Bubba Fans:Ping to sell 5,000 pink G30 Bubba drivers

[boogielicious]

From golfchannel.com

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/equipment-insider/ping-sell-5000-pink-g30-bubba-drivers/

So if you like Ping and pink, this is the driver for you!  It is for a good cause.

Quote:

By Nick Menta

Ping announced on Masters Monday that it will sell 5,000 limited-edition pink G30 drivers, just like the one used by two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson.

Out of an MSRP of $550, Ping will donate $60 to the Bubba Watson Foundation for each driver sold.

Watson has used a pink driver since 2012, the first year he won the Masters and the year Ping introduced a similar program with its older G20 model.

Per a Ping release:

"Those funds were donated to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital and used to help build the recently opened Bubba Watson-PING Golf Motion Analysis Lab – the first and only dedicated pediatric Motion Analysis Laboratory (MAL) in the state of Arizona. The MAL uses advanced assessment tools to evaluate and treat children and adolescents who have movement disorders or walking difficulties caused by conditions like Cerebral Palsy."

Said Watson in a statement: "I’m excited golfers have the opportunity to participate in this great cause knowing they are also contributing to help improve the lives of the less fortunate."

The drivers are available in regular and stiff flexes, in 9- and 10.5-degree lofts for right-randed players and a 10.5-degree loft for left-handed players. Both right- and left-handed models are adjustable one degree.

[dkolo]

From golfchannel.com [URL=http://www.golfchannel.com/news/equipment-insider/ping-sell-5000-pink-g30-bubba-drivers/]http://www.golfchannel.com/news/equipment-insider/ping-sell-5000-pink-g30-bubba-drivers/[/URL] So if you like Ping and pink, this is the driver for you!  It is for a good cause.

It's a $200 markup over the stock G30 and they're only donating $60? More like charity for PING haha. Jeez.

[boogielicious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boogielicious

From golfchannel.com

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/equipment-insider/ping-sell-5000-pink-g30-bubba-drivers/

So if you like Ping and pink, this is the driver for you!  It is for a good cause.

It's a $200 markup over the stock G30 and they're only donating $60? More like charity for PING haha. Jeez.

I didn't say which good cause!

[danL]

It's a $200 markup over the stock G30 and they're only donating $60? More like charity for PING haha. Jeez.

I was going to say the same thing. Sounds like a marketing ploy labeled as a good deed.

[newtogolf]

Exactly, I wouldn't mind the $200 markup if all $200 went to the charity.  I'm sure Bubba is getting a cut of the money too.

[Abu3baid]

Guys come on.. 300,000$ is not pocket change either.. They can get some high tech medical equipment for that money.. I think I would feel differently if it was like 10K total donation.. But I can't blame them and I can't blame bubba if he is getting a cut either.. I guess I just don't see what's wrong with the above model they are using?

[dkolo]

Guys come on.. 300,000$ is not pocket change either.. They can get some high tech medical equipment for that money.. I think I would feel differently if it was like 10K total donation.. But I can't blame them and I can't blame bubba if he is getting a cut either..

I guess I just don't see what's wrong with the above model they are using?

Because the way these usually work is the company either charges the same price as the stock model and donates a portion of their profits or they charge more than the stock model and donate that surplus. The idea is to either price in a donation by the consumer or to make more money on a slimmer profit margin by getting more sales through the goodwill of giving to charity. Here, they're making more money off of any given driver than they usually would. It just doesn't pass the smell test for me.

[newtogolf]

Because the way these usually work is the company either charges the same price as the stock model and donates a portion of their profits or they charge more than the stock model and donate that surplus. The idea is to either price in a donation by the consumer or to make more money on a slimmer profit margin by getting more sales through the goodwill of giving to charity. Here, they're making more money off of any given driver than they usually would. It just doesn't pass the smell test for me.

Exactly, Ping and Watson shouldn't be making any extra money off of the campaign if the point is to raise money for charity.  I doubt the pink paint job costs $140

[Abu3baid]

Because the way these usually work is the company either charges the same price as the stock model and donates a portion of their profits or they charge more than the stock model and donate that surplus. The idea is to either price in a donation by the consumer or to make more money on a slimmer profit margin by getting more sales through the goodwill of giving to charity. Here, they're making more money off of any given driver than they usually would. It just doesn't pass the smell test for me.

[quote name="newtogolf" url="/t/81420/bubba-fans-ping-to-sell-5-000-pink-g30-bubba-drivers/0_10#post_1130864"]Exactly, Ping and Watson shouldn't be making any extra money off of the campaign if the point is to raise money for charity.  I doubt the pink paint job costs $140 [/quote] Let me assume they make extra money.. Would you rather them not do this and have the charity never get this 300K?

[dkolo]

Let me assume they make extra money.. Would you rather them not do this and have the charity never get this 300K?

You can't analyze this purely outcome-based or it becomes a line-drawing problem.

[Abu3baid]

You can't analyze this purely outcome-based or it becomes a line-drawing problem.

They are in the business of making money are they not? I just think they are being called out for something that many other companies do. You are calling them out for not doing it the "usual" way according to you, but that is silly band cause there is no universal standard on how to raise money for charity even if that is not the objective. This is the model that works for them, what if they came out and said we will sell a limited number for x but never mentioned giving anything to charity would that impact the selling of these clubs? I doubt it, so giving a portion to charity is still a win win for who ever is getting this money!

[newtogolf]

Let me assume they make extra money.. Would you rather them not do this and have the charity never get this 300K?

While Ping is being up front in disclosing only $60 of the $200 premium for the limited edition driver is being donated to charity it still feels like a conflict of interest.  I don't like when altruistic gestures are used to drive capitalistic gains.  Ping should either have donated all $200 or just advertised the drivers as limited edition drivers that sell for $550 and donate the money behind the scenes without the public relations charity play.