Advertising, ad campaigns, ad agencies, and the people that make it happen

I know just about ninety percent of Americans seem to play golf, and I know that they seem to spend obscene amounts of money on country club memberships, golf clubs and balls, “How to reduce your handicap to zero” videos, and lots of very bad pink, violet and chartreuse colored clothing, which means lots of companies spend lots of money advertising to these golf fanatics…  But my question is, why do they all do exactly the same thing in a seemingly non-stop quest to blend in with every other golf equipment manufacturer? For instance, this week Bridgestone Golf starts a $6 million-plus TV, print and online ad campaign to support its clubs and balls. It features tour pros Fred "Boom Boom" Couples and Stuart Appleby, and continues with the "Boom It" theme the company introduced when it launched in the U.S. in 2005. The two 30-second spots break Jan. 4 on The Golf Channel telecast of the PGA Tour's season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii. Rotation continues year-long on TGC programming, along with CBS and NBC tour broadcasts. Print ads will be in Golf Digest, Golf World, PGA Tour Partners and other golf titles. Retail promotions in the spring will augment. The Tag line continues: "Passion for Excellence." Boy there’s a “boomer” of a line, never heard that before. So the end result will be that the $6 million extravaganza will be completely lost amongst all the other golf spots running in the middle of all the other golf tournaments. I guess that’s why you need the advice of a Big Dumb Agency!