PGA TOUR TV NEGOTIATION TRANSLATOR
Though he never went to business school, commissioner Tim Finchem often uses the jargon of the PGA Tour's corporate partners to let them know that he is on their wavelength. These translations will help you track the Tour's pending television contract negotiations. --Geoff Shackelford
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TERM | TRANSLATION |
Product | Tour player (example: Tiger Woods or Tiger Woods) |
Brand | Tattoo-free guys who don't use steroids |
Platform | Tour schedule, although used for other things too because it's cool to say platform |
Synergy; synergize | See second part of platform translation |
Recontextualizing the platform | Moving the Players Championship to May |
Incentivizing synergy platforms | Looking the other way on backdoor appearance fees |
Branding the platform | Those cheesy Drive to a Billion spots |
Platforming the brand | Using the PGA Tour logo to save the Champions tour |
Repurposing proactive initiatives | Playing the Tour Championship in September after a NASCAR-like points race |
Platform fluidity | We'll shift events that Tiger never plays in to the fall and stick them on the Golf Channel |
Harnessing the product | Telling players that purses won't go up in 2007 |
Upside | Tiger will be only 31 when the next contract begins |
Traction with the network | Dick Ebersol returned our call |
No pushback from the network | Dick Ebersol has not returned our call |
Equity | We'll split TV production costs the way the NHL does (Use only when there's no pushback) |
Cultivate C-level contacts | Maybe the network CEO, CFO or COO will recall how much fun he had at the AT&T |
Leverage | We won't insist that USA Network air PGA Tour Sunday |
Reality on the ground | We'll do pretty much anything the networks want |
 
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JOHN BIEVER (WOODS)
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PGA TOUR (LOGO)
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GEORGE TIEDEMANN/GT IMAGES (NASCAR)
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JEMAL COUNTESS/WIREIMAGE.COM (EBERSOL)
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DAMIAN STROHMEYER (JIRI SLEGR)