The scripting process begins for most companies with a design meeting about a year and a half before an event. But he wears Nike apparel in most public appearances, including advertising for other sponsors. His contract is for more than clothing Woods uses Nike golf clubs and balls. Woods has been under contract to Nike since 1996, and the company has paid him nearly a quarter billion dollars. Then people started to realize they could involve the entire marketing, production and merchandising chain and make the most of the national exposure.”Īn explosive increase in the sponsorship dollars paid to professional golfers no doubt had an effect as well. “But you had no control over how they would wear them or when. “Once upon a time, the pros were just happy to get a box of free clothes,” said Eddie Fadel, the vice president of Ashworth Golf. The history of this planning dates to the 1980s, though it was not nearly as structured. Golf Datatech, a Florida company that conducts research on eight golf product categories, intends to distribute its first retail apparel report this fall.Ĭlothing manufacturers prepare wardrobes primarily for top-ranked players and only during the four major championships: the British Open, the United States Open, the Masters and the P.G.A. Organizations that follow equipment sales estimate that market to be in the $4 billion to $5 billion range, and the apparel marketplace is widely evaluated as comparable, if not bigger. ![]() No trade organization tracks golf apparel sales. You get somebody playing well in clothes that look good, it really moves the needle for apparel.” “We see the influx online, and our customer service phone line will get the calls from retailers who are reacting to requests from consumers. “A single shirt worn by one of our athletes on a Sunday afternoon winning a tournament can raise sales 10 percent,” said Tiss Dahan, the senior director of global apparel at Adidas Golf. ![]() ![]() His face and clothes will appear on Web sites and in newspapers, and his winning outfit could surface again a month or a year later on magazine covers. The winner in golf could be on television throughout the world for five consecutive hours. But in individual sports like golf and tennis, the playing fields of major championships are akin to a fashion week runway, only better. Top athletes in most sports wear uniforms, so orchestrating their attire to maximize sales is not an option. The reigning United States Open champion, Lucas Glover, will wear a bright yellow Nike shirt with gray pants. Kenny Perry will wear a navy plaid print shirt and light khaki pants. No one knows what score Sergio García will shoot during Saturday’s third round at Turnberry in Scotland, but he will undoubtedly wear white pants and a blue shirt with a white piping stripe, according to the clothing script provided to him by his sponsor Adidas Golf. It is the same for almost all the top golfers. To ensure that retailers have a new design or color modeled by Woods on their shelves this weekend, Nike had its first meetings about Woods’s 2009 British Open wardrobe 17 months ago. What Woods wears each day at every major championship this year has been scripted for him by his sponsor Nike since last summer. Golf is notoriously fickle, yet golf apparel manufacturers leave no marketing opportunity to chance. And Sunday, Woods will wear a new, textured red argyle shirt with black pants. ![]() It will be a bright coral color Friday and white with a stripe Saturday. As Tiger Woods prepares to putt on the 18th green this weekend at the British Open, he will assess many variables: the speed of the green, the grain in the grass, the wind, the slope, even the moisture underfoot.īut there is one thing about Woods at the 138th British Open that has been set in stone for more than a year: the color and design of his shirt, pants and hat.įor Thursday’s first round, his shirt will be navy and striped.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |