Sleeman Breweries has enlisted PGA Tour caddie Dave Markle to give its customers some swing advice in an earned-media activation that plays into the brewer’s larger “Real Ones Know” platform.
The premise of the “Real Tips From a Real One” Instagram campaign is simple: send in video of your swing and Markle will respond with advice on areas to improve. One participant will be selected to participant will be given the chance to play nine holes with Markle caddying.
Heads+Tales led the social-first campaign which launched last Thursday to coincide with the start of the 2025 RBC Canadian Open. Sleeman’s Clear 2.0 beer is the official beer of the PGA Tour’s Canadian stop. One Twenty Three West worked on creative for the “Real Ones Know” platform.
As caddie for Nick Taylor, Markle was front and centre in 2023 after the Winnipeg golfer sealed victory with 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole in one of the most memorable moments in Canadian Open history. With Markle as his caddie, Taylor was the first Canadian to win the event since 1954.
“Striking a partnership like this takes more than just the right idea; it takes finding the right person to bring it to life,” Dana Brochu, Sleeman’s national beer director, tells strategy. “He’s been part of some of the sport’s most memorable moments … To us, a ‘real one’ is someone who shows up when it counts, tells it straight, and stays true to their word. Dave embodies that in every way.”
Brochu says the Markle activation, which runs through June, is the first of many planned in the “Real Tips From a Real One” series throughout the year. While declining to reveal the spend on the new campaign, Brochu says the work with Markle represents “a focused investment that allows [Sleeman] to tap into the golf community in an authentic, engaging way.”
“Launching it alongside the Canadian Open was intentional, given the spotlight on golf,” Brochu says. “While the caddie is golf’s ultimate ‘real one,’ we’re excited to keep building on this concept across different occasions and communities.”
The goal, Brochu says, is to amplify Sleeman’s visibility through earned-media relations, influencer partnerships and paid social to extend the brand’s footprint at the Canadian Open.
Last month, Sleeman launched the larger “Real Ones Know” platform, which is currently running across across TV, digital video, social and OOH. The national brand campaign seeks to connect with the everyday people that have helped make the brewery a success.
“They share the same down-to-earth values we’re built on and this is our way of saying: we see you, we appreciate you, and we raise a beer to you,” Brochu said in a news release to launch the campaign.
