Owl Sports names first PR AOR following CMO hire (Score 72)

Sales lead: A PR hire usually indicates that a campaign launch is imminent. Be sure you are reaching out for potential revenue opps.

• Quiet pickleball paddle maker Owl Sports has named Spool as its first PR AOR. They will handle a variety of services, including media relations and crisis communications.
• A media blitz has already commenced, starting with features on The Today Show and other media outlets such as Yahoo, Forbes, Mens Health, and CNBC. They have also partnered with athletes to promote the product, including John McEnroe, Drew Brees, and Jessica Warren (who is a professional pickleball player).
• The appointment comes just after OS named Ryan Schwenk as its CMO in October (**this company is too small to include in Winmo currently, but we are trying to verify Schwenk's email and will update as we learn more**).

Target demographic: The average pickleball player is 35 years old, so millennials are the bullseye. But don't count Gen-Z and Gen-X/Boomers out - the sport appeals to a wide audience.

The company is likely to:

• Begin spending meaningful money on marketing following the initial PR efforts. Pickleball is apparently the fastest growing sport in North America, so look for OS to capitalize on its popularity.
• OS is perceived as "disrupting" in the pickleball industry. USA Pickleball recently announced the certification of the first product in its new "Quiet Category" and, you guessed it - it belongs to OS. The OWL is the first-ever USA Pickleball quiet category-compliant paddle sanctioned for recreational use, proven to reduce noise by 50 percent, meeting USA Pickleball’s rigorous certification criteria.

Agency analysis:

• Opportunity: For smaller brands, a PR hire is usually the first roster hire. Watch this brand, as additional assistance (creative and/or media) could be needed in 2024. This is doubly true since OS just named a CMO this fall.
• Current agency roster: There's only Spool for now.

Media Spend Estimate Sources: (c) Winmo, LLC, 2024. Used under license.