Lessons from The Masters: a masterclass in exclusivity branding
By Megain Buchan, Head of Energy and Industrials
In a world of constant reinvention, The Masters proves that consistency, curation and scarcity can be the ultimate brand assets.
Look, I was the last person to think I’d be up at midnight, glued to my TV to see if Rory McIlroy would finally win The Masters after 14 years of coming so close. But The Masters did something no other golf tournament has done for me: it gave a masterclass in branding, and I was hooked.
It’s an institution. A study in brand consistency, prestige and emotional pull. You could call it the quiet luxury brand of golf. And that’s exactly why it works.
From trends to tradition
While other sporting events chase trends, Augusta leans into legacy. The Masters resists modern conveniences and distractions and in doing so, has crafted a timeless brand.
No cell phones. No selfies. No TikToks (unless you count Pookie and Jett’s sandwich review). Just green grass, hushed commentators, pink pops of azalea. It’s almost aggressively analog, but that’s the point.
Even the food menu is untouched by inflation. $1.50 pimento cheese sandwiches. $2 egg salad. The menu has become such a talking point, that the Masters now delivers “Taste of the Masters” home hosting kits filled with branded serving wear and all the flavors from the course to bring the tradition to you.
Exclusive by design
Then there’s the merchandise. People spend thousands at the on-site store, lining up at dawn just to get their hands on a Masters-logo hat, polo, or tumbler. Why? Because you can’t get it online.
It’s scarcity marketing at its best: merch that’s available once a year, in one place on Earth. It’s exclusive without ever saying the word. Just scroll the TikTok hauls and you’ll see how much people literally buy into it.
And it’s not just the merch, people now determine what they will wear to The Masters based on the green jacket. Influencers and sporting legends alike create specific Masters looks from the WAGs of the players to Serena Williams sporting a look styled on the iconic green jacket.
Controlling the brand
But it goes beyond merch. Every blade of grass is immaculate. Rubbish is picked up before it hits the ground. Marshals are everywhere, ensuring silence and order.
The course is curated. And as we all know in comms, control the message and you control the narrative. The Masters does this in buckets, protecting that oft-overlooked element at the heart of any brand – the experience.
A masterclass in branding
The Masters proves that timelessness is meticulously honed over years. It’s the result of hundreds of intentional decisions: staying consistent, valuing experience over exposure and resisting the pull of the trend cycle.
In marketing and communications, we often chase innovation. But The Masters shows us that brand power can come from preservation. It can come from knowing exactly who you are and having the discipline to double down on it, year after year.
And a final thought on Rory: after 14 years of near-misses, Sunday slips, and heartbreak, he finally did it. He won. He won where legends are made. Where the sandwiches are still $1.50, the phones stay in your pocket, and golf feels just that little bit more special. All because of a classically honed brand.
