Brand Relevance - one of the 3 ABCs of golf industry marketing.

RCD — Relevance, Credibility, Differentiation. These are the ABCs of golf industry marketing. They are the fundamentals, like Grip, Aim and Stance in golf.

When you look at golf companies — large and small — that have become successful brands, you'll notice strength, consistency and often superiority in those three areas.

In the golf industry right now, staying relevant is the most important fundamental of all.

There are many old, traditional golf companies that are struggling to stay relevant in the face of shifting demographics and changes in consumer behavior. (Most notably, the willingness to buy equipment sight unseen on the web.)

Case in point... Look what's been happening with the on again off again saga of the Ben Hogan Golf. It has become irrelevant. Despite well-funded efforts to revive the brand it's just not on anyone's radar.

So let's take a closer look at relevance as a key to the ABCs of golf industry marketing and branding.

Brand relevance is closely related to specialization and niche marketing. Because you can't be relevant to everyone. So let's look to an example outside the golf industry for a minute...

My old friend Preston Thompson understood the importance of branding and the need for a niche within the guitar market. He painstakingly crafted high-end guitars for discerning bluegrass musicians who are looking for a very specific, classic, Martin-like sound.

Obviously, the Thompson Guitars are not relevant to those of us who don't play the guitar.

But they are also NOT relevant to most guitar players.

NOT relevant to pop stars or young, smash-grass musicians.

NOT relevant to classical guitarists.

NOT even relevant to most blue grass guitarists.

Thompson's craftsmanship, and the Thompson brand, is only relevant to a very narrow, niche audience.

Wisely, Preston never worried about that.

Rather than casting a wide net, and trying to be relevant to a broad range of guitar players, he stayed hyper focused. Relevant to few, but highly valued.

So here's one of the most important strategic marketing questions you should think about:

What are you NOT?

The more focused you are, the easier it is to maintain relevance among the prospects who matter most. Relevance is not an absolute. In fact, it's a bit of a moving target.

Sometimes entire categories experience a dip in relevance. Like what's happened in the soft drink industry... bubbly soft drinks like Coke and Pepsi are not as relevant to young consumers who have taken to Glaceau Vitamin Water, Gatoraide, SoBe, Arizona Iced Tea, Kombucha and more than 50 other alternatives.

It's a function of choice, really. When I was growing up, we didn't have all those choices. Just Cok, Pepsi, or Kool Aid in the summer.

The golf industry has experienced a surge of relevance since COVID 19, and a massive increase in the number of choices in every product category.

So the importance of specialization and brand relevance has increased dramatically.

The more choices there are in your category, the harder it is to maintain relevance.

It's tough staying "on the radar" when there are so many new products, new companies, and new offerings being unveiled. How many of the 50 brands of flavored water do you think will be around ten years from now?

Being relevant equates to being meaningful. If your brand is meaningful, you'll generate interest. People will desire it. And they'll take action. That's what you want: Interest. Desire. Action.

Many brands fail because they didn't really mean anything to begin with. Others lose their meaning over time, due to a lack of credibility or a shift in the market, or more competition.

They haven't mastered the branding fundamentals. The ABCs.