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Extending the Brand

By Golf Business posted 02-09-2017 09:52

  

If the decision-makers at the Haggin Oaks golf complex in Sacramento, California, had been reading the HBR blog post on “The Logic of Product-Line Extensions,” they might have been guided by it toward their recent successful idea to combine wedge-fitting with coaching and supervised practice. Already a leader in clubfitting and special instruction programs, Haggin Oaks was, in effect, missing an opportunity the same way Doritos was missing out—according to HBR—by not marketing a Cool Ranch extension to the Doritos corn chip selection. Once that new flavor became available to consumers, it gave the brand a jolt that lifted annual sales of Doritos over the $1 billion mark.

For its wedge-fitting-plus-coaching events, which happen on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons, the Haggin Oaks crew will try to bring two or three vendors together who provide an array of wedge lofts, sole designs, shafts and grips for the fittings. A golfer will split his or her time between instruction/practice and the fitting. Haggin Oaks charges participants $150, and for that price customers receive one fitted wedge plus instruction. As many as 40 to 60 people have participated in each event, roughly dividing into 30 percent women, 60 percent men and 10 percent youth. Four to six instructors cover it, sharing $25 from each customer’s fee. On average, anywhere from $6,000 to $9,000 in revenue is brought in during this two-hour event, with nearly 20 percent of participants actually purchasing more than one wedge.

The idea is an extension just as Cool Ranch Doritos was, representing an impressive double-down on scoring shot accuracy by pairing wedge-fitting with coaching sessions. No matter what business you’re in, the idea that is “one idea over” from what’s working already will very often be worth trying, although it may be hidden in plain sight and require the right kind of brainstorming to come to light.

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