The Point.1888 tees off with new client St Andrews Links

St Andrews Links (SAL), known throughout the world as the Home of Golf, has selected The Point.1888 as its brand extension partner.

The news comes just weeks after the brand licensing specialist added Williams Racing to its growing roster of Sports brands. Hannah Stevens, Head of Retail and Sports continues to grow this important division within the business, which also counts Team GB and the British and Irish Lions as clients.

A veteran in the world of brand licensing, having worked with Hannah Stevens previously when she worked at CPLG, SAL has made the most of its iconic courses and the world’s love of golf to build awareness as far afield as Korea and Japan.

With seven courses spanning nearly 1,000 acres, SAL is at the top of every golfer’s wish list. More than 230,000 rounds of golf are played on the courses every year by golf fans flocking from all over the world.

By appointing The Point.1888, it is seeking to ramp up its brand licensing activity, going beyond the golf accessories and gifting markets to new categories that will offer their loyal and older demographic, as well as younger generations across the world, a small piece of 600 years of history.

Keen to explore fashion apparel, homeware, stationery, personal care, toys & games, as well as alcoholic beverages and confectionary, SAL is looking to develop product ranges that capture the heritage and tradition of the links while still bringing a feeling of fun and timeless style that lasts and endures.

Renowned as the next generation of brand licensing and the industry’s most respected agency, The Point.1888 has already commenced its thorough immersion phase with SAL to ensure that no element of the brief is left unexplored and that the licensee partners it secures share its new client’s brand values.

Using its retail first model, which means creating new products based on the gaps it sees at retail, rather than what it thinks the brand’s target demographic might like, it will then devise a strategy for licensee and retail partnerships. This should expand SAL into the new categories it desires, generating income and a deeper affiliation with its fans.  It will also drive awareness ahead of The Open, the biggest golfing competition in the calendar, which will be returning to St Andrews in 2022 for the 150th anniversary of the tournament and the 30th time it will have been played at SAL.

Commenting on the news, Hannah Stevens, Head of Retail and Sport at The Point.1888, said: “With The Point.1888, St Andrews Links knew they were getting an agency with an unconventional approach who really understands their unique high end brand and knows how to find the best opportunities at retail. We’re really excited about the collaborations that we can work on together.”

Hannah adds,  “St Andrews Links creates such an opportunity with the popularity of golf skyrocketing amongst younger demographics, but also because we pride ourselves on working with brands with purpose. The Links’ values mean they take real pride in being active and supporting members in the community, for instance their fantastic junior golf programme, which gives free golf to children in the town.

Danny Campbell, Commercial Director of SAL, said: “We have more than 600 years of history and our brand reflects golf’s values of integrity, collaboration and the pursuit of excellence. We had to make sure that the agency we chose shared those values and could match our ambition with their ideas, creativity, experience and passion. I know we’re in very good hands.”

To register interest in becoming involved in the programme, contact The Point.1888 at helloyou@thepoint1888.com