My daughter recently called my wife and me and asked a surprising question, “Do one of you want to go to the Masters with me? I have two tickets.” I’ll spare you the details of how it was decided whether “mom or dad” would attend, but by this second sentence in the article, you’re fairly certain it was me. And you’d be right.
While I love golfing, I didn’t have “attend the Masters” on my bucket list. And while the golf experience was beyond belief, it was the positioning exercise that most inspired me. Perhaps I had never paid attention, or didn’t realize the “etiquette of Augusta,” but what I learned while attending opening day at the 2026 Masters was a masterclass in differentiation by way of exclusivity, or what we sometimes refer to as a scarcity play.
As a brief background on ways to position, a brand could differentiate in a thousand different ways, but as part of our proprietary Appreciative Discovery® process, we’ve developed about a dozen buckets to help guide clients in determining how best their companies or brand(s) should differentiate. For example, leadership is powerful – that could be sales leadership or technology leadership. We tend to trust leaders. Another way to differentiate is by specialty — either by market, audience, application, or some other way that points to being a specialist. Specialists always win because the trust factor is immediately higher than a generalist. Would you rather have heart surgery by your family doctor (generalist) or a cardiac surgeon (specialist)? Point made. There are many other ways to differentiate.
Exclusivity/scarcity is one of those many other ways. It isn’t implemented frequently, which makes sense because then exclusivity would be less effective. The Masters, among all of its golf venue peers, has chosen and stuck to its exclusivity difference. How does this play in the market? Here is what I observed as a patron on opening day:
No cellphones/electronics: In a world where social posts could magnify the coverage considerably, the Masters has decided to eschew that coverage and keep it an exclusive experience, designed for those who attend in person.
Limited ticketing/by-invitation-only access: If you’re lucky enough to win their lottery and get some tickets, it probably feels like you’ve truly “won the lottery.” Only 22,000 daily tickets are allotted, which makes attending the Masters a truly exclusive opportunity.
No on-course promotion: You won’t see a logo on the course with the exception of the golfers’ apparel. No tents selling banking services. No luxury cars on display. Nothing. Just the Augusta/Masters logos. Even the chairs you’re allowed to bring onto the course have to be chairs purchased at the Masters.
Restrictive dress code: While the enforcement is perhaps a little on the weak side, they do ask that you wear no logo’d apparel. However, we saw quite a few hats and shirts that had college and pro sports teams and a few business logos. Most patrons followed the dress code request, but it’s obvious this part of the dress code is a bit relaxed. Many ladies were “gussied up,” and even some of the men wore suits and ties.
Relatively scarce swag: While the gift shop had plenty of inventory, the variety of items you could purchase was fairly limited. And once an item was out of inventory for a given day, the staff didn’t dip into the next day’s inventory supply to accommodate a patron. We saw folks walking out of the store with probably $10,000 in merchandise, which indicates scarcity.
On-air/coverage limitations: Less applicable to our on-course experience, the Masters limits its commercial airtime to only four minutes per hour. Compare this to an average 20 minutes for a typical broadcast, including other golf events with TV coverage.
Applying exclusivity as a position creates prestige, which typically drives premium pricing. In this case, we didn’t feel gouged in any manner, in part due to the recession-era pricing of their food. We had the requisite pimento cheese sandwich, which was only $1.50. And a chicken salad sandwich was only $3. As for the apparel, well, that was at a higher price point. But in the end, we didn’t walk away thinking we were overcharged a single dime. The experience was amazing and one that will remain a wonderful father-daughter moment for the rest of our lives.
What’s the value of exclusivity as a position?
Exclusivity fosters fairly significant brand loyalty and somewhat of a belonging to a “group” – in this case, one that attended a Masters. This creates sticky patrons and brand ambassadors. For those viewing the brand online only, it’s fairly noticeable how few commercial breaks exist, and how few brands are running commercials. This is by design.
Additionally, brands that do partner with the Masters benefit from this position of exclusivity. IBM, Mercedes, AT&T, and about four others seek the prestige of the Masters. They appreciate fewer impressions by accepting that each impression is much higher quality than other media impressions in the rest of their marketing inventory. And we, as consumers, notice the few brands that are advertising during the broadcast.
The highest risk of positioning with exclusivity is visibility. There’s a fine line between limiting access and providing enough visibility to remain desirable. The tradeoff for Augusta, based on estimates from third parties, means approximately $100-300 million in “lost” advertising and sponsorship revenue each year. But what value does it bring to the brand by giving up cold hard cash? Some would estimate it’s well worth it, and more.
Is exclusivity as a position right for your brand?
Exclusivity is really hard to pull off. Creating fake limited access can kill a brand. Declining exposure is a discipline that is antithetical to almost every chief marketing officer. Exclusivity is anti-hype, low-noise, and quiet in its demeanor. There aren’t many CMOs who think “less is more” applies to advertising and sponsorship coverage. But it works for Augusta without creating a feeling that “regular people” aren’t accepted.
If you feel your brand might flourish by using exclusivity as its position, contact Innis Maggiore. It’s a tough line to follow, so lean into our team that understands the principles of positioning and how to dramatize these principles in the marketplace.