VIDEO: Watch GolfTEC’s exclusive tour of Callaway Headquarters with Amanda Balionis
By Jon Levy
From dud to stud.
Not that Callaway Golf was ever a dud, but the brand-defining Sir Isaac Newton caricature of their early years didn’t push a vibe as the cool kid on the block, either.
Fact was, however, it served as a great example of irony because the makers of the original Big Bertha driver of the early 1990s – the single product that all but changed the golf industry forever – were about as cool as it could get.
Still, the image of Ely Callaway Jr.’s brainchild had remained mostly unchanged from an image standpoint since 1982, even amid continued growth as a key industry trend-setter into the new century. That was, until new SVP of Marketing, Harry Arnett, arrived in 2012.
A shift in strategy, a shift in perception
Arnett’s arrival came with no shortage of ideas to change the public’s perception of Callaway. Big ideas.
The company’s new strategy – to unofficially paraphrase – was going all in on using Callaway’s powerful voice to generate appealing content that taps into the passion golfers have for the game.
This was combined with a focus on attracting a younger, more diverse audience that reshaped how people saw Callaway product to understand that – to unofficially paraphrase again – “these aren’t your grandpa’s Callaways.”
It worked.
Armed with some incredible product to back up the new shift in marketing, Callaway became the No. 1 selling iron in 2015 and continues growing in a stagnant golf market as the world’s largest maker of golf clubs.
All or nothing
It’s likely Arnett and the top minds at Callaway knew that if they were going to dive into uncharted waters for an OEM, they’d have to have to go all in for their marketing-forward approach to work.
Considering unprecedented ideas like Callaway Live, Callaway Talks and other video multimedia series, as well as out-in-left-field ideas like the Links at PETCO Park (where Callaway turned an MLB stadium into a 9-hole golf course), is safe to say they’ve wholeheartedly done so.
Our behind-the-scenes look at Callaway Headquarters!
GolfTEC’s Dave Pauley and I recently received an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour at Callaway Golf Headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif.
But not just any tour – we were escorted by Callaway Media Correspondent and freelance TV reporter, Amanda Balionis, who served as the consummate guide and host for our trip into the heart of the world’s largest golf club manufacturer.
So, what did we see?
Check out the fun video of our INCREDIBLE day below, and see just why Callaway Golf continues growing not only as the world’s largest golf OEM, but as the coolest kid of them all.
VIDEO: A tour of Callaway with Amanda Balionis
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