Mizuho Americas Open launch video garnered impressive viewership and engagement. It was viewed thousands of times across our social and digital channels, surpassing our benchmark by 250%.
From colleagues and clients to players and the media, the launch video kick-started conversations across social and traditional media about Mizuho’s efforts to push the needle forward with its unprecedented format, world-class talent, and purpose-driven focus. Major outlets wrote about the upcoming tournament, including NBC, Forbes, Golf Channel, ESPN, Golfweek, and Golf Digest.
The launch video was the critical first impression for a tournament that ultimately brought 30,000+ spectators lining the fairways, millions of TV and online viewers, and rave reviews from spectators and players alike.
Launch Video Social Media Metrics:
