SPY VIP GolfSpy_X Posted February 4, 2011 SPY VIP Share Posted February 4, 2011 Callaway is at it again with Taylormade. This new ad claims their RAZR Hawk driver is 6 yards longer then the R11. Also touches on the fact that color is not actual innovation. It seems as though Callaway and Taylormade do this type of thing every year. So do you think this is a good idea for an ad or do you think that this type of ad would be better served if they did not always seem to go head to head with only one company in the industry? #TruthDigest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPY VIP Tony Covey MGS Posted February 4, 2011 SPY VIP Share Posted February 4, 2011 As much as I think sometimes it gets to be a little too over the top, overall I think the competition is good. And while I think there are other companies making drivers that deserve to be in the conversation, Callaway won't become #1 by getting into these types of battles with PowerBilt. I haven't hit either the R11 or the RAZR Hawk, so I can't really comment on distance. If we're talking innovation, then yeah...white paint is hardly a world-changer. With that in mind, here's a side by side photo of the two drivers. TaylorMade has talked quite a bit about how white paint reduces glare, but they haven't said much about how it enhances shadows. Obviously performance is what matters, but if I was Callaway I'd f[eel pretty good knowing that it's a lot easier to paint a driver white than to develop anything truly innovative. MyGolfSpy is only major golf site that refuses advertising from large golf companies. With your support we can keep it that way. Donate Today Follow @GolfSpyT Subscribe to the MyGolfSpy Newsletter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPY VIP GolfSpy_X Posted February 4, 2011 Author SPY VIP Share Posted February 4, 2011 My issue comes in when they continue to single out one competitior it comes across childish to golfers as expressed by this same type of PR last year. And it also puts TM in a class all to themselves by only putting your innovation against theirs. I think it would have been a better idea for them to show stats of their driver against many other drivers in the market. It comes across as they are trying to play catch up with ads like these...which they are. They know the R11 is going to out sell their driver especially by all the pre-orders taken for the R11 at the show and prior to the show. So they feel like they have to combat that...when in the end it makes Taylormade look like the leader in their own ads. And white paint is far from all they implemented into the technology of this head. Callaway is trying to hold on to that composite tech as long as they can. I feel they would be better served abandoning it and going with a new technology. Even if it was only as good as their current tech it would at least be perceived by the public as something new and exciting. The other issue I have with this is they don't give details on how they tested their head-to-head against the R11. What types of shafts...what lengths were they...what lofts, etc.I can take any two drivers and come up with numbers like this. #TruthDigest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoNDoN Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Callaway is one of the only OEM's who does not have some sort of adjustable driver. Their I-Mix failed horribly and so the scrapped it in favor of just gluing clubs. IMHO they set themselves back in wood sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guests Guest NatalShark Posted February 4, 2011 Guests Share Posted February 4, 2011 You seem to have more than just the 2 issues with Callaway. Competition is good, and competitor advertising is always good fun for us 'voyeurs'! Makes life far more interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPY VIP GolfSpy_X Posted February 4, 2011 Author SPY VIP Share Posted February 4, 2011 Well however you count them whether it is 2 or 100 I posted my issues with ads like this in my post. I call'em like I see'em. And this is how I see this ad coming across. Not much different then last year. #TruthDigest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPY VIP Tony Covey MGS Posted February 4, 2011 SPY VIP Share Posted February 4, 2011 My issue comes in when they continue to single out one competitior it comes across childish to golfers as expressed by this same type of PR last year. And it also puts TM in a class all to themselves by only putting your innovation against theirs. I think it would have been a better idea for them to show stats of their driver against many other drivers in the market. It comes across as they are trying to play catch up with ads like these...which they are. They know the R11 is going to out sell their driver especially by all the pre-orders taken for the R11 at the show and prior to the show. So they feel like they have to combat that...when in the end it makes Taylormade look like the leader in their own ads. And white paint is far from all they implemented into the technology of this head. Callaway is trying to hold on to that composite tech as long as they can. I feel they would be better served abandoning it and going with a new technology. Even if it was only as good as their current tech it would at least be perceived by the public as something new and exciting. The other issue I have with this is they don't give details on how they tested their head-to-head against the R11. What types of shafts...what lengths were they...what lofts, etc.I can take any two drivers and come up with numbers like this. You know I've got no dog in this fight. I've owned TaylorMade drivers, I've owned Callaway