A Brand Story: The Bridgestone Golf Ball Journey

[JB]

This was a good read. Bridgestone makes a really good ball, and I actually play it for probably half my rounds. Having said that, I just don't see how they can get to the top of ball sales. I don't see Titleist losing their top spot at all, and I think Callaway is making the most headway of anyone else. I really think them not having a strong presence in clubs hurts them in balls too. I think Bryson playing their ball really needs to be capitalized on, especially with Tiger out of the game for this year and probably at least most of next. I guess if other manufacturers struggle with production and materials, it could be a big opportunity for them.

Do you believe that is a product, marketing or something else initiative that needs to take place?
You mentioned Bryson and doing more. Can you use an example? I mean they do social with him, he talks about it and is featured in many of their ads.

 

[Lions81]

Do you believe that is a product, marketing or something else initiative that needs to take place?
You mentioned Bryson and doing more. Can you use an example? I mean they do social with him, he talks about it and is featured in many of their ads.

I guess I don't feel like I see many Bridgestone ball ads in general when I watch? Certainly nothing remotely in the realm of the Pro V ads that are on nonstop. I mean if I were them right now I'd be creating a commercial with his highlights from the long drive event, his tee shot at Bay Hill etc, and blasting that all over. Maybe do some sort of collaboration with Cobra on it?

From a different standpoint, I feel like I very rarely see Bridgestone balls being played at courses except by very informed golfers. That is great, but that is only so many balls. I feel like they need to find a way to get them into the less experienced golfers hands. Also, I think they need to start making hay at courses (both public and private). It seemed like a lot of the pros at private clubs had contracts with Titleist and those were the balls in the pro shops etc. Even when you walk into a public course and they have balls out front by the register, I feel like I never see them being Bridgestones.

 

[Daluteh]

That was a really long article, but a very good one. There is so much information and detail in there it is very interesting. Thank you for putting it together.

 

[Iceman!]

Well they push BDC and Tiger on the Japan site for sure:

 

[Lions81]

One of the things that has ALWAYS baffled me about Bridgestone was the inability to take over the ball industry. They have made a spectacular premium ball for years, and basically convinced golfers to look at their selections more for themselves vs what is on television. It has introduced four different styles that range in compression (and spin) pretty significantly, and are incredibly durable to boot. Not to mention, Tiger playing one for forever (worst kept secret ever) should have created a cult following.

How they never found a way to flat out take over the ball market is very lost on me.

I think they convinced their own customers to do that. Don't think they convinced the average golfer to do that all.

 

[Davidhibler]

Really good stuff here JB.

I do like a couple of the current offerings, and while I didn't feel it was the ball for me- the blind ball test for the E12 contact this year actually caused Marjorie to switch from the lady precept to the contact.

They make good stuff. Something for everyone in their line.
I'll be testing the new launch for sure.

 

[Parrot]

Great write up! I remember switching to the B330S during my very best stretch of golf (06-07) and saw my cap drop to its lowest ever. It took me a good number of years to get back to Bridgestone but the Tour B XS and RXS have been very good to me. I really enjoyed reading about the story.

 

[Lions81]

@JB, do you have, and if so are you able to share, their breakdown of balls? For example, this % buys/plays Tour B X, XS, RX, RXS, E12, E6 etc? Think that would be interesting to see.

 

[JB]

@JB, do you have, and if so are you able to share, their breakdown of balls? For example, this % buys/plays Tour B X, XS, RX, RXS, E12, E6 etc? Think that would be interesting to see.

In its entirety, yes, but would need to dig it up. Last time I checked, e6 and XS #1, followed closely by RX. This would be market share data though and based on the info in the article, for Bridgestone it might not paint a complete picture.

 

[Lions81]

In its entirety, yes, but would need to dig it up. Last time I checked, e6 and XS #1, followed closely by RX. This would be market share data though and based on the info in the article, for Bridgestone it might not paint a complete picture.

You don't need to dig it up, that's exactly what I wanted to know. I find that fascinating. Wouldn't you think the majority of golfers would "fit" into the RX line?

 

[JB]

You don't need to dig it up, that's exactly what I wanted to know. I find that fascinating. Wouldn't you think the majority of golfers would "fit" into the RX line?

To play off of your idea of more messaging with Tiger and Bryson, it would be hard to do that and not have golfers gravitate to the ball they play, right?

 

[Lions81]

To play off of your idea of more messaging with Tiger and Bryson, it would be hard to do that and not have golfers gravitate to the ball they play, right?

At least it might get them to gravitate to the Brand, and then go from there. But yes, I think that drives things more than anything is my point. I don't think most golfers are thinking about "fit" with the ball as the # 1 buying thought. There are probably people way smarter than me that have data that says otherwise though.

 

[Browndog]

I stocked up on Bridgestone Tour BRX earlier this year when they ran their buy 3 get one free promo and bought 9 dozen for a total of 12 dozen balls. About half way through them now. I play 4-5 times a week. I especially like them around the greens.

Tried the E12 contact earlier this year and they were definitely longer off of my irons but also did not check up as much. They were a big improvement however over the previous E12 which was hot off of everything, very low spin.

I played the E6 for a long time and found it to be a very straight flying ball.

The reason I have tended to play Bridgestone balls is they have given me better dispersion in general.

 

[Iceman!]

I just think not have a "Stable" of Tour Players hurts their sales.
In NASCAR - they say,, Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday
I'm thinking Golf is the same and with not a lot of wins on Sunday, Selling on Monday makes it tough.
There is no listing of a Tour Player on Kory Ferry tour on Bridgestone's Web site

 

[Parrot]

@JB, any idea how prevalent Bridgestone is in green grass shops? It's not something I've noticed until I started playing the Tour B last year. Other than maybe Southwind, I don't remember seeing Bridgestone balls at any of the "better" courses I've played.

