Interesting article on Product release Cycles

[goonie]

Looks like without TM we may not have as many golf ho's on Ozgolf :-)

I do remember the Callaway GBB had a price tag over $1000

Time will tell if TM have backed off with the product releases, it doesn't look like Callaway have.

http://www.golfwrx.com/250147/how-taylormades-marketing-slayed-callaway-and-saved-golfers-money/

[razaar]

Remember it well goonie. I read somewhere that the stock shafts in the metal woods cost Callaway less than $10 per shaft.

[BUSHY]

When I first read this article back in October I was a bit miffed as to why Barney Adams was coming out and patting TM on the back. It wouldn't bother me if Mark King disappeared tomorrow. The product cycles mentioned are IMO killing the industry and the fact they put off the releases of the R15 and Aeroburner shows that they're feeling the pinch.


http://www.mygolfspy.com/insiders-view-golf-equipment-sales/

[goonie]

When I first read this article back in October I was a bit miffed as to why Barney Adams was coming out and patting TM on the back. It wouldn't bother me if Mark King disappeared tomorrow. The product cycles mentioned are IMO killing the industry and the fact they put off the releases of the R15 and Aeroburner shows that they're feeling the pinch.


http://www.mygolfspy.com/insiders-view-golf-equipment-sales/

I wonder if the industry would be any better off now if we still had the high Callaway pricing + a lot of golfers leaving the game? Or maybe a lack of sales would have brought the prices down anyway.

I think if TM didn't do it someone else would have tried to do the same thing to break up the Callaway monopoly.

[BUSHY]

There would've been better ways than flooding the market with 'junk' every 3-6 months. Titleist manage to do alright without trying to 'kill' other brands off. Maybe they should take a look in that direction.

[Ron Burgundy]

Why would TM settle for 'alright' when they could dominate? They're running a business.

The market is never wrong. If there's demand, there'll be supply. TM's strategy was successful because it gave the punters what they wanted. Shortened product cycles increased innovation and dramatically decreased prices to consumers which benefited all of us. The market now seems to be correcting and TM are slightly lengthening their product cycle. This doesn't mean they were wrong, but that they're smart enough to adjust their strategy.

That 'my golf spy' article is just a guy whining incessantly about how hard it is in retail. All it proves is that he doesn't have an effective strategy. He wants better profit margins. No kidding. So does everyone else. He's trying to compete directly with big box stores and online retailers with an undifferentiated product offering. That's his choice and he needs to own it rather than bitching about it. There's no gun to his head forcing him to stock TM or Callaway gear. But if he wants to he needs to accept their terms. Equally, it sounds like he wants to run a low volume, high margin business with only a handfull brands he likes. There may be a market for that and he's free to do that. But whinging that customers don't pay enough for equipment, competing with online retail is hard and his suppliers are mean just makes him sound pathetic.

Give the punters what they want and you'll make money. Don't and you won't. If it turns out punters want a new driver with a coloured crown, stupid graphics and an even stupider name every couple of months, good on 'em. They're keeping prices down overall for the rest of us.

[TheNuclearOne]

There would've been better ways than flooding the market with 'junk' every 3-6 months.

There's not much "junk" going on. There's been numerous great products the last couple of years.

[BUSHY]

There's not much "junk" going on. There's been numerous great products the last couple of years.


Yeah I'd agree with numerous great products, but having the release cycles they do only dilutes the calibre of 'greatness'. TM even tweeted this morning that the R15 was the number 1 model in play in Dubai and Hawaii with the hashtag #MadeofGreatness. Seriously??? If it were truly great they wouldn't have to release something new every 3-6 months..

If these two companies stuck to cycles even remotely close to what Titleist and the like do, there would be much more "greatness" in the clubs they sell rather than the stuff they're currently putting out there.. Releasing for the sake of releasing is not innovation.

To be fair I have been a TM fan in the past, at one point I had 3w,5w,3-P,56,60 in the bag at the same time. These were R11's, TP MB's and ATV's. But then came R11S, R1, RBZ, RBZ Stage 2, Burner, Burner 2.0, Jetspeed, SLDR, SLDRs, now R15.... and thats only in mens woods for Taylormade, I won't even start counting Callaways release's. I can't keep up.

And just to be a bit transparent about my own gear, I'll list it below.

Covert Tour 2.0
Titleist 712U 2iron
Mizuno MP33 3-9
Vokey 48, 52, 56, 60
Nike Method Midnight 006 Custom

33948

[Dotty]

At least, TM and Callaway put new technology into their new releases.

Scotty Cameron just changes some colour or a different head cover every few months, to keep the punters buying.

[talbo]

Does the tech work?

[mrbluu]

Does the tech work?
Of cos it works, why else are we buying new stuff all the time!!!

[Daves]

Yes it seems to work, but it also seems to be time limited. Sometimes a couple of months, sometimes a couple of rounds and sometimes it doesn't even make it home from the range!

[talbo]

Of cos it works, why else are we buying new stuff all the time!!!

You guys are HO's though! :lol:


Yes it seems to work, but it also seems to be time limited. Sometimes a couple of months, sometimes a couple of rounds and sometimes it doesn't even make it home from the range!

With COR maxed I think it basically comes down to finding something that works well for the individual using it.

I'm done buying shit.... it's all just a scam! :lol: