Epic Flash Launch Party | 2019 Callaway Golf Products | Video | Carlsbad, CA

[DCMorgan89]

I think it’s a modern approach to marketing. Attracting millennials to the game while trying to erase some uptight stigma. You know you’re getting old when ... you hate this video. Hats off to Callaway, everyone looked like they were having fun and at the end of the days that’s why we love this game.

 

Not to mention, Balionis. #thickness

[MKPAPA]

lol at the old boomers in this thread getting mad and yelling at clouds.

 

This is part of the future of golf and golf marketing. You've all been bitching and moaning in the 'why is golf dieing' threads...You want your sport to survive? You want younger people?

 

Well, this is how you sell to the 15-35 crowd. It's just ONE of the ways, to be clear. Not everyone will respond to it, but being so daft as to say this is some sort of 'Idiocracy' type marketing phase of the future is asinine.

 

This is a video of people having fun and enjoying themselves. It's not even specifically a marketing piece for Callaway FFS.

 

And this is coming from someone who hates music on the golf course.

 

Really? you think this wasn't for the sake of marketing? Do you know what the cringey word "influencer" even means?

 

I assure you I'm qualified to speak about marketing. Yes, I hate the word influencer as well.

 

This wasnt part of Callaways marketing plan for the products, It's an off-shoot planned by a separate people.

 

I see. makes sense

[blink3665]

Social Media/Youtube/TV/Movie personalities do not influence me. After watching that video I am now taking out the Callaway Xforged 64 degree wedge out of my bag. Fail.

 

Youre taking a club out of our bag that you liked and used because social media personalities were video'd at a party for that company?

 

But are they? Think about how many followers these "Instagram famous" or influencers have....Callaway and every OEM needs more people to buy their stuff. So getting a guy like a Brodie Smith who has 990 thousand followers talking about a Callaway product just opens them up to a broader audience. Same thing with the wacko Bob Menery who has over a million.....and most middle aged golfers aren't paying attention to Instagram anyways....the target is millennials. Don't get me wrong. I think it's a circus.....and even better no Callaway employee was wearing any branding....which Doesn't make sense to me....but I'm no marketing expert. And here we are talking about it. And they still have the traditional ad's going for the "middle aged" audience....just my two cents.

I just don't see that type of audience running out to stores to buy a $529 driver. What it does do is make your brand look like less of a golf brand to the people who are willing to drop over $500 on a driver.

 

I don't really care if they shoot a commercial or pay a bunch of people I've never heard of and don't care about to hang out on the range but calling it an Influencer Release Party just gnaws at me.

 

Just because you don't see it doesnt mean its not happening. People that follow these guys/women on social media are the same ones that buy Malbon X Nike shorts with the word "Malbon" silk screened on the crotch for stupid amounts of money. The same ones that jump at the chance to own stuff off SNKRs for $200 each. There is plenty of money out there waiting to be spent, and there are plenty of people out there waiting to be shown what to spend it on.

 

I agree with some that the term "influencer" rubs me the wrong way. I liked the video. It looked relaxed and enjoyable. Michelle Wie had a bunch of content on her IG of the event, so they got at least 2 pros. :) It seemed like they got a lot of the big names that work for Callaway there. Taranto, Toulon, Cleveland, Brewer were all there. I dunno. I don't see anything wrong with the video. A bunch of celebs hanging out having a good time. The video doesnt influence my buying decisions in any way, but I enjoyed watching it.

[delmer]

Social Media/Youtube/TV/Movie personalities do not influence me. After watching that video I am now taking out the Callaway Xforged 64 degree wedge out of my bag. Fail.

 

Youre taking a club out of our bag that you liked and used because social media personalities were video'd at a party for that company?

 

But are they? Think about how many followers these "Instagram famous" or influencers have....Callaway and every OEM needs more people to buy their stuff. So getting a guy like a Brodie Smith who has 990 thousand followers talking about a Callaway product just opens them up to a broader audience. Same thing with the wacko Bob Menery who has over a million.....and most middle aged golfers aren't paying attention to Instagram anyways....the target is millennials. Don't get me wrong. I think it's a circus.....and even better no Callaway employee was wearing any branding....which Doesn't make sense to me....but I'm no marketing expert. And here we are talking about it. And they still have the traditional ad's going for the "middle aged" audience....just my two cents.

I just don't see that type of audience running out to stores to buy a $529 driver. What it does do is make your brand look like less of a golf brand to the people who are willing to drop over $500 on a driver.

