Show notes
In this episode of Markeitng Spark, Laura Gainer provides insight into how she helped turned pickleball into North American's fastest-growing sport.
Laura talks about how she approached the sport after being hired by USA Pickleball to overhaul its brand, Website, and logo.
We discuss how pickleball has attracted celebrities like Lebron James and why it has become so popular.
From the conversation
How Laura Gainor came to USA Pickleball
Laura Gainor is a marketing consultant with more than fifteen years of experience. She ran a nonprofit advertising agency in Milwaukee and was involved with the Milwaukee Advertising Club. After moving to Chicago, she decided to launch her own agency, Vossburg Gainor. Her first client, introduced through her husband, was USA Pickleball.
USA Pickleball had just hired new marketing leadership and wanted help with a rebrand as it moved from USAPA to USA Pickleball. Laura brought in an ad agency partner from her Milwaukee network. She learned to play the night she was introduced to the organization, going out with three friends. She says the rules take about twenty minutes to learn, and the court is one-fourth the size of a tennis court, so people set them up in driveways.
Rebranding USA Pickleball through player research
When Laura came on board, the brand was USAPA and the website at USAPA.org looked outdated. Laura felt the sport was fun and social, so the brand should show that. She worked with Bader Rutter, a Milwaukee ad agency, to run focus groups and find the keywords players use to explain pickleball. Input came from ambassadors, certified coaches and recreational players.
The new website was built around what people were searching for. Laura says the highest search term was "what is pickleball?", so the site added instructional videos and rules. It also included photo shoots showing all ages and demographics, tournament information, and the benefits of becoming a member.
This was also a first for the organization. USA Pickleball is a nonprofit that had been run by its board, and it had no CEO until Stu Upson became the first one about two years before the interview. It had never had a marketing team either.
"They really listened to the players too, and that's important with this sport."
Changing the audience and the effect of the pandemic
The first persona was a person in their fifties or sixties, often in a retirement community. Laura's early job was to show how fun and social the sport is and to break the stigma that it is a senior citizen sport. She played every Friday night in her own community, and that experience shaped the voice of the marketing. She encouraged people to play in driveways and to treat pickleball as a date night.
Laura says marketers need to experience what they promote.
The pandemic accelerated growth because people wanted safe ways to stay social. Laura also points to the demand for equipment as evidence.
"Right when the pandemic hit, USA Pickleball sold out of their portable pickleball nets because everyone was putting them up in the driveway, they wanted just to have any reason to get outside."
Earned media and celebrity investment
Laura did not have to pitch much. Once the new website made media contacts and player numbers easy to find, reporters reached out. She pushed for fun, energetic stories rather than standard coverage. Good Morning America did a live feed from her local courts in Nocatee, with players of all ages, and NBC Nightly News wanted kids to explain in their own voices why they enjoy the game.
Laura says outlets wanted the keyword for a practical reason.
Celebrity investment has added to the attention. Laura says people started paying attention when LeBron James bought a Major League Pickleball team. Gary Vaynerchuk and Anheuser-Busch have also bought teams. Laura says fans feel close to these stars because they see them playing with many people.
Brands now ask Laura what this means and how to get involved. She says it is still early, with open questions about whether the opportunity lies in sponsoring events or in travel destinations.
"People wanted that pickleball keyword because they knew it would get people excited to share a link to their website."
The LinkedIn newsletter and Pickleball in the Sun
Laura started a weekly pickleball marketing newsletter on LinkedIn after people kept asking her what Major League Pickleball and the PPA Tour were. The sport was changing quickly, and she wanted one news source. Her readers include brand executives who are considering investing or entering the sport. She says the newsletter has produced new projects and leads.
She also sees pickleball as a networking tool for business, and she has used it for corporate events and team building.
Laura started Pickleball in the Sun a little over a year ago after planning tournament getaway weekends with friends. It now features destinations and has a partnership with the Pick n Play app, founded by Blake Renard. The Omni Amelia Island Resort was announced as its first premier destination. Laura says resorts are adding courts because guests choose destinations based on them.
"But now the best place to bring your clients for networking and kind of a new business opportunities is to get on the pickleball court."
A memorable event and where to find Laura
Asked for a standout story, Laura chose helping Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin with a pickleball event. She reached out to offer help bringing in sponsors, flew to Los Angeles, and ended up advising them. She also interviewed Maren Morris for a Pickleball Magazine cover story.
Listeners can find Laura on LinkedIn, at lauragainor.com and at pickleballinthesun.com. She is available as a consultant to brands and agencies that want to understand the sport and its travel destinations.