What on Earth Does That Mean? Golf Marketing

[Carl3]

2 hours ago, mcanadiens said:

The HammerX stuff never gets old. 

If someone can come up with "The Club That Swings Itself", I'd be a buyer. 

Here you go:

 

[Double Mocha Man]

29 minutes ago, Carl3 said:

Here you go:

 

If they can make one that gets you 300 yards (instead of 200) count me in.  I'm assuming it's USGA legal.  Of course.

[StogiesAndBogeys]

The vagueness of product description is purposeful and thought out by the marketers for sure. “Increased Playability” may mean something completely different to you than it does to me. It’s how the reader interprets it.  Either way...whatever emotional attachment or thought I personally have to “increased playability” or how it’s different from you ultimately doesn’t matter. As long as it gets people to buy the product. It’s kind of like psychics and palm readers and all of that. They keep it vague, tell most people the same thing and the customers interpret and apply that to themselves. One thing the “fortune teller says” may resonate with you and me in completely different ways. 
 

Each of the below can probably be broken down a bit too and focused on a certain group of buyers and their specific problems. Marketing is to solve people’s problems or issues they’re having and/or to invoke an emotional reaction to buy something.
 

My opinion on what each of the lines below are targeting:
 

• Increased Playability (Have the opportunity to hit more balls in play)
• More Tour Inspired Shaping (Hit just like your favorite pro)
• Added More Controllability (This club will fix your slice/hook/ball striking)
• Confidence Building Sound (instant feedback/I hate how my driver sounds off a tee)
• More Pleasing Color Pallette (I hate how my clubs look/ THAT driver looks cool)
• A Feel More Like What Better Players Want (these new set of clubs will make you feel like the better player that you are)
• Improved Visuals At Address (No more confusion/second guessing while you’re setting up/about to hit the ball)
• Optimized Center Of Gravity (more balanced)
• More Precise Head Weighting (finely tuned weight that will cause more stability and longer balls due to tweak of weight)
• Improved Architecture (looks better?)
• Fine Tuned Launch And Trajectory (technical things that may sway certain people with fancy words)
• Easy To Swing Profile (Made for anyone!)

Ofcourse, I could be completely wrong about the whole thing  and maybe every new set of clubs will “increase playability”

Just my two cents. But for some reason I’m feeling like I could use a new set of clubs...

 

[tehuti]

None of that marketing mumbo-jumbo has yet convinced me that I need to spend more than $300.00 for a driver, or $150.00 for a putter. 

[Double Mocha Man]

11 minutes ago, tehuti said:

None of that marketing mumbo-jumbo has yet convinced me that I need to spend more than $300.00 for a driver, or $150.00 for a putter. 

... but what if it actually worked better at the higher price point?

[mchepp]

Love this topic. The statement "increased playability" is perfect for the marketers mind. Simply because you will put whatever meaning comes to your mind when you hear it. Because it doesn't mean anything specific it actually works to fit whatever you think of when you hear it.

I think the better way to think about golf marketing is what is it supposed to do to you in your buying journey. I think the ad in Golf Digest is to add to whatever buzz you have already heard. It isn't meant to help you make a buying decision but get you to a demo day or asking your club pro about it. Or better yet search the internet about it. That way when your pro mentions it, your mind has already heard about it and it confirms whatever your mind already thinks.

Golf marketing in general is herd marketing. PXG is the only stand out, but they are building a luxury brand and moving closer to the herd. Herd means they all say the same thing in order to hopefully differentiate by spending more on TV pros who pedal their stuff or hooking you at the time of sale.

[tehuti]

26 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

... but what if it actually worked better at the higher price point?

It clearly works, just not on me personally.

[Double Mocha Man]

29 minutes ago, mchepp said:

Love this topic. The statement "increased playability" is perfect for the marketers mind. Simply because you will put whatever meaning comes to your mind when you hear it. Because it doesn't mean anything specific it actually works to fit whatever you think of when you hear it.

... and there is no legal recourse with a statement like that.

[mchepp]

9 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

... and there is no legal recourse with a statement like that.

An additional benefit. In addition the FTC is probably too busy counting their money from trade tariffs at the moment to worry about golf advertising.