 

I don't really care if they shoot a commercial or pay a bunch of people I've never heard of and don't care about to hang out on the range but calling it an Influencer Release Party just gnaws at me.

 

Just because you don't see it doesnt mean its not happening. People that follow these guys/women on social media are the same ones that buy Malbon X Nike shorts with the word "Malbon" silk screened on the crotch for stupid amounts of money. The same ones that jump at the chance to own stuff off SNKRs for $200 each. There is plenty of money out there waiting to be spent, and there are plenty of people out there waiting to be shown what to spend it on.

 

I agree with some that the term "influencer" rubs me the wrong way. I liked the video. It looked relaxed and enjoyable. Michelle Wie had a bunch of content on her IG of the event, so they got at least 2 pros. :) It seemed like they got a lot of the big names that work for Callaway there. Taranto, Toulon, Cleveland, Brewer were all there. I dunno. I don't see anything wrong with the video. A bunch of celebs hanging out having a good time. The video doesnt influence my buying decisions in any way, but I enjoyed watching it.

 

I was a sales rep for one of the OEMs so I'm pretty good at seeing things the way they are. I'm not sure if you work in the business or not but I've got a fair amount of experience in this and a pretty good eye for what works.

[blink3665]

I was a sales rep for one of the OEMs so I'm pretty good at seeing things the way they are. I'm not sure if you work in the business or not but I've got a fair amount of experience in this and a pretty good eye for what works.

 

That's fair. I have no experience in the golf business. I have no idea what works and what doesn't for the golf business.

 

I don't think that they would go through the trouble if there wasn't something monetary that they think they will get out of it. I don't know when you got out of the business but is it possible that the potential of social media marketing grew after you left?

 

It's possible that I'm sitting in my own little Golf Social Media Echo Chamber and i see things like this constantly because IG's algorithm knows that's what I want to see. But if it's that way for me, how many other people out there are the same way?

[tdk8180]

Balionis...pronounced Bahhh...lioness

[SirHoselRocket]

Social Media/Youtube/TV/Movie personalities do not influence me. After watching that video I am now taking out the Callaway Xforged 64 degree wedge out of my bag. Fail.

 

Youre taking a club out of our bag that you liked and used because social media personalities were video'd at a party for that company?

 

But are they? Think about how many followers these "Instagram famous" or influencers have....Callaway and every OEM needs more people to buy their stuff. So getting a guy like a Brodie Smith who has 990 thousand followers talking about a Callaway product just opens them up to a broader audience. Same thing with the wacko Bob Menery who has over a million.....and most middle aged golfers aren't paying attention to Instagram anyways....the target is millennials. Don't get me wrong. I think it's a circus.....and even better no Callaway employee was wearing any branding....which Doesn't make sense to me....but I'm no marketing expert. And here we are talking about it. And they still have the traditional ad's going for the "middle aged" audience....just my two cents.

I just don't see that type of audience running out to stores to buy a $529 driver. What it does do is make your brand look like less of a golf brand to the people who are willing to drop over $500 on a driver.

 

I don't really care if they shoot a commercial or pay a bunch of people I've never heard of and don't care about to hang out on the range but calling it an Influencer Release Party just gnaws at me.

 

Just because you don't see it doesnt mean its not happening. People that follow these guys/women on social media are the same ones that buy Malbon X Nike shorts with the word "Malbon" silk screened on the crotch for stupid amounts of money. The same ones that jump at the chance to own stuff off SNKRs for $200 each. There is plenty of money out there waiting to be spent, and there are plenty of people out there waiting to be shown what to spend it on.

 

I agree with some that the term "influencer" rubs me the wrong way. I liked the video. It looked relaxed and enjoyable. Michelle Wie had a bunch of content on her IG of the event, so they got at least 2 pros. :) It seemed like they got a lot of the big names that work for Callaway there. Taranto, Toulon, Cleveland, Brewer were all there. I dunno. I don't see anything wrong with the video. A bunch of celebs hanging out having a good time. The video doesnt influence my buying decisions in any way, but I enjoyed watching it.

 

I was a sales rep for one of the OEMs so I'm pretty good at seeing things the way they are. I'm not sure if you work in the business or not but I've got a fair amount of experience in this and a pretty good eye for what works.

 

Are you not in the industry anymore? Just curious how would you do it different? Being that you have a good eye for what works? I really am curious not trying to be a smart Word not allowed......they’ve been pretty successful with their marketing so far.

[delmer]

 

 

Are you not in the industry anymore? Just curious how would you do it different? Being that you have a good eye for what works? I really am curious not trying to be a smart Word not allowed......they've been pretty successful with their marketing so far.

