This Brian Harman sponsor became a punchline. But MegaCorp got the last laugh

MegaCorp executives have seen many, if not all, of the jokes about their firm’s obscure and considerably sinister-sounding identify. Over the previous few days — with the MegaCorp emblem plastered to the entrance of soon-to-be Open champion Brian Harman’s hat — quips in regards to the model’s motives have been flying round Golf Twitter and past. A sampling:

“Clearly they assemble sharks with laser beams hooked up to their heads”

“Attempt to take over small, quaint, ski cities in Hallmark films”

“Some kinda joke or a clap again by Harman for being shunned by sponsors”

On Monday morning, the hosts of the favored Barstool Sports activities podcast, “Pardon My Take,” joined the funriffing on Harman’s sponsor for practically 5 minutes.

“Who is aware of what that’s,” Eric Sollenberger, aka PFT Commenter, stated to his cohost Dan Katz, aka Large Cat.

“It’s a freighting firm. I regarded it up,” Katz stated. “I used to be like, ‘This sounds badass.’ However I’ll simply say this, MegaCorp, you do greater than freighting. There’s no approach. Like, that’s the best identify for an organization ever. MegaCorp?”

To which Sollenberger stated, “I noticed MegaCorp and was like, this can be a firm that Superman is making an attempt to cease from taking up the world.”

Katz later added: “I’m considerably bashing MegaCorp, but it surely’s one hundred pc from a spot of jealousy, as a result of no matter man determined to name it MegaCorp, that man rocks. It’s a complete dudes-rock second.”

That man was really a group of men and gals.

When Ryan Legg, MegaCorp‘s chief government officer, and his spouse Denise based the Wilmington, N.C.-based firm in 2009, they wished a reputation that was “quick, straightforward to recollect and catchy,” Katie Braskett, MegaCorp’s director of promoting informed GOLF.com Monday morning.

“They went by loads of totally different names, however sadly loads of the quick catchy names had been taken,” she stated. “Somebody lastly threw out the identify ‘MegaCorp’ — it was quick, it’s catchy, it type of drums up some sense of What’s that? And it wasn’t taken.”

With that, MegaCorp was born.

Many golf followers could not have been acquainted with the corporate — which gives freight transportation association and intermodal logistics throughout the U.S. — however that started to vary as Harman made his approach up the leaderboard at Royal Liverpool. With advantageous play comes broadcast and social-media publicity, and on the Open Championship nobody performed higher than Harman.

TV time for Harman’s hat led not solely to light-hearted jokes on social media but additionally to many viewers researching the corporate.

Based on Braskett, search visitors to MegaCorp’s website elevated by 5,000 p.c final week, and “tags on social media and social exercise had been greater than we’ve ever had.”

Braskett stated that the corporate has seen curiosity spikes earlier than when Harman has been in rivalry. “However this a lot airtime, this a lot publicity on a Sunday is new to us, and it’s very thrilling to see the impression,” she stated. “We all know individuals are going to poke enjoyable at our identify, however as soon as they get to know us and understand what we do and who we’re behind the identify, we’re excited to have extra individuals learn about MegaCorp and the logistics business typically.”

Harman first partnered with MegeCorp in 2017 when he met among the firm’s representatives at a First Tee occasion following the Wells Fargo Championship, in Charlotte, N.C. “Our group and him simply hit it off,” Braskett stated. “He’s such an superior, down-to-earth individual.” She added that Harman “was in search of a sponsorship on the time. Fortunately our CEO thought it was an amazing concept.”

MegaCorp’s workers additionally appear to help the partnership. On Sunday, as Harman was plodding his approach round wet Royal Liverpool, a crowd of MegaCorp staffers gathered on the workplace to root on their man. Brunch was served. Mimosas and Bloody Marys, too. “Such a particular second,” Braskett stated. “Even when he didn’t win, we wished to be collectively to see that.”

Braskett stated Harman’s offers with the corporate have been one-year agreements, however “because the years have gone be, our relationship has strengthened.” MegaCorp additionally has one different PGA Tour professional on its books: J.T. Poston, who signed with the corporate final yr.

When requested in regards to the snarky one-liners in regards to the firm’s identify, Braskett stated, “We type of chortle together with it, as a result of I do perceive, like, MegaCorp is coming. However when you get to know us and the individuals behind the enjoyable identify, we’re actually superior, hardworking folks that care. We’re not making an attempt to take over America in an evil approach, simply making an attempt to ensure that the whole lot will get executed in a ‘mega’ approach, in the absolute best approach.”

Any plans to rebrand?

“We’re going to maintain it MegaCorp,” she stated. “I wish to say ‘MegaCorp Logistics’ after we’re speaking to new individuals, but it surely seems extra cluttered on a hat if you see ‘MegaCorp’ and a small “Logistics” underneath it. So we wish to be simply ‘MegaCorp’ — it makes individuals marvel and it makes individuals google us, and that helps drum up our on-line presence and visitors. We type of do just like the little bit of thriller to it.”

Alan Bastable

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s government editor, Bastable is chargeable for the editorial course and voice of one of many recreation’s most revered and extremely trafficked information and repair websites. He wears many hats — modifying, writing, ideating, creating, daydreaming of sooner or later breaking 80 — and feels privileged to work with such an insanely gifted and hardworking group of writers, editors and producers. Earlier than grabbing the reins at GOLF.com, he was the options editor at GOLF Journal. A graduate of the College of Richmond and the Columbia College of Journalism, he lives in New Jersey together with his spouse and foursome of children.