I’m always on the lookout for the latest on innovative
ideas from sports brands.
A few weeks ago I came across the Callaway Golf
website. Yes, it has things you’d typically expect like information on
equipment and instruction, but take another look.
.jpg) |
| LPGA Tour pro Lydia Ko and Harry Arnett. Photo courtesy of Callaway Golf Company. |
Callaway takes a different perspective. As Harry
Arnett, SVP of Marketing, said, their marketing philosophy is “part newsroom,
part morning show, and part agency.”
Their lineup consists of Callaway Radio (podcasts);
Callaway Talks (videos); weekly wrap up videos; videos on new equipment,
instruction, and tips; and The Backpage.
The Backpage is even more fun. It has quizzes from
what style golf hat you should wear, to texts from pros, and videos of trick
shots.
One recent video they shot is LPGA pro Lydia Ko
hitting a ball down Lombard Street in San Francisco.
Recently I sat down with Harry Arnett to learn more
about their strategy.
The
history:
Harry: The company went from a mom and pop
entrepreneurial start-up to the biggest golf company in the world…almost
overnight. In the early 1990s Callaway introduced Big Bertha. This was the
first product in golf that was used by everybody—from the best players on the
pro tour to retirees in Palm Desert.
It was the first golf company to treat the brand with
more marketing. In the 1990s golf was still a cottage industry. People working
in golf were doing things the same way they always did. Callaway was the
outsider. He brought different fundamentals (from business) to change the
industry. And he built the biggest brand recognized all over the world.
Celebrities started endorsing golf in the early- to mid-90s…Callaway was the
first.
When Mr. Callaway passed away…it was the worst. The company
lost its way, (yet) it was still
TaylorMade emerged and distinguished itself with
product and marketing. In 2008 both companies
Chip (Brewer), the CEO, hired me at the end of May
2012. Marketing needed to change…to think more about the consumer first. We
wanted to create a communication/marketing model to match the way consumers
were getting, transferring/sharing, engaging with information. We realized this
had fundamentally changed.
We bet the marketing farm and created a new operating
model. We think of ourselves and behave like a media company.
What
they did:
Harry: Now, a lot of people say the word newsroom. I was inspired by the program Newsroom on
But, how do we do this in our sport?
What about production value…how do we look at costs
different…do we capitalize on in-house resources or outsource…where do we need
speed and where don’t we need to be so fast? These are questions we asked ourselves.
We turned everything on its head—quantity sometimes over quality.
We decided we couldn’t outsource storytelling…we
couldn’t bring in an agency because they didn’t understand our story. We
couldn’t be as fast as we wanted to be with an outside agency. So, we try to do
as much as we can in-house.
We think of ourselves as a media company. For example,
if the Food Network had a food brand, they
My office is different. It looks like SNL. All our
shows are on a board…17 things up there. Two to
three years ago we’d typically
script, for the storytellers to hit certain things. (Now we don’t) It takes
practice to get comfortable, to capture the story arc and not specific words.
It creates realism, timeliness, and approachability for Callaway, the brand.
.JPG) |
| Harry and PGA Tour pro Patrick Reed. Photo courtesy of Callaway Golf Company. |
For social media execution, we have an official
Callaway account, but let consumers know individual accounts so they can
connect with our people and talk about anything. So they can say…I have a guy at Callaway. It has helped
build a loyal audience, organically.
While our followers may not be as big as Coke or Nike,
we have a meaningful audience who feel like they have a direct connection with
Callaway. So it’s a natural distribution channel.
How
the brand has changed:
Harry: The brand went from old guys to young, fresh,
fast engaging…almost overnight.
We’re seen as an innovation company. We have the brand
we wanted: More aspirational, yet more accessible. No other brand can say this.
We marry the two things together.
Just
some of what they do:
Harry: Our biggest bucket of content is the episodic,
serial pieces. They take more time and energy to produce with three or four
people or more to create. This is where the rubber hits the road. These are the
most differentiated in the brand. They include podcasts and Callaway Live.
.jpg) |
| Group selfie at the LPGA shoot on March 23. Photo courtesy of Callaway Golf Company. |
We do a podcast…we just did our 100th show
where we interview employees and tour players.
Our talk show, Callaway Talks, has no script. We never
edit. It’s always one take. It’s meant to feel organic.
The Backpage (on the website) is meant to be fun. It
represents a look at exchanges of ideas with consumers. We’re not always doing
the predictable things.
* * *
