In the last ten years or so, memes, originally a concept or a catchphrase, have evolved into broader multi-faceted images such as GIFs, videos, viral sensations and became an essential part of Internet culture. They are a new means of communicating ideas and impressions from person to person via social media, e-mails, blogs. Thanks to the Internet, people can see through other people’s eyes and share their emotions as memes constantly evolve thanks to the growing content creation
As is human nature, memes are primarily about fun. A fun meme page for golf fans has grown to become the hottest golf media brand on Instagram —PGA Memes. Its founder and CEO Travis Miller, a dedicated golfer himself and a talented marketing executive who in 2011 was named as one among twenty executives under the age of 40 to watch, managed to grow what was a side hobby to one of the most popular social media platforms in the world of golf. With over 1MM followers, including pro golfers, other athletes, and celebrities, PGA Memes is now more than a meme page; it is a major brand with a multi-platform presence and 50M+ impressions per week. Through PGA Memes, Travis demonstrates golf in a different light; the sport that for decades has been viewed as haughty, country-club type is presented from its more relatable and fun side. Having skin in the game himself, Travis offers entertaining and accurate golf-related content.
“People often regard golf as a very dry and exclusive sport,” says Travis. “But with PGA Memes, we wanted to showcase the fun side of the sport for the everyday golfer. Even when we work with pro players, we want to bring out the fun, relatable side of the game with the pro content and events we develop as well.” Still actively involved in the content creation, Travis has been busy building a more comprehensive media platform. PGA Memes is constantly evolving, offering new features and proprietary brands such as Hack Patrol, Hissalot, and Fore the Babes. Thanks to its vast—and growing—audience, counting 50 million a week in reach, PGA Tour and European Tour chose PGA Memes to promote tournaments. Partnering with PGA Memes is a win-win situation for brands; through such partnerships, Travis keeps growing his audience, further increasing the platform’s attraction as a marketing resource.
Adding a further human touch to golf’s elitist reputation, PGA Memes launched a charity tournament series, PGA Memes Challenge, raising over $100K for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. In a bid to further broaden the platform’s scope, Travis plans to produce TV content and continue to expand Shank Happens with PGA Memes podcast that covers both the fun and the serious side of all things golf. In addition, he plans to feature interviews with the most prominent personalities in the world of golf.
PGA Memes is an example of a business that has grown out of fun and is nurtured with love. A combination of Travis’s passion for golf and his profound knowledge of social marketing has turned a hobby into a thriving business and has disclosed to the thousands of golf lovers and pros the fun and relatable side of the centuries-old yet forever young game.
