What does incremental marketing mean? To Ken Morton, Sr., the answer is “putting one grain of sand on top of another, building on past experiences and implementing one or two new ideas every year.”
That ranges from something as simple as a salesperson at the Haggin Oaks Super Store mailing out lock-box keys to her customers along with an invitation to see which key fits the box that contains a $100 gift certificate (a promotion that generated $17,000 in retail sales) to the largest golf demo day in the country and a public golf expo so big that major golf companies send staff to work the event.
Haggin Oaks also hosts an annual country music festival and pro-am called Golf and Guitars. That event has featured acts like Josh Turner, Love & Theft, Julie Roberts and Ashley Monroe of the Pistol Annies.
“This was our ninth year hosting Golf and Guitars,” says Ken Morton, Jr., showing off a wall of autographed guitars in his office. “It’s become one of the largest country music festivals in Northern California, and it raises a lot of money for charity."
Ken, Sr., smiles at the guitars and a poster with all the acts highlighted. “That’s not something a lot of people associate with a municipal golf course,” he says.
Indeed, it most certainly is not.