International golf and travel marcomms specialist the Azalea Group has bagged innovative luggage designer OGIO as a new client and will handle its marketing and PR in the UK and Ireland.
Described by a WorldGolf.com reviewer as “… technically superior”, award-winning OGIO began creating its lifestyle brand of adrenaline-driven styled bags nearly 30 years ago and made its name in ‘action’ sports such as motocross and surfing. But its insistence on innovation and a reputation for producing high-quality, co-ordinated luggage led, naturally, to a move into golf, where a bag is a prerequisite and not merely an accessory in use between car and stadium.
Unlike many major brands in the market, which simply regard a golf bag as an adjunct to a profitable golf hardware range, OGIO exists merely to produce top-end sports bags. It is the company’s raison d’etre – which ensures only the very best and most stylish golf bags carry the label of OGIO.
Three-time PGA Tour winner Aaron Baddeley, world number 51 Kevin Streelman, world number 80 Chris Stroud, and 100s of other Tour pros use OGIO bags and luggage – not just on the course, but also when travelling. OGIO was also selected as the official travel gear for the 2010 US Presidents Cup team and was awarded two gold and one silver medal in the prestigious, benchmark Golf Digest Hot List for 2014.
OGIO is distributed in the UK & I by Naas-based Phoenix Brands, which has retained the services of Azalea on previous occasions, and company founder Dean Klatt explained: “We had no hesitation in appointing Azalea to handle PR and marketing on behalf of OGIO in the UK and Ireland. The company has proved itself to be innovative and dynamic for us in the past – two adjectives which sit well with the OGIO ethos.”
Andy Barwell, a director with the Azalea Group, said: “OGIO is a brand we have long admired because of its high-quality golf bags and travel luggage. Being afforded the chance to work with the brand is an exciting opportunity, as it has long been regarded as the most stylish of manufacturers. And we now have the responsibility to cement that reputation in a reasonably new market for a world-leading brand.”
Now in its eighth year of trading, Azalea has established itself as one of Europe’s leading specialist agencies, working with some of the continent’s major national and regional tourist boards, flagship golf and lifestyle resorts, and golf’s leading brands.
The Azalea Group www.theazaleagroup.com