Nike Golf failure exposes absurd Tiger Woods marketing flop

[Used2PlayALot]

http://nypost.com/2016/08/08/equipment-failure-exposes-nikes-absurd-tiger-woods-lie/

In this case, however, Nike was barking up the wrong money tree. Golfers aren’t as impressionable or as vulnerable as high school kids who would equate a $225 pair of Third World, made-on-the-cheap Air Jordans to neighborhood status symbols.

Golfers generally don’t pursue what Nike is so practiced and expert at selling; golfers don’t seek street cred.

I

 the end, Nike’s golf division operated off the same marketing plan that would stoke the desires of 15-year-olds with little sense of proportion and no sense that they’re being had.

With Tiger Woods, Nike cranked up its golf gear business without bothering to check two things: Adults aren’t as easily conned as kids, and street cred on golf courses, even among the young, is worthles

 

[imsys0042]

I think the article overreaches, even though there are some good points.   Selling clothes is different than the equipment side, however Nike pursued the same strategy that other golf companies did which is pay a lot of tour pros money to endorse and then use that to sell clubs.   They didn't completely bank on Tiger, they had a number of pros over the years.   Adding Rory was surely an attempt to get the "next Tiger".  So they are following a business strategy that others did.

Tiger was the leading face for Nike and two things happened in 2008.  First there was the fire hydrant and all the fallout.  Not to get into it, but that might send some segment of the population away from Nike clubs and clothes, just like any other celebrity stepping in it.   Second was that the economy cratered in 2008 and that surely had an effect as well.  So I don't think we can blame it all on Tiger and the decision to market him extensively.

So the article collapses under it's own weight in some areas.   I think the decline of Tiger had an impact on their business, but it was hardly the only reason.   I never heard that about the amateur status complaints.  Don't we have a lot of people who are going to turn pro soon still be amateurs and it's just a matter of time?  I agree Earl had his plans out there for years probably, but how is that different from other pros who went thru this?

[Gunther]

Nike made much more from Tiger than they paid him, for almost 20 years.  I wouldn't call that failure.  

[Valleygolfer]

3 hours ago, Used2PlayALot said:

In this case, however, Nike was barking up the wrong money tree. Golfers aren’t as impressionable or as vulnerable as high school kids who would equate a $225 pair of Third World, made-on-the-cheap Air Jordans to neighborhood status symbols.

Don't tell Keagan Bradley this...