Taylormade Marketing Strikes again. Directly at the Heart.

[RoverRick]

While watching the Euros play last week I noticed a few hats with hearts on

them. Since I was watching in on Valentine's Day I assumed it was

associated with that. I record all the golf tournaments every week, and

watch them, well have it on in the back ground while I work. I do not pay

a lot of attention to it but it beats the quiet. Any way, this week I am

watching the PGA Tour and see the heart on a cap. I then realize it is

Sergio, And it is a Taylormade cap to signify "Driver Love". And

I thought Brilliant!!!

 

He could have Taylormade R11s written on his

forehead and I would not have paid it the slightest bit of attention but he has

a plain white hat with a red heart on it and I wonder what the heck is the

deal. They distracted me with the RocketBallz commercials and then slipped

the "Driver Love" Ad in the mix. Brilliant move by Taylormade again.

 

 

Next thing you know they will talk some idiot into shaving their logo on his

head and paint it green.

[GolfSpy WD]

I was thinking the same thing. Simple, but brilliant bit of marketing considering how much that heart sticks out against other caps.

[JBones]

Next thing you know they will talk some idiot into shaving their logo on his

head and paint it green.

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

 

Some people in their marketing department should be getting a hell of a bonus this year. Shear genius.

[Matt Saternus]

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

 

Some people in their marketing department should be getting a hell of a bonus this year. Shear genius.

 

Oh ho ho, very punny. <_>

 

Definitely agree about the hats, they stand out and make you ask, "What's up with that?" Once again, TM marketing is #1.

[JBones]

Oh ho ho, very punny. <_>

Ha, I made a funny with a mistype; I honestly didn't even realize I did that.

[RoverRick]

Saw a segment on this weeks tournament where Sergio was talking about what changes he made this year in his bag. Saw one yesterday about someone else. but Sergio told about his new R11s. He showed his hat, but the head cover also has a heart on it. And his golf ball has a heart on it. You got to hand it to TM they will hammer a slogun like no one else.

 

I can not wait until the actual numbers come out, of the RBZ, vs Razrhawk vs Adams Speedline 3 woods. I have found that there is not a nickles worth of difference in them yet they have generated an incredible amount of interest in fairway woods. I rarely use my 3 wood off of the tee. I hit my driver straight, and if I need to hit the fairway, my hybrid or iron is much better. I only hit my 3 wood usually twice per round, I played the same 3 wood since 2002. I replace it last week because of Adams and Taylormade commercials. I went with a looks new 909F because I got it for less than $50 and not more than $200. It was a couple of yards shorter but at $75 to $150 per yard I can live with it.

 

But the thing is they created the desire in me to get a new 3 wood, I played golf yesterday with two other guys that went this week and demoed the RBZ because of TM creating the demand. Like me however, the performance did not live up to the hype and they did not get one.

[RoverRick]

I just watched the Tommy 2 Gloves Callaway commercial. Callaway is trying to fight Taylormade, thanks to Justin Timberlake. They are having driver demo's in Vegas at the Bellagio and others that have not been released. I usually fast forward through these but 2 Gloves his hitting irons from one roof top to the next, great commercial but if you pause it and read the fine print it says, Fictionalization, nobody can or did actually do this. Taylormade does seem to be as troubled by facts as Callaway.

[Jmikecpa]

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

 

Some people in their marketing department should be getting a hell of a bonus this year. Shear genius.

Their marketing department should get a huge bonus every year. They release three or four drivers a year and keep managing to convince people that the new ones are 400 bucks better than the model it is replacing.

[Will Par]

There is a big contrast in marketing strategies between the different club manufacturers. TM is constantly releasing new products and has to run new ads to promote the new releases. They have a lot of contests and giveaways to get new clubs in play and generate demand. Their ads create a lot of interest but I sometimes wonder how many clubs they sell at full markup before they discount them. Big price discounts a short time after a new release suggests that the old club is of lesser quality (than their new product).

 

Titleist, in contrast, only releases clubs with significant changes every 2 years or longer. You never see a Titleist club at a discount price until the new model is released, and then the old model is only discounted a small amount. The quality of that older club is still perceived as excellent. Most of the Titleist ads are for golf balls. I wouldn't be surprised if Titleist makes more money on balls than TM does on clubs. Titleist is a very strong brand and they keep it strong using a different strategy than TM.

 

All the companies benefit from having a big name pro on their staff. Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Annika Sorenstam, Arnold Palmer for Callaway, Donald for Mizuno, Couples for Bridgestone, etc. A lot of clubs (and balls) are sold simply because the golfer is a fan of one of the top players. Lots of different ways to market golf.

[Matt Saternus]

Based on talking to "Joe Golfer" every day, I would disagree with the idea that Titleist is perceived as higher quality. It's hard to find someone who doesn't think TMAG is the best club on earth.

 

As for selling clubs at a discounted price, TMAG is very aware of what they're doing. A high ranking TM person said to me last year (paraphrasing, obvioulsy), "Yeah, we sell 2 at $400, 5 at 300, and then 20 at $199, that's just the game."