 

No, I started a company and make somewhere between 400 & 500% more than I did when I was selling clubs. I was also on the road about 100 nights a year when I was a rep. It is a really hard way to make a living.

 

The best ROI I had in my budget hands down was demo days and at the time I ran a $30M territory and had a $4K demo day budget. Getting the clubs into actual players hands with either myself or my tech doing the fitting and selling was critical. Now if you wanted to do something fun like this or something at Top Golf with live music during a demo day I'd be all for it. Put me on camera with an actual golfer doing the Pepsi challenge and you as a consumer would learn more about the clubs. Watch an average guy hit his own driver and then compare the LM data with the Epic Flash.

 

I can promise you that on one side of the table are the reps asking for more demo budget and on the other side is a smooth talking marketing firm showing massive numbers from past "Influencer Parties".

[gmangolf]

Almost everyone in this thread seems to be missing the point of an “influencer party”... here’s a clue... the whole event isn’t for you. It’s for the people they invited.

 

An influencer party is meant to show value and mobilize parties who have the ability to reach markets their normal traditional marketing budgets can’t reach. You show them a good time, give them a sneak peak on new stuff before others, and they go influence others through their YouTube channels or whatever. Traditional marketing is becoming less effective and influencers have a growing amount of impact on how people feel about a product.

 

Then, your sales team runs demo days and does their thing to capitalize on the awareness that marketing has generated and turn it into sales.

 

This is a normal part of the sales process. They don’t work as effectively without each other.

[SirHoselRocket]

 

 

Are you not in the industry anymore? Just curious how would you do it different? Being that you have a good eye for what works? I really am curious not trying to be a smart Word not allowed......they've been pretty successful with their marketing so far.

 

No, I started a company and make somewhere between 400 & 500% more than I did when I was selling clubs. I was also on the road about 100 nights a year when I was a rep. It is a really hard way to make a living.

 

The best ROI I had in my budget hands down was demo days and at the time I ran a $30M territory and had a $4K demo day budget. Getting the clubs into actual players hands with either myself or my tech doing the fitting and selling was critical. Now if you wanted to do something fun like this or something at Top Golf with live music during a demo day I'd be all for it. Put me on camera with an actual golfer doing the Pepsi challenge and you as a consumer would learn more about the clubs. Watch an average guy hit his own driver and then compare the LM data with the Epic Flash.

 

I can promise you that on one side of the table are the reps asking for more demo budget and on the other side is a smooth talking marketing firm showing massive numbers from past "Influencer Parties".

 

I like that. And agree. Demo days are very important and over looked sometimes. Marketing is always hustling for more money. I’m wondering if we will see a big demo day push as well from Callaway like they did with Epic and Rogue. If that’s the case this launch party may help drive people there.....it will be interesting to see how they sell this year.

 

Thanks for answering my question..

[delmer]

Are you not in the industry anymore? Just curious how would you do it different? Being that you have a good eye for what works? I really am curious not trying to be a smart Word not allowed......they've been pretty successful with their marketing so far.

 

No, I started a company and make somewhere between 400 & 500% more than I did when I was selling clubs. I was also on the road about 100 nights a year when I was a rep. It is a really hard way to make a living.

 

The best ROI I had in my budget hands down was demo days and at the time I ran a $30M territory and had a $4K demo day budget. Getting the clubs into actual players hands with either myself or my tech doing the fitting and selling was critical. Now if you wanted to do something fun like this or something at Top Golf with live music during a demo day I'd be all for it. Put me on camera with an actual golfer doing the Pepsi challenge and you as a consumer would learn more about the clubs. Watch an average guy hit his own driver and then compare the LM data with the Epic Flash.

 

I can promise you that on one side of the table are the reps asking for more demo budget and on the other side is a smooth talking marketing firm showing massive numbers from past "Influencer Parties".

 

I like that. And agree. Demo days are very important and over looked sometimes. Marketing is always hustling for more money. I'm wondering if we will see a big demo day push as well from Callaway like they did with Epic and Rogue. If that's the case this launch party may help drive people there.....it will be interesting to see how they sell this year.

 

Thanks for answering my question..

 

I just don't see it happening because it doesn't really hit the audience who buy drivers. Someone gave the example of Malbon and how this is similar but it isn't. Something like this would work for Malbon because that is an audience that even if they only play a few times a year or like to go to Top Golf they can still wear the clothing and don't mind the cost if they like how it looks. The problem with targeting that audience is even though they're buying expensive golf/lifestyle brand clothing that doesn't necessarily translate into buying a $530 driver they're going to use a handful of times a year.

