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TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s aim is to be the leading performance golf company in the world in terms of sales and profitability. It combines three of golf’s most well-known and respected brands: TaylorMade, adidas Golf and Ashworth. The segment’s primary strategic pillars are to continuously develop and commercialise innovative, technologically advanced products while at the same time maintaining credibility through high visibility on professional golf tours. In addition, leveraging brand equity through the creation and execution of new marketing and retail initiatives as well as improving global distribution are key priorities for long-term growth.

TaylorMade-adidas Golf implements a multi-brand strategy comprised of three well-defined golf brands under one roof. TaylorMade is the market leader in the metalwoods category, is among the leaders in irons, and is steadily evolving as a challenger in golf balls. ...

TaylorMade-adidas Golf implements a multi-brand strategy comprised of three well-defined golf brands under one roof. TaylorMade is the market leader in the metalwoods category, is among the leaders in irons, and is steadily evolving as a challenger in golf balls. adidas Golf develops high-performance footwear and apparel for athletes who want to maximise their physical potential in order to play the game at the highest level. Ashworth is an authentic golf-inspired lifestyle brand complementing adidas Golf’s position, increasing the segment’s presence in the golf apparel market. Combining adidas Golf and Ashworth, TaylorMade-adidas Golf is a global leader in golf apparel and number two in footwear.

TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s core objective is to create the best performance golf products in the marketplace, and that starts with a clear commitment to innovation and technology. The segment therefore strives to extend its leadership position with a continued focus on innovation and cutting-edge design while introducing at least one major product innovation or evolution every 12 to 18 months. ...

TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s core objective is to create the best performance golf products in the marketplace, and that starts with a clear commitment to innovation and technology. The segment therefore strives to extend its leadership position with a continued focus on innovation and cutting-edge design while introducing at least one major product innovation or evolution every 12 to 18 months. In 2009, for example, TaylorMade introduced its new R9™ drivers incorporating Flight Control Technology, which for the first time gave players the ability to easily change the club’s face angle, loft and lie angle by adjusting a screw in the sole. Prior to this, Tour professionals had their drivers altered to suit their swing by having equipment technicians bend the clubhead. This type of innovation helped the R9™ achieve the position as number one driver model on the PGA Tour and best-selling driver model in the United States.

Golfers of all levels are influenced by what equipment the best professional players in the world play with and wear. Hence, TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s leadership and presence on the world’s major professional golf tours is imperative to increasing brand exposure and traction among consumers. ...

Golfers of all levels are influenced by what equipment the best professional players in the world play with and wear. Hence, TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s leadership and presence on the world’s major professional golf tours is imperative to increasing brand exposure and traction among consumers. To attract the most talented players, TaylorMade-adidas Golf offers a comprehensive service to the world’s leading players. For example, the TaylorMade support fleet travels the PGA and European Tours from event to event, each with a fully staffed, state-of-the-art workshop for building and servicing drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putters on the spot. Today, the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Tour Staff includes high-profile names like Sergio Garcia, Sean O’Hair, Yong-Eun Yang, Dustin Johnson, Fred Funk, Justin Rose, Paula Creamer, Retief Goosen, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Mike Weir, Andres Romero, Darren Clarke and Natalie Gulbis, as well as Martin Kaymer, one of the European Tour’s stars and the top-ranked golfer in Germany, who joined the TaylorMade Tour Staff in 2009.

Well-coordinated and consumer-relevant marketing is paramount to attaining sustainable market leadership. To achieve that, TaylorMade-adidas Golf has combined product marketing, brand communication and retail marketing into one fully integrated global marketing team. ...

Well-coordinated and consumer-relevant marketing is paramount to attaining sustainable market leadership. To achieve that, TaylorMade-adidas Golf has combined product marketing, brand communication and retail marketing into one fully integrated global marketing team. This team uses a variety of strong marketing tools to achieve its objectives. Product launches are supported by substantial PR and marketing campaigns, involving key assets and best-in-class customer support to drive new product sell-through. In addition to traditional marketing techniques, TaylorMade-adidas Golf is also dedicated to exploring and executing new and innovative ways to promote products using social media (Facebook and Twitter), online initiatives like www.Projectburner.com and product seeding initiatives like last year’s free Burner® 6-iron giveaway and the Penta TP free-sleeve programme in 2010. Another prime example of TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s efforts to create unique promotional events is the “Wear in the World” golf adventure, which involves testing performance apparel in some of the world’s most extreme weather conditions.
Destinations included golf courses in Death Valley, California, the high altitudes of Bolivia and Argentina and Walker Bay in South Africa. The programme, which illustrates how technologies such as CLIMACOOL®, CLIMALITE® and CLIMAPROOF® can help provide a competitive advantage in the most extreme golf conditions, attracted widespread attention from consumers and the media.

