Hope Ball Raises $3 Million in 10 Years

May 16, 2024

In a celebration marked by elegance and generosity, the 40th Biennial Hope Ball illuminated Greenville on Friday April 26th, 2024, raising over $704,000 in a single night, marking the largest amount ever raised in the history of the Hope Ball.

Held for the first time at The 405 Venue with catering by Table 301, 522 guests and over 44 sponsors gathered to raise money for Neighborhood Cancer Connection. With cocktails from Six and Twenty Distillery and live music from Atlantic Party Fantastics, it was a spectacular event, and a great time was had by all that attended.

Since 1984, the ball has proved the power of giving and the resilience of our Greenville community. A now tradition in the Greenville calendar, this year marked a significant milestone as The Hope Ball celebrated their 40th anniversary of this special event.

Held every two years, the Hope Ball is an elegant, black-tie dinner and dance. The glamorous event is organized by a dedicated team of 50 volunteers (all of whom are female) and provides funding for the Neighborhood Cancer Connection, for over 2 years, helping over 2,000 cancer patients and their families.

44 Sponsors helped to make this year’s event truly special. Special mentions go out to Gastroenterology Associates, Interim Healthcare, ProSource, Prisma, and Bon Secours.

As we reflect on this milestone, we are reminded of the impact that collective action can have on our community. Bodhi and Co. are incredibly proud to have played a part in making this year’s event a huge success, along with many other sponsors and partners.

“Events like these are vital for a local charity like ours and the cancer patients who depend on us,: says Angela Green, Chair of the Hope Ball. “Over the past 10 years, the Hope Ball has raised over 3 million dollars to help cancer patients and their families in Greenville. We can’t wait to do it all again in April 2026.”

The support the Hope Ball receives ensures the Neighborhood Cancer Connection can continue to help local cancer patients in our community. From financial aid to counseling, nutrition to equipment, the local charity takes a holistic approach to helping local cancer patients.

The Hope Ball and the supporting events that led up to the big night were organized by a dedicated group of 50 volunteers with a variety of backgrounds and professional expertise. Dani Wilkinson founder and CMO of Bodhi and Co., worked on the PR and Marketing Team, helping to spread the message of the work done and the money raised, as well as building excitement in the run up to the event.

Ana Dennis

Ana is driven by a passion for content creation and marketing campaigns and excels at blending visual and written storytelling to create impactful marketing campaigns.

A Tradition Unlike Any Other: How The Masters Logo Has Maintained Brand Equity Over The Years

April 3, 2024

Ah, the Masters, the epitome of golfing glory. A time when players, spectators, and TV viewers embark on a pilgrimage to Augusta National. But did you know the Masters is also a wiz in marketing and brand protection?

As you sip your Arnold Palmer and munch on pimento cheese sandwiches, let us take you through how the clever brains behind the Masters have created one of the most wanted brands in the world and what they have done to protect the integrity of the famous neon-yellow and rich green logo and flag.

The Origins of the Logo

The Masters logo is one the most iconic sports logos and golf’s most iconic logo with neon yellow and rich green as the core colors. A crudely rendered, elemental 3D outline of the United States, with a flagstick pegged in the vicinity of Georgia, the logo dates back to the club’s existence and the first Masters in 1934.

One of the key elements of the logo has always been the distinctive typeface. The earliest versions of the Masters logo featured a font that closely resembled New Baskerville which was a serif typeface. Recently, however, the Masters logo has undergone some changes, including a shift in the typeface to two fonts – Gotham and Hoefler Text.

It is worth noting that the Masters logo has also seen other small alterations over the years. The most recent version features a wavy northern border around the Great Lakes region, while the curve of the northwestern border with Canada has been eliminated.

A Tradition Unlike Any Other

The iconic phrase “A Tradition Unlike Any Other” was coined by golf commentator Jim Nantz during television coverage of the tournament and has since become synonymous with the Masters. The team behind the Masters, even bought the rights to this phrase, to make sure it was theirs and theirs only.

The Green Jacket

The coveted green jacket, awarded to the winner of each Masters Tournament isn’t just a symbol of golfing triumph; it’s also a prime example of trademarked color. Crafted from a specific Pantone 342 green, this symbol is protected.

No ‘Dupes’ Allowed

At the event, you can hear and see people going wild for the merchandise. The famous motto, “Swipe the credit card now, ask questions later. Get me something with that logo on it”, is true.

The Masters has always made it very hard to buy merchandise online to avoid dupes, fakes, and replicas. It’s always been a tradition that to get the ‘authentic’ merchandise, you need to be at the event to buy it.

Companies like Titleist and TaylorMade might have green and yellow merchandise available each April, but they won’t be Augusta’s colors and will not reference the Masters. Authentic Masters merchandise is always difficult to get hold of, and that scarcity makes it even more special when you do get your hands on some.

This extensive brand protection even extends to the tournament’s famous snack fare. The classic pimento cheese sandwich and Georgia peach ice cream sandwich are protected trademarks.

A Lesson in Branding

There are two essential reasons why the Masters logo is so successful:

Reason #1: It is everywhere. It is fashioned out of flowers on the roundabout at the club’s entrance. It is on the wooden podium that Chairman Fred Ridley stands behind when congratulating the tournament champion each year. It is on the commemorative cups fans stack by the dozens to bring home to family members.

Reason #2: Augusta National protects its logo like a first child. The club has issued cease-and-desist letters to apparel companies, golf courses, and even a group of English golfers who used to compete each December for their own green jacket.

The Masters Tournament is not just a showcase of the finest talent in golf; it’s a prime example of how branding and protecting your brand can help you build and sustain one of the most iconic sporting logos. So, as you settle in to watch the Masters with a peach ice cream sandwich, take a moment to appreciate the marketing genius at play this year.

Cooper Shaw

With an eye for strategic content creation and crafting marketing campaigns, Cooper is a creative marketer who loves combining visual and written aspects of storytelling.

5 marketing trends that will dominate 2024

January 8, 2024

Here are our predictions at Bodhi and Co. on 5 things that will dominate 2024 when it comes to all things marketing.

Rise of AI-powered marketing – The rise of AI in marketing is set to continue transforming the industry. Personalized experiences will be a big focus. Voice search optimization will continue to grow, with over 200 million users in the US alone, using voice assistants last year.

Hyper-personalization – Following #1, with machine learning, marketing can tap into customer data and better curate and personalize content, offers, and recommendations.

Video dominance – Short-form videos, live streaming and interactive content will continue to be a big focus. Brands should be focusing on Reels / TikToks / Shorts, live Q&As, and more to reach a bigger audience.

Influencers will be the marketing mix – There is big talk of influencers now being the leading factor in the marketing mix. A shift from being one area of the marketing mix to activate. Strategies are starting with influencers first, and those who are ‘influential’ are building out their strategies too. Who they want to work with and what categories they want to influence for themselves.

First-party data is the new standard – As data privacy comes under continued scrutiny, businesses must prioritize consumer trust and data protection. It is a clear way to gain a competitive advantage. It’s about the long game, rather than the short-term data sales play.

Dani Wilkinson

Dani has a passion for making brands sparkle. From Dyson vacuum cleaners to Pies, she built brands from the ground up and has a strong perspective from both high-level, to actual practicalities and how to get something done.

Tag: 2024