Two more countries sign up for golf hole ads

Dec 11 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal

A BUSINESS selling golf hole advertising has added two more countries to its customer base and is on the verge of signing up two more.

Ad in the Hole (AITH) – basically a plastic golf hole with a removable disc displaying an advert in the base – has just expanded in Mexico and France and is hoping to add the Canadian and Brazilian golfing markets to its portfolio in the New Year.

The Newcastle-based firm has already licensed the idea overseas and its customer base includes the US, Spain, Portugal, Singapore and Dubai.

Managing director David Bainbridge bought the worldwide rights to AITH in 2002 after coming across the concept while playing golf, and this year began marketing the product. He forecasts AITH will have a turnover of at least £500,000 next year.

Mr Bainbridge said: “With the success we are having around the world, Ad in the Hole is getting more into the world domain. The people came to us from Mexico, we didn’t go to them. They say AITH as the perfect blend to add on to their other branding. And we didn’t recruit France, they came to us. This is where we are getting the growth worldwide.”

AITH has signed a deal with Imbora Marketing to develop sales in Mexico, where there are 150 golf courses, and Cross Media Publishing is the sole agent for France, where there are more than 550 courses.

Mr Bainbridge said AITH is close to finalising a deal to take the concept to Canada and he is hopeful that Brazil will follow shortly.

As an exporter of the plastic golf holes, which are all manufactured by Metromold on North Tyneside, the company has benefited from the weakness of the pound against the dollar.

“In the States and Mexico, they are doing all the deals in US dollars, so we are doing nothing and it’s coming out much better,” said Mr Bainbridge.

AITH has a sales force of between 20 and 30 people in the UK, who sell the space inside the holes to clients once a golf course has agreed to install the system.

“We haven’t stopped doing the UK. But with the economic downturn, the bad weather and December upon us, we are concentrating on next year,” said Mr Bainbridge.

He believes the quirky nature of the product will help it to survive the economic slowdown and attract advertisers, even though they have smaller budgets.