TaylorMade-adidas Golf works with retail partners that possess the skills to effectively showcase the performance advantages and modern design credentials of TaylorMade, adidas Golf and Ashworth products. ...

TaylorMade-adidas Golf works with retail partners that possess the skills to effectively showcase the performance advantages and modern design credentials of TaylorMade, adidas Golf and Ashworth products. Core channels include green grass retailers, off-course golf specialty retailers and sporting goods retail formats with golf-specific departments. Focusing on strategic accounts, TaylorMade-adidas Golf strives to create and make available state-of-the-art floor displays that show off products and communicate key messages as clearly as possible, allowing it to position its clubs, balls, footwear and apparel among the top-selling golf products in these retail channels. Close working relationships with key accounts will continue in 2010, as will efforts to build additional brand presence at smaller retailers and on-course golf shops. In emerging markets throughout the world, the company employs established adidas Group infrastructures to distribute products, promote awareness and drive growth.

The acquisition of Ashworth presents TaylorMade-adidas Golf with a unique opportunity to establish a lifestyle business. Through the combination ...

The acquisition of Ashworth presents TaylorMade-adidas Golf with a unique opportunity to establish a lifestyle business. Through the combination of adidas Golf and Ashworth, the segment is now the leading manufacturer in the golf apparel market. The acquisition allows adidas Golf to sharpen its focus and leadership in performance apparel, while under its new multi-brand approach Ashworth can be refocused to golf lifestyle. Its roots in golf and authenticity as a golf brand provide a key differentiator from other golf lifestyle brands. From a product perspective, the brand will primarily focus on extending its leadership in functional cotton products that deliver a modern look and will prioritise the men’s segment. In line with TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s strategy, Ashworth will also seek to build Tour visibility and credibility utilising partners such as Tour professional Fred Couples. While maintaining two distinct brands, to maximise the commercial opportunity of the acquisition, all operating and go-to-market functions have been fully integrated to take advantage of operational and fixed cost synergies.

TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s pricing policy mirrors the positioning of its three brands. TaylorMade’s pricing strategy is to dominate the market at premium price points and compete aggressively in the high-volume mid-price segment. adidas Golf supports its market reputation as the innovation leader by selling its products primarily at premium price points....

TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s pricing policy mirrors the positioning of its three brands. TaylorMade’s pricing strategy is to dominate the market at premium price points and compete aggressively in the high-volume mid-price segment. adidas Golf supports its market reputation as the innovation leader by selling its products primarily at premium price points. Ashworth positions products in the mid- and premium-price categories. Market share expansion, particularly in golf, is driven mainly by the ability to deliver best-in-class lines of products at multiple price points. In 2009, an example of TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s success in implementing this strategy is the TOUR360 Limited (high-price) footwear and FitRx (medium-priced) footwear.

TaylorMade category priorities include strengthening its position as the number one metalwood brand in the world, building on its growing global market share in irons and increasing its presence in wedges, putters and balls. ...

TaylorMade category priorities include strengthening its position as the number one metalwood brand in the world, building on its growing global market share in irons and increasing its presence in wedges, putters and balls.

• Metalwoods: Today, TaylorMade is the clear market leader in metalwoods (drivers, fairway woods and hybrids). The brand is particularly strong in the USA, where it has forged a 30% share of the market and a large lead over its closest competitor. The brand’s primary focus going forward is to remain the innovation leader and expand its metalwood business outside the USA. This will in part be driven by strengthening its promotion partnerships in other regions. From a product perspective, the brand will build on the success of the R9™ franchise forged in 2009 with the launch of the R9™ SuperTri, the first club to unify all of TaylorMade’s major driver technologies: Movable Weight Technology®, Flight Control Technology, Inverted Cone Technology and Ultra-Thin Wall Technology, as well as the extension of the Burner® family of metalwoods with the introduction of the Burner® SuperFast, which, at 284 grams, is the lightest driver TaylorMade has produced to date. Together, the R9™ SuperTri and the new Burner® SuperFast driver will be promoted with an extensive television, online and print campaign called “TaylorMade vs. TaylorMade”.


• Irons: In 2009, the new Burner® irons have provided TaylorMade with a strong foundation for future growth in the category. As opposed to previous TaylorMade irons, the Burner® long-irons, middle-irons and short-irons were developed separately rather than in conjunction with each other. Their immediate popularity made Burner® the first TaylorMade iron model to reach number one in sales in the United States, which in turn helped TaylorMade reach number one in iron market share in the United States for the first time in the brand’s history, a position it has now held since August 2009. In 2010, TaylorMade will leverage this success with various product updates and geographic expansion.