[RoverRick]

I do not want to put words in Will Par's mouth but perhaps it is more of a value difference than quality difference. Although TM seems to be getting by and paying the bills with this strategy, when you come out with something new and improved, you devalue whatever you were making before it. Let's say that the R9 and the 909D came out at the same time. Taylormade has since had at least half a dozen drivers that in their words were better. And you could argue that since they have improved it 6 times maybe I should not have spent my money on it until the get it right. Titleist has had one driver to come out. Does that mean the 909 was better than the R9? Keeping in mind that the 909D has won on the PGA Tour this year and I do not think that anyone plays the R9 still.

 

The other side of that is look at this an R11 for $99 I got to have it.

 

Friday before the round two guys had 5 different TM drivers between them both of them trying to decide which better fit them that day. Two ways to look at it. One way, I had 1 Titleist Driver that did it all for me. The other was was , TM sold these two guys at least $1000 worth of drivers. Probaby twice that because these were not wait and get the diiscount type of guys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Will Par]

My point is not that one company makes clubs of better quality than the other. It's a perception that TM itself creates. TM implies in their ads that their new products are better than the previous version. Just watch the new R11S ad that is running now. How would you feel if you just purchased a new R11 driver a few months ago and now have to watch an ad that says the new R11S is much longer and better?

 

I think we all know there is not likely to be much difference between the two clubs (R11 vs. R11S), but the ad creates a level of uncertainty in our minds. It's the marketing strategy that implies the older version doesn't have the full functionality and quality (meaning distance) of the new model. And since we all want more distance, we have a tendency to want to believe that the new R11S may indeed really be longer. It's TM's way of creating demand for their new version.

 

I think TM's current marketing strategy is to position TM as the "distance leader" among club manufacturers. All the Rocketballz hype leading into the new R11S that supposedly is also longer. It's a continuing campaign by TM to create the perception that their clubs hit the ball longer than competitors clubs. It doesn't matter if TM's new clubs are really longer or not. If they can create the perception that their clubs are longer, then "perception becomes reality" for a lot of the golfing public.

[RoverRick]

I guess T is not going to comment on the orginal post. Perhaps I used the wrong term, strike "idiot" and insert "sucker".

[BIG STU]

Based on talking to "Joe Golfer" every day, I would disagree with the idea that Titleist is perceived as higher quality. It's hard to find someone who doesn't think TMAG is the best club on earth.

 

As for selling clubs at a discounted price, TMAG is very aware of what they're doing. A high ranking TM person said to me last year (paraphrasing, obvioulsy), "Yeah, we sell 2 at $400, 5 at 300, and then 20 at $199, that's just the game."

That is because the average "Joe Golfer" could not hit a club Titleist makes. Most of the golfers around here think all Titelist balls are over rated anyhow. Thats ok with me that leaves more Pro V's for me to hit

[RoverRick]

This week Sergio is wearing a plain white hat with 17on it. I wonder what that is all about,

 

 

 

TMag at it again.

[Tony Covey MGS]

They're running another txt messaging giveaway (although the txt message component is just a pre-cursor to grabbing your email address), and they're running a giveaway on twitter as we speak.

 

This kind of stuff isn't hard...at least it's not rocket science, and yet TM is doing it, and nobody else is.

 

The really simple lesson here is; if you want to sell a lot of gear...give a little bit away in a very public way.

[RoverRick]

Like I said 6 out of 10 golfers in my group have been driven the 80 miles to the golf store to check out TMag merchandise, 2 have made purchases. Another three of the 10 have not been to a golf store in years, but two are talking about going. And the last member of my group has new TMag gear from last year and has not said anything yet about going. While TMag equipment is certainly among the best, their marketing simply is the best. This is probably the forth time in two months they have come up with something to make me, a non-TMag player, stop and take notice.

[RookieBlue7]

I sold the RBZ I had this morning. Like the fairway but that head is waaaaay too square for me. Have an R11s fairway on the way and am looking forward to the 20cc less volume and the adjustability so I can open it up.

[Tony Covey MGS]

This one *might* be pushing the limits, but I have a feeling it's going to go over just fine.

 

Apparently the TMAG Staffers will be wearing jerseys (my word: uniforms) on Sunday.

[Matt Saternus]

I think it will go over like all of TM's ads: some will lampoon it, some will love it, but that big middle section of the population will say, "What's that about?" and go to the TM website. And at that point, it's been a success.

 

Personally, the only thing I see in that picture is Johnson Wagner's mustache. They should dye it lime green. That would be ROCKETBALLZ!!!

[RoverRick]

 

Personally, the only thing I see in that picture is Johnson Wagner's mustache. They should dye it lime green. That would be ROCKETBALLZ!!!

They are saving that for next Saturday. It is St, Patrick's Day.

[apprenti23]

Wow... TaylorMade is trying REAL hard to sell people on this whole rocketballz thing... Making their staffers wear uniforms? They sure opened up a whole new can of worms when they made their staffers wear all white last year. TM understands how fickle golfers are. They'll buy and believe anything!

[GolfSpy WD]

I totally just texted in for a chance...what can I say?