 

[JB]

I just think not have a "Stable" of Tour Players hurts their sales.
In NASCAR - they say,, Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday
I'm thinking Golf is the same and with not a lot of wins on Sunday, Selling on Monday makes it tough.
There is no listing of a Tour Player on Kory Ferry tour on Bridgestone's Web site

You don't think having the two most talked about golfers on the planet does that? Asking genuinely.
In my opinion the flip side of adding a dozen Troy Merrits (as an example) does little to impact sales overall. You either need to have the count overall or a discerning difference in players (my opinion). See TaylorMade last year, cutting 3/4 of their staff but having visibility and increasing sales.

Then again, I am not of the belief that tour is the only mousetrap to bring volume. Do golfers believe (I dont know the answer) that if Scott Stallings wins with a ball, people flock to buy it?

 

[mancest]

Great read, but like some others, I am wondering how bridgestone can capitalize on internet sales.

If I were them I would be fighting with Vice for youtube ads. 15-30 second ads hitting tiger/Bryson and what they have accomplished with a bridgestone. In the last few years alone: Ryder cup win for the US, US Open, Masters.

 

[JB]

@JB, any idea how prevalent Bridgestone is in green grass shops? It's not something I've noticed until I started playing the Tour B last year. Other than maybe Southwind, I don't remember seeing Bridgestone balls at any of the "better" courses I've played.

That would be a them question. In my area (both FL and TN) it is fairly prevalent.

 

[Iceman!]

You don't think having the two most talked about golfers on the planet does that? Asking genuinely.
In my opinion the flip side of adding a dozen Troy Merrits (as an example) does little to impact sales overall. You either need to have the count overall or a discerning difference in players (my opinion). See TaylorMade last year, cutting 3/4 of their staff but having visibility and increasing sales.

Then again, I am not of the belief that tour is the only mousetrap to bring volume. Do golfers believe (I dont know the answer) that if Scott Stallings wins with a ball, people flock to buy it?

Well it's not about the dozen Troy Merritt's in the stable, it's the Troy Merritt and Scott Stallings winning and using that opportunity to promote your winning product.
Plus various Media sites posting WITB and your product showing up.

Can't do with with 3 players with 1 not playing.... If you can't scream the loudest (Titleist), you have to scream the most (Callaway)....

 

[JB]

Well it's not about the dozen Troy Merritt's in the stable, it's the Troy Merritt and Scott Stallings winning and using that opportunity to promote your winning product.
Plus various Media sites posting WITB and your product showing up.

Can't do with with 3 players with 1 not playing.... If you can't scream the loudest (Titleist), you have to scream the most (Callaway)....

Genuinely I have a different opinion on the matter. The ROI has to exist on players, especially in a time when products are selling well like the golf ball category. If you have the two biggest, and two that create their own activation of content, Im not sure 5-10 other run of the mill players changes much.

 

[Lions81]

Great read, but like some others, I am wondering how bridgestone can capitalize on internet sales.

If I were them I would be fighting with Vice for youtube ads. 15-30 second ads hitting tiger/Bryson and what they have accomplished with a bridgestone. In the last few years alone: Ryder cup win for the US, US Open, Masters.

Yup. Bryson holding up his driver at the RC and the drive he hit on the par 5 there is a ready made ad. He has the most eyes on him in golf by a mile right now and not sure they are capturing it as much as they could

 

[Iceman!]

Genuinely I have a different opinion on the matter. The ROI has to exist on players, especially in a time when products are selling well like the golf ball category. If you have the two biggest, and two that create their own activation of content, Im not sure 5-10 other run of the mill players changes much.

It's ok that we differ, that's why we are here. I just think that once a new release has been made on a new product that has a 2 year cycle, once the 6 month excitement wears off, you need more that two spokespersons that use the product to tell your story. People get "Tuned Out" by hearing the same two people.

 

[JB]

It's ok that we differ, that's why we are here. I just think that once a new release has been made on a new product that has a 2 year cycle, once the 6 month excitement wears off, you need more that two spokespersons that use the product to tell your story. People get "Tuned Out" by hearing the same two people.

So the counterpoint to that is lets say you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars sponsoring the Troy Merrits and Scott Stallings of the world. What happens if they don't win? Since without them winning, they aren't getting TV time, right?

 

[YukonLiving]

Great article, JB. It was really interesting to hear some of the history and thought process when designing and marketing golf balls. As for myself, I've played Bridgestone balls a few times and genuinely enjoy the performance of both the B-RX and the BX for different reasons. Unfortunately however, they're tricky to get a hold of up here unless I want to order online and keep a stock at home.

And I think that's where the next point comes in. I've played rounds where people see my ball and say "oh, I didn't know Bridgestone made golf balls - I thought they were a tire company." And so I explain a bit of their history and show both Tiger and Bryson using the ball. So is this accessibility or product marketing? I'm not really sure.

I definitely appreciate the amount of research and tech that Bridgestone put into their golf balls, and firmly believe that using their larger reach from the company overall will help them in the long run if materials do become hard to find.

As for fitting - I absolutely love V-Fit. I actually laughed out loud the first time I got my results back. It was something I'd never seen before and it changed my entire perception around golf balls. I firmly believe that everyone should try it at least once!

 

[Iceman!]

So the counterpoint to that is lets say you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars sponsoring the Troy Merrits and Scott Stallings of the world. What happens if they don't win? Since without them winning, they aren't getting TV time, right?

Your are correct however that is the chance you take to increase your exposure.
Bridgestone has some money to risk - If you are in the Golf Ball Business, your are in the Commodity business. Bigger Volume, Lower Margins.
Take a shot, Shake it up - Make yourself noticed.

Heck, I've seen Wilson sponsoring some younger players on European Tour.