drivers, and currently carry neither. Of course, if either one proves to be measurably better than what's in my bag, I'd make the switch. I've got no loyalties to anyone in the equipment business. I agree with you, best case scenario, they lay out how their driver compares to all of the major competitor's drivers, show the test results (and explain how the tests themselves were conducted). Shaft make, length, loft, obviously it all matters and I'm sure the devil lives in the fine print somewhere. As for white paint not being the only new/improved technology, probably true, but I spent a good bit of time in the TaylorMade wing at the show last week, and they certainly weren't promoting anything else about the R11 to the extent that they were the simple fact that it's white, so in that respect, it's TM that's missing the boat. Finally, regarding composites...Time will tell IF the new "forged composite" is the real deal, but I'm actually 180 degrees from you on this one. I'm actually happy that Callaway is doing something that's different from most others. It's nice to have alternatives. All that said...can't wait for the TaylorMade rebuttal. I hope everyone is drinking their water, because it looks like we've got another pissing match on our hands. MyGolfSpy is only major golf site that refuses advertising from large golf companies. With your support we can keep it that way. Donate Today Follow @GolfSpyT Subscribe to the MyGolfSpy Newsletter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPY VIP GolfSpy_X Posted February 4, 2011 Author SPY VIP Share Posted February 4, 2011 They might have been talking about "white" to get peoples attention but they were talking technology with all those fittings they were doing. Which was a great idea because while all the other companies were showing off product. Taylormade was showing off how "their" product actually works. And getting them in the hands of people that influence other golfers. And in regards to the composite being something new...it is quite the opposite....it actually blows my mind all the new materials being used in other industries that golf companies are not taking advantage of. I mean I could see them still suing this material if it had actually CAUGHT ON....but how long ago did they start this with the absolute dud of a driver "Callaway C4". Maybe if that had performed they would have gotten off on the right foot with this. But it has yet to be accepted and is time to go a different direction, #TruthDigest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Saternus Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Personally, I think anytime you are sniping at your competitor and saying, "Mine's better than his," you look petty. MGS also brings up exactly the right question: what kind of testing did you do? Similar to their "8 yards longer" claim with the Diablo Octane; well, were you comparing apples to apples, 45" shafts to 45" shafts, or was it your 46" against their 45"? While I think TM is playing to the lowest common denominator with their "3 dimensions of adjustability"*** BS, I think that saying the paint is the only innovation in the R11 is just plain wrong. ***What I mean is that the FCT tip does not only adjust loft, it still adjusts face angle. The ASP does not only adjust face angle, it also impacts loft. To say that they are independent is misleading. Follow me on Twitter: @MattSaternus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finalist Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I want a driver with adjustable sound. I spy with my little eye something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPY VIP GolfSpy_X Posted February 4, 2011 Author SPY VIP Share Posted February 4, 2011 Lol...they actually have those. Try DNA Golf they have what your looking for I want a driver with adjustable sound. #TruthDigest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jondagcl Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Get the heck out. You can adjust for sound...wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPY VIP GolfSpy_X Posted February 5, 2011 Author SPY VIP Share Posted February 5, 2011 Yeah I believe it is 3 different sounds. Muted, normal and tin can. DNA GOLF WEBSITE Get the heck out. You can adjust for sound...wow. #TruthDigest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finalist Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Yeah I believe it is 3 different sounds. Muted, normal and tin can. DNA GOLF WEBSITE Well isn't that something. I want Tin can sound for cold winter rounds when the ball doesn't fly very far. I figure hearing that crushing boom sound may help my keep a better tempo when I feel like I have to swing harder to get back distance. When it's warm and everything is flying far I'll use muted for that nice pro sound. I spy with my little eye something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHacker Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Impactful marketing usually requires positioning one's offerings against a competitor's. Great examples include the fight between Coke and Pepsi. Then 7-up position themselves as the "not Coke". It's all about jostling for position in the consumers' minds. That's just the way it is, eventually it's always a 2 horse race between 2 biggest players, with the rest of the smaller players fighting for scraps. Now in my bag: TM SLDR 10.5 Deg with Matrix Ozik 6Q3 S flex TM VSteel 15 deg 3 wood Cleveland Launcher Hybrid 18 deg Diamana Red Board Stiff Titleist ZB Forged Iron 3-PW DG S200 Steel Shaft Cleveland CG15 46, 52, 56, 60 Wedges Scotty Cameron California Del Mar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.