[WillieT]

On 1/21/2021 at 10:30 AM, boogielicious said:

All of the above phrases sound good, but don’t really claim anything. Marketing departments spend lots of time with wording and then their legal departments review it.

Business marketing 101.....For many years I was in the Procurement Dept at a local mining/manufacturing site.  As you can surmise I heard "new", "improved", "more reliable", "better than last year's",.... again and again and again.  Boogielicious is right, Marketing spends tons of bucks to make the biggest claims possible while staying in the bounds of defensible claims by Legal.  The regulatory gurus have the OEM's and related crews in such a narrow box for improving things, they have to make the consumer "think" it sounds, hits, swings, plays, flies, lands, goes in the hole better than ever....or else we would not buy it.  Fender continues to reinvent, excuse me "tweak" the Telecaster guitar, yet when you look at it  - it is pretty much the same guitar that Leo debuted in the 1950's with some slightly improved electronics, tuners, fret wire, etc.  A golf club is still a stick with a head of some sort on it and a golf ball is still a golf ball (but comes with dimples now!) and the game is still something we all enjoy to have a good discussion about.  

[Missouri Swede]

7 hours ago, WillieT said:

A golf club is still a stick with a head of some sort on it and a golf ball is still a golf ball (but comes with dimples now!) and the game is still something we all enjoy to have a good discussion about.  

But ... I want “cutting-edge CONTACT Force dimple design“!

[WillieT]

13 hours ago, Missouri Swede said:

But ... I want “cutting-edge CONTACT Force dimple design“!

Just read the review on the MGS site of these....interesting to say the least.  Love the "hubcap" dimple analogy.  

[Double Mocha Man]

11 minutes ago, WillieT said:

Just read the review on the MGS site of these....interesting to say the least.  Love the "hubcap" dimple analogy.  

Guaranteed increased playability...

[WillieT]

3 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Guaranteed increased playability...

Yup there it is, the proverbial instantly 12 strokes better, all greens in regulation, only birdie or eagle putts, all fairways hit, no slices, no dices, no snap hooks, just petite baby draws that land in the middle every time!   

[djake]

On 1/22/2021 at 7:05 AM, Vinsk said:

I’m curious. I’m quite sure you weren’t using monitors 36 years ago so how can you be certain you weren’t hitting 300yd drives? I’m just saying sometimes our recollection may not be too accurate. We may feel or perceive that we’re hitting better than we did 36 years ago...but it’s possible we just don’t really know.

You are correct, monitors were not around 36 years ago but we stepped off yardage.  No GPS then.  300 yard Par 4 50 yards to the green, hitting 250.  Plus the clubs were Persimmon and the balls were the solid Top Flights. 

Now my Dad would tell you I was probably hitting it more like 240 to 245 😎  Rarely 260 though.

As soon as my Mevo+ shows up I am going to grab my old 2 Wood and do a side by side comparision to my current Driver with a new Snell Ball.   I think that will be fascinating to see the results.

On 1/22/2021 at 8:04 AM, ChetlovesMer said:

I'm not sure you picked up on the sarcasm in my post?

Sorry about that. Maybe I should have made it more clear that my post was in jest. 

You need not apologize to me, I am the one who owes you an apology.

I am sorry for going on a rant, I should not done that.  It was a day where my emotions and frustrations had gotten the best of me.  

I am sorry, hope you can see it to forgive me. 

And sorry for the delay in responding.  I have not been on the site much since then.  If we can ever meet and play a round of golf together I owe you a beverage.

---

 

[ChetlovesMer]

23 minutes ago, djake said:

If we can ever meet and play a round of golf together I owe you a beverage.

---

 

SOLD!!!  

[dennyjones]

2 hours ago, djake said:

I have not been on the site much since then.  If we can ever meet and play a round of golf together I owe you a beverage.

It seems that you would drive thru Michigan to get to Ohio.    Take the ferry!  😅   just sayin'

[djake]

21 hours ago, dennyjones said:

It seems that you would drive thru Michigan to get to Ohio.    Take the ferry!  😅   just sayin'

I will be Ohio next month for work, how early does the season start there?