• Wedges: Leveraging TaylorMade’s success in metalwoods and irons to other categories such as wedges continues to be a strategic priority. Innovation again is critical in this respect and, in 2009, TaylorMade debuted Exchangeable Face Technology (xFT) in the category. xFT permits players to easily replace a worn clubface with a new one, making it possible to maintain a fresh, spin-inducing clubface without replacing the clubhead. For the consumer, this is more cost-effective than buying a new wedge. In light of the USGA and R&A’s recent ruling dictating that iron-groove design must be less aggressive to promote less backspin, xFT offers a distinct advantage which should allow TaylorMade to grow its market share significantly in 2010.


• Putters: TaylorMade’s Rossa® Monza® Spider high-MOI putters continued to be in high demand by golfers everywhere, and were used to win multiple tour events around the world. A 2009 addition to the line, the Monza® Spider Balero, is extremely popular in Asia and helped make TaylorMade the number two putter brand in Japan. Plans in 2010 call for a new addition to the Monza® Spider line that incorporates the input and suggestions of a variety of Tour pros.


• Golf balls: Success in this category depends on the ability to create high-performance golf balls, bring them to market and build credibility among Tour professionals. In 2009, TaylorMade’s status as a maker of premium golf balls was enhanced when Tour professional Yong-Eun Yang captured the PGA Championship using a TP Red, the first time a major championship was won with a TaylorMade ball. In 2010, TaylorMade will continue to build on its momentum in golf balls, driven by the Penta TP ball. This is the first five-layer golf ball, designed to promote optimum performance on the five critical golf shots – driver, long-iron, middle-iron, short-iron and partial wedges. TaylorMade intends to enhance marketplace acceptance and sales in the golf ball category by extending TaylorMade branded offerings, and increasing the number of Tour professionals using TaylorMade balls.

adidas Golf makes high-performance golf footwear and apparel for athletes who want to maximise their physical potential in order to play the game at their highest level. Therefore, the brand’s array of products embodies its popular maxim – Equipment For Your Body™....

adidas Golf makes high-performance golf footwear and apparel for athletes who want to maximise their physical potential in order to play the game at their highest level. Therefore, the brand’s array of products embodies its popular maxim – Equipment For Your Body™. In footwear, leveraging proprietary technologies from various other adidas categories such as adiPRENE®+ with golf-specific technologies offers a significant competitive advantage over pure play golf footwear brands. In 2009, adidas Golf was able to bring significant new innovation to market including the ultra-stable TOUR360 4.0 with revolutionary THiNTech technology, and TOUR360 Sport with “50/50 protect”, as well as the ultra-comfortable FitRx and FitRx Sport.
In apparel, adidas Golf positions itself as the most innovative performance brand in the game by utilising adidas technologies such as FORMOTION™, CLIMACOOL® and CLIMAPROOF® technologies in adidas Golf apparel products. adidas Golf was the first major brand to incorporate technologies like these into golf apparel.
In 2010, a variety of exciting new launches such as a new premium offering called adiPURE™ (footwear and apparel) will continue adidas Golf’s authentic union of design, technology and function.
In addition, the brand will begin to leverage its partnership portfolio further. New signature lines planned with Natalie Gulbis and Paula Creamer designed for and with input from these two highly popular and visible LPGA stars will help adidas Golf expand its line of women-specific golf products. Also planned is the TOUR360 4.0 Sport, which offers a new approach to combining breathability with protection, and a new range of CLIMACOOL® tops and bottoms with soft-touch COOLMAX® fabric.

Ashworth, which was acquired in 2008, provides TaylorMade-adidas Golf with a unique opportunity to establish a golf lifestyle business. Founded in 1987, Ashworth’s roots in golf and authenticity as a golf brand provide a key differentiator from other golf lifestyle brands. ...

Ashworth, which was acquired in 2008, provides TaylorMade-adidas Golf with a unique opportunity to establish a golf lifestyle business. Founded in 1987, Ashworth’s roots in golf and authenticity as a golf brand provide a key differentiator from other golf lifestyle brands. In 2009, Ashworth’s efforts focused on creating a platform for future profitable growth. Steps taken consist of a branding facelift including modernising its iconic Golfman logo, definition of product range architecture, cleaning up of distribution and revamping its partnership portfolio. In addition, all Ashworth operating and go-to-market functions were fully integrated with adidas Golf to take advantage of operational and fixed-cost synergies.
In 2010, the brand will be re-launched with a focus on reconnecting with all golfers (professionals and non-professionals alike) as the authentic golf brand, building on its reputation for relaxed, lifestyle-orientated apparel that appeals to golf enthusiasts of all ages, both on and off the course. Products will incorporate proprietary EZ-Tech fabrics which deliver easy care and superior wear, and performance fabrics for warm-climate, on-course use. Like the other brands in the TaylorMade-adidas Golf segment, Ashworth will seek to build Tour visibility and credibility utilising partners such as Tour professionals Fred Couples, Sean O’Hair, Ryan Palmer and Charles Howell III.