Mississauga-based itravel 2000 has signed on as the first corporate partner in a new golf loyalty program entitled Skins. Golfers earn a free round of golf after earning five Skins at participating private and public courses in Ontario in the program. The partnership will be supported via Ontario-wide radio ads, banners on the itravel site and an email blast to itravel’s newsletter client base of 350,000 in Ontario. Skins launches today throughout Ontario, hoping to entice the province’s two million golfers. Intelligent Golf Marketing (IGM), the developers of Skins, is actively searching for more partners. For travel company itravel2000, ‘it provides a point of differentiation for us,’ says Patti Laine, VP of marketing. ‘It’s an incredible value and a strategic competitive advantage over others in the travel industry.’ Laine adds that the program ‘makes golf even more accessible, and helps us cater to all our demos. Golf has become a travel product for us.’
Ron Gardner, president at IGM says golfers have a higher than average income, ‘they’re a desirable group but are very fragmented. And a program such as this allows for targeting at a cost-effective rate.’ The program is launching in Ontario after a test that ran during last year’s golf season. IGM has plans to take Skins national in 2007.