[RoverRick]

TMag Marketing Department has absolutely brainwashed so many people it is rediculous. Case in point, today I was being a good boy and staying home working, when the phone rang and a friend was wanting to play golf. He had the day off and did not want to waste it. Our club was closed to start a major renovation, we will be down to 9 holes until September. So we went to aniother course. The one we went to is short but very tight with trees along both sides of all of the fairway. This is important because the last I played it I hit fades all day and stayed out of trouble and shot a 1 under 71. So that was the plan today.

 

So I go pick up this friend, and we get to the course, and I get his clubs out, and I see he has a new Rocketballz dirver. The last time we played, we were on the scramble team that shot a 50 and won the Chamber tournament. The other guy on the team had a Rocketballz driver. And he told how great it was. Nevermind the fact that I out drove him all day, well, except for three holes. So today he has a brand new Rocketballz driver. We end up joining a father/son twosome to create a foursome. It turns out the son had drank the TMag Koolaide and had a Rocketballz driver also. So I listened to them all damn day talk about the Rocketballz. Everytime they would hit a good driver they would say. "RocketBallz!"

 

It would have been one thing if they were driving it out of the park but remember I was saying I was hitting easy fades trying to keep it in the short stuff, well, they were never more than 5 yards past mine. I stuck to my plan on the front and shot even par, but on the back, I got sick of hearing them say "RocketBallz!" and started hitting much longer draws. Unfortunately, I also started missing the fairways and ended up shooting 4 over because I was having to hit out of the trees and could not get to the green in regulation as often. 8 GIR on the front. IF the greens would not have been so slow I would have shot much better on the front.

 

 

But the point is, while I am not saying the Rocketballz sucks. But it is not the answer to a maiden's prayers and these guys were absolutely giddy everytime they hit a good drive.

 

It was like they were part of the commercial everytime. It must be the Koolaide they give you to get you to buy this club.

[RoverRick]

Edit your profile, theh change signature. Type what ever you want in there.

[RookieBlue7]

Just curious, RR, why do you hate TMag? LOL. I can't say a thing, I never played any of their product until last season. I ate my own words playing it, but I did end up playing it. I said I'd throw up looking at the white, and before the season kicked into high gear, I ended up with an R11 TP after trying everything out there. This season, I wanted to find something else, tried everything out there, ended up with the RBZ Tour TP (with a shaft they don't offer in it, but it is their head). Do I scream Rocketballz when I hit it? No, but I am hitting it pretty darned good right now (hopefully I can fix this power leak in my swing that I've identified and pick up a little more distance). I've tried everything out there and for now, the RBZ Tour is in my bag. That's subject to change by the time you read this, but it works for me currently. I also have a custom headcover for it that I use because I don't like their headcover and they don't pay me so I'm not going to advertise for them (I do take pics with their headcovers on there, just because they're easier to identify for my WITB posts).

[RoverRick]

I would not say that I hate TMag. I went and tried the RBZ and found it to be a very nice club. But not 17 or any amount longer than anything else out there. When T went to the kingdom. they eventually fit him and he was longer. Do I attribute that to the amazing RBZ. No. I attribute that to the fitting. Stock shaft on TMag, Callaway and Titleist for me was 3 yards different.

 

Now, my Callaway with the custom shaft, is the cat's meow. It truely is a difference. Is it because the Callaway Razr Fit is the greatest thing to golf ever? Is it because the shaft is the greatest invention ever? Is it because this combination fits my swing? I think we have a winner.

 

These guys both had the standard stock shaft. Both went in because they saw the commercials. I know my friend was not hitting the ball any further than I was before. He was hitting it a lot further before I got the new driver. He remarked during our winning scramble that I seemed 30 yards longer with it. Actually 10 to15 but that is real gains not precieved gains. Sometimes I would bust one 30 or even 50 but that is more luck with wind, bounce, down slope than me and only on certain holes.

 

TMag makes good equipment but they do not make the greatest equipment ever.

 

I have played some TMag equipment this year and it feels really nice. I absolutely love the white heads on their woods. I would not want another brand with a white head. However, it is their ability to make people think that just because they say so it is so.

[JohnBarry]

No one can deny that TM is the king of marketing, and it damn sure works.

[RoverRick]

RR, thanx..I guess I shoulda asked a year ago..lol....Fairways & Greens 4ever....

 

 

About a month ago, I was looking through the members and noticed everyone had a symbol by their name for personal message or tweet, but me. I looked and thought about it, and wanted to know what I had to do to get them. I went back to see if I did not fill something out and was just about to ask about it when it occured to me that the reason I did not have them is because there is no reason for me to message myself or tweet to myself. :blink:Dahhh!

[GolfSpy WD]

About a month ago, I was looking through the members and noticed everyone had a symbol by their name for personal message or tweet, but me. I looked and thought about it, and wanted to know what I had to do to get them. I went back to see if I did not fill something out and was just about to ask about it when it occured to me that the reason I did not have them is because there is no reason for me to message myself or tweet to myself. :blink:Dahhh!

 

I actually PM'd X to ask why I didn't have one a while ago