Have Your Meeting in the Great Outdoors

Have you ever held a meeting on the golf course? It's a unique venue that you may not have thought about utilizing for your upcoming business meeting. Even just playing in a foursome, as opposed to a full tournament, offers benefits to you.

First, you're in a different atmosphere. People tend to be more open and forthright with information in a more relaxed atmosphere than they are in the office or in a more formal meeting setting. It's also important to note that most people think golf is fun, not work, which also factors into the more relaxed atmosphere.

Second, you'll be on the course for at least four hours (if you're playing 18), which gives you a longer amount of time to spend with the person you're meeting with. If you were planning a regular meeting in a office setting for four hours, forget anyone being interested in that! With golf, there's an expected and acceptable timeframe of at least four hours. In that timeframe you can get a lot accomplished, depending on your goals for the meeting. You can learn a lot about your golfing partner on a personal and professional level.

Third, spending that much time with someone (and learning more about them personally and professionally) can help you build a rapport with them. Now you have something to talk about the next time you call them up, "Hey, how are those new clubs treating you" or "Hey, remember that amazing shot you had out of the sand? Well, I was wishing I had your skills this past weekend - ended up double bogey."

Lastly, anytime you're looking for a gift for that person, you're pretty safe giving them golf balls or other accessories. You could even schedule a quarterly golf outing and take them out, which is pretty cheap, considering you have them as an audience for at least four hours.

Advertising Review: Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines has recently began airing "The Business Travel Challenge" advertisement series that spoofs the competition show Wipeout. You can see the ads on YouTube. What makes these ads seemingly successful are the following things:

• Established idea - The tv show Wipeout is currently in its sixth season and the majority of tv-watching Americans likely know what the premise is, even if they've never watched the show.
• Highlights features - Southwest Airlines highlighted what sets them apart from their competitors (bag fees, blackout dates, etc.)
• Funny element - Many times, funny equals memorable, which is exactly what you want with advertising. 

Now I said earlier "seemingly successful." The success of the campaign will ultimately be decided upon what Southwest Airlines' goals are. Increased sales? Increased brand recognition? Whatever the goals, they'll be tracking those against a timeline. Take a lesson from Southwest Airlines to build upon an established and recognized idea to create a memorable ad or marketing piece as part of a well-planned marketing campaign.