 

Probably the exact opposite of a YouTuber or "Influencer Party Host" is conservative talk radio host on the AM dial. I know a talk show host on a conservative AM radio station and I got him to broadcast his show live from the driving range during a demo day I was hosting. His show had absolutely nothing to do with golf as he talked strictly local politics but that was far and away my most well attended demo event ever. He drove people to my event and he also got to engage with his audience so it worked out great. Terrestrial radio is all but dead but it would still work.

 

I get that they're trying to appeal to a different audience but the slippery slope to doing that is you run the risk of annoying the audience you already have. They're trying to grow by creating a new market rather than fighting for existing market share. I think the other companies have enough flaws for Callaway to exploit and it'd be easier for them to grow by winning share from their competitors rather than taking a flier on opening up a new market.

[Farrow]

I get that they're trying to appeal to a different audience but the slippery slope to doing that is you run the risk of annoying the audience you already have. They're trying to grow by creating a new market rather than fighting for existing market share. I think the other companies have enough flaws for Callaway to exploit and it'd be easier for them to grow by winning share from their competitors rather than taking a flier on opening up a new market.

 

Why not do both at the same time?

[delmer]

I get that they're trying to appeal to a different audience but the slippery slope to doing that is you run the risk of annoying the audience you already have. They're trying to grow by creating a new market rather than fighting for existing market share. I think the other companies have enough flaws for Callaway to exploit and it'd be easier for them to grow by winning share from their competitors rather than taking a flier on opening up a new market.

 

Why not do both at the same time?

 

It's usually a matter of resources and direction. Sure it would be great if they could quadruple their demo budget, throw 50 influencer parties a month, pay every single player on the PGA Tour to wear their hat etc. etc. etc. but the money runs out at a certain point. You're also trying two cram to crowds together that generally don't mix. It's like trying to have a white table cloth steak joint inside of a biker bar.

[iamthebeard]

Heaven forbid a golf company that tries to do something different.

 

Yet, let's have our company pros ™ unzip some travel bags and go "wow, so good" and pretend to be surprised. like they do year after year.

 

You're right. It's so much better to have an NFL wide receiver and a Pro Surfer telling us how great the new Callaway product is.

 

Let's reverse this. How fast would Phil Mickelson get laughed off the planet if Rip Curl brought him in to an "Influencer Release Party" to tell a bunch of surfers how great their new boards are?

 

I think it's telling that they could only sucker one staffer into showing up. Sergio looks like it's about the last place in the world he wants to be.

 

A: there were two staffers there.

 

B: it was organic, natural, and just an idea of throwing some creators or whatever damn adjective you’d want to use to describe them in a room to see what happened. I’m pretty sure the whole deal generated way my genuine marketing impressions than a canned video filmed 4 months ago with top tour staffers would’ve.

 

C: Sure, you were/are a sales rep but think there’s a clear correlation between the marketing team at callaway pushing some limits as far as approaching things differently and what’s happened for them over the last two years.

 

So, you do you and let them do them

[GoTime]

The only people who can be swayed by so called influencers can't afford $1400 irons and a $600 driver

[Titletown]

Callaway has been aggressive going after new types of media over the past couple of years. Whether it's sponsoring podcasts, creating brand ambassadors/influencers from Instagram/Twitter personalities with high follower counts, etc, they've gone hard after a segment of the market that is not traditional and it's been quite successful. They're viewed as the "it" brand online in social media circles.

 

It helps that their products have backed up the hype in the last couple of years, obviously, but it's clear this strategy has played an important role in the positive brand perception they currently enjoy. While the discerning WRX member might not care about influencers pimping Callaway products, millions of social media followers do care. I can't fault Callaway for going this route.

 

The parallels to old TaylorMade that someone else drew up above are very interesting. Callaway's marketing machine has been quite active (in these non-traditional outlets) and they're spending a fortune on player endorsement deals. Add in the Travis Mathew purchase, their stake in TopGolf, the Ogio purchase, etc., and it's clear they're trying to become a lifestyle brand.

 

Agree with this. Callaway has been a marketing monster since the launch of the first Epic. They have paid of lot of social media influencers which is clearly working. I see of lot of golf youtubers and podcasters are playing Callaway equipment and filming their fittings at Callaway's ECPC center. I'm thinking of guys like No Laying Up, Erik Anders Lang, Golfholics, Brodie Smith, and so on. Callaway has done a good job IMO, now whether or not their equipment is worth the hype is another story.