When Mark Medley launched Zoriz Golf nearly a decade ago, it began as a side hustle born of a simple, unorthodox idea: what if golfers could trade in traditional cleats for high-performance golf sandals? Over the years, that side hustle morphed into a thriving full-time business riding the wave of golf’s slow-but-steady casual revolution.
With players on the PGA Tour loosening their collars and LIV Golf shattering country-club conventions, Zoriz found itself perfectly positioned: a functional, durable sandal built for swinging.
But even with a compelling product and a growing fanbase, one problem remained: too few golfers knew Zoriz Golf existed.
Goals
Despite nearly a decade of operation and strong traction in sun-soaked states like Florida, Arizona, and California, Mark knew his brand hadn’t reached its full audience potential. “If you ask the majority of golfers, they still don’t know we exist,” he said. “And to me, that’s a good thing—because it means we’ve got a lot more people to reach.”
Zoriz had already been running steady Meta campaigns and dabbled in traditional ads, but Mark was looking for a channel that could stretch beyond the walled gardens of social and deliver something with a little more magic. The goal wasn’t just awareness—it was sustained growth. And that’s where Vibe.co came in.
Solutions
Mark turned to Vibe.co for a way to reach golfers where they already were: watching niche tournament highlights, browsing premium sports channels, or catching up on live sports over the weekend. His expectations were modest—this was Zoriz’s first real foray into connected TV—but what he found was a platform that felt less like a departure from digital and more like an extension of it.
"We started with just a basic awareness campaign and the experience was seamless. It didn’t feel like a completely different beast from what we were doing on social. It actually enhanced it."
Mark Medley, Zoriz Founder
The Zoriz team began by running weekend campaigns aligned with PGA and LIV Golf tournament schedules—an intentional move designed to sync their brand presence with the mental space of their target audience. If someone was tuned into golf on a Saturday afternoon, they’d see the Zoriz Golf sandal in action, right there on the course.
Once that foundation was laid, the brand installed Vibe’s pixel to power a retargeting layer. That small move unlocked massive ROAS.
"We weren’t expecting big results right out of the gate, but once we layered in retargeting, the numbers started coming in—and they came in fast."
Mark Medley
Meanwhile, creative was specifically designed for premium TV. Mark had a video shoot banked and ready for the brand’s newest release, the Zoriz Zoomy. Rather than stitch together old content or force-fit social clips into a TV format, he opted for a purpose-built ad featuring palm trees, polished swings, and real golfers. One golfer was a former pro; another, a D1 collegiate player. The result was visual proof that these sandals weren’t just beachwear—they were legit gear.
It kept the message clean, showcased the product’s swing-ability front and center, and made the URL crystal clear. “I didn’t want to make it too busy,” Mark said. “The main thing was showing people, ‘Look—it works on the course.’ That’s our biggest hurdle.”
From a campaign management perspective, the process was refreshingly light.
"I’m not the most computer-savvy guy, but the Vibe team made it easy. The pixel was a breeze, the uploads were straightforward, and the platform’s dashboard made sense."
Mark Medley
With live sports placements, weekend targeting, and smart retargeting infrastructure in place, Zoriz Golf was primed to test the real ROI of streaming TV.
Results
Within weeks of launching Vibe campaigns, Zoriz saw a dramatic shift—not just in reach, but in revenue. The awareness + retargeting combo began delivering cost-efficient, high-intent site traffic. Sessions went up. Purchases started flowing. And according to Mark, the returns were better than what he was seeing on other paid media channels.
Zoriz Golf achieved a 600% return on ad spend, with a cost per session of just $2.16. For a niche DTC brand with a tight target demo and a high-consideration product, those numbers were exceptional.
The ability to retarget viewers who had seen the streaming ad was a game-changer. Every view added fuel to their performance, and as site traffic scaled up, so did purchase intent. With weekend campaign flights aligned to golf tournament schedules, the ads hit exactly when customers were in the right frame of mind: tuned into golf and itching to play.
Mark also noticed the brand credibility lift. Friends and colleagues from across the country began texting: “Hey, I saw your commercial!” That special thrill, when your brand shows up on TV, in the middle of a PGA Tour broadcast, isn’t just a vanity metric. It tells the customer that this brand is real.
Now, heading into peak golf season, Mark is expanding his vision: with the Zoriz Zoomy line taking off and Father’s Day around the corner, he’s already thinking about new campaigns, new creatives, and deeper platform integration. “Golf season starts around the Masters, and we really build through June,” he said. “This is our window, and Vibe has helped us make the most of it.”
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