by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The National Football League has its “uniform police.” Before each game, a representative from the league walks around while the players are warming up and reminds some to tuck in their jerseys or pull up their socks or even warn them that their towel may not be in the right place. Ignored warnings result in letters and fines from the league the next week.
The PGA Tour doesn’t have a uniform cop — just look at what Jesper Parnevik has been known to wear — but the Tour guards its corporate image, logo and reputation very closely.
Kirsten Sabia is the director, brand integration for the Tour and she’s the closest thing to a uniform cop. She may not care what the golfers wear on the course, she does care how the Tour’s logo — and now the FedEx logo — is used, by whom and what for.
“Folks call me the ‘brand cop’ or the ‘logo police.’ I’ve been called worse,” Sabia, who joined the Tour eight years ago as an administrative assistant, worked in various departments over the years and has held her current position for the last three. “I prefer logo coach or brand Godmother.”
Sabia’s job also entails plenty of marketing that includes 40-plus tournaments a year. Every one of those tournaments is marketed to a different local fan base through different media and in conjunction with different sponsors. While each of the tournaments evolves and develops its own personality, there are constants that must be adhered to and one of those is the proper and legal use of the PGA Tour logo — a relatively simple red, white and blue design that includes a white silhouette of a golfer.
Believe it or not, there are strict rules regarding the use of the logo. It can’t be too big or too small, permission is required, it can’t be too close to the logo of a non-Tour partner and there are many other examples. Sabia said she is informed of improper uses every day.
“I get about 250-300 e-mails a day,” said Sabia, a good golfer herself with a 7 handicap. “I am addicted to my Blackberry.”
Sabia said the hard part of her job is enforcing the Tour’s rules regarding the use of the logo, especially to corporate sponsors who pay millions of dollars a year to sponsor tournaments.
“You have to maintain a relationship so they will continue to come to you to do the right thing,” she said. “There’s a fine line between being the bad guy and being the good guy.”
Sabia said the most common misuse of the PGA Tour’s logo is reproducing it too small. There are also other regulations depending on the publication it will run in or whether it’s for a magazine, newspaper, color, black and white or for an ad. She said nine out of 10 misuses are unintentional, but occasionally the Tour’s legal department gets involved.
“An error sets a precedent that could cause future problems,” said Sabia, adding this year’s FedEx Cup and the use of the FedEx logo in conjunction with the Tour’s made her job even busier. “I get to work on a lot of neat things.”