Melissa Hansen, Director of Membership & Marketing, The Club at Olde Cypress (Naples, Fla.)
The clubs with the strongest brands aren’t trying to appeal to everyone.
Instead, they’re becoming more intentional about who they are and the experience they want members to have. Whether a club is known for family programming, championship golf, wellness, or tradition, success comes from embracing a distinct identity rather than trying to be all things to all people.
Melissa Hansen, Director of Membership & Marketing at The Club at Olde Cypress (Naples, Fla.), believes that identity isn’t shaped by the marketing department alone. It’s reinforced every day through the people members interact with and the experiences they have across the club.
At the 2026 Engagement Summit, taking place October 5-6 at the University Club of Chicago, Hansen will explore how clubs can define what makes them unique and ensure that identity is reflected consistently throughout the organization.
Ahead of her session, she shared her perspective on branding, club identity, and why the best clubs stop trying to be everything to everyone.
Club + Resort Business (C+RB): You’ve spent years working at the intersection of membership, marketing, and communications. What originally drew you to this side of the club business?
Melissa Hansen (MH): Certainly the combination of the rush of making a membership sale as well as seeing a new member get fully integrated into a new phase of life. Membership sales are unique because we get to see the client every day. Fostering the relationships between members at the club and seeing them “find themselves” in a new town is one of the greatest feelings you can experience in this role.
C+RB: What’s one thing about branding that club leaders tend to misunderstand?
MH: I think many club leaders think their brand is simply their logo, colors, and fonts.
The strongest clubs understand that branding isn’t something the marketing department owns. Rather, it’s something every department must deliver. The golf shop, fitness center, racquets staff, accounting office, membership team, and food & beverage operation all contribute to the overall brand experience.
—Melissa Hansen, Director of Membership & Marketing, The Club at Olde Cypress
C+RB: Are clubs thinking differently about brand and identity today than they were five years ago? If so, what’s changed?
MH: Absolutely. The clubs that stand out today aren’t necessarily the ones with the newest clubhouse or best amenities. They’re the ones that have a clear identity and create a genuine sense of belonging.
Whether your club is leaning into family programming, championship golf, health & wellness, or exclusivity and tradition, the goal is no longer to be everything to everyone. It’s to be crystal clear about what makes your club unique.
C+RB: Without giving away your session at the Engagement Summit, what’s one question about branding that more clubs should be asking themselves?
MH: “If I brought five random people into a room—a member, a staff member, a guest, and two prospects—and asked them to describe our club’s brand and culture in one sentence, would their answers be the same?”
C+RB: What’s a club communication, experience, or interaction that immediately tells you a club knows exactly who it is?
MH: For me, it’s consistency. A club that knows exactly who it is delivers the same feeling whether you’re reading an email, scrolling social media, walking through the front door, talking to a staff member, or attending an event.
C+RB: You’ve worked with members, prospects, staff, and leadership teams. Do those groups always see the club’s identity the same way?
MH: Haha, no. If they did, that would be heaven. The reality is that members, prospects, staff, and leadership often see the club through very different lenses. That’s why branding isn’t a one-time exercise. It’s something that must be reinforced every day. You have to consistently communicate the brand to your team, recognize and celebrate when they nail it, and coach them when they miss the mark.
—Melissa Hansen, Director of Membership & Marketing, The Club at Olde Cypress
C+RB: What’s one trend in membership or marketing that clubs may be overreacting to?
MH: One trend clubs may be overreacting to is the pressure to be on every social media platform and chase every new trend. Digital marketing is important, but I’d rather see a club do a great job on one or two platforms than try to be everywhere at once, which ultimately leads to inconsistency.
C+RB: What are you most looking forward to discussing with attendees in Chicago?
MH: I’m excited to exchange ideas, share what’s working at Olde Cypress and the clubs I’ve had the opportunity to visit around the country, and help attendees walk away with practical strategies they can implement immediately.
