POWERBILT AIR FORCE ONE N7 HYBRID CLUB DRIVER
POWERBILT AIR FORCE ONE N7 HYBRID CLUB PROFESSIONAL

The lynchpin to this entire model is you have to make clubs whose performance is equal to if not better than competitors and provide the customer the type of value for which they’re looking. Ultimately this is the combination that wins.” Brand awareness still plays a role, but not it’s not the deciding factor. “What you see in that environment is people who are ultimately focused on performance. In this context, the player isn’t as brand conscious and may even be resistant to the often unfulfilled promises from less than honest marketing efforts of large OEMs.

POWERBILT AIR FORCE ONE N7 HYBRID CLUB PROFESSIONAL

Instead, Kvinge sees a distinct home court advantage with professional fitters. Because retail space is controlled by the behemoths of the industry, you won’t see Air Force One fighting for space at your local PGA Superstore. If a brand is going to exist for any period of time, it has to “win” somewhere. The question is, what do you do about this? Succeeding in an online environment is absolutely critical, and if Kvinge really wants to establish Air Force One as a distinct brand, he’ll have to figure out a way to remove unnecessary roadblocks. If I’m interested in the product, I’d prefer not to have to search that hard to find the homepage to get more information. In fact, if anything, it’s reasonable to think Powerbilt and Air Force One still have a bit of thing for each other. Google “Air Force One Golf” and you’ll be hard pressed to find the homepage for the newly single Air Force One.

It’s much cleaner to sell your product when you only have a single, focused story to tell.īut, like any relationship gone sour, there’s some scar tissue. It makes sense from an economic standpoint, as Kvinge states “It costs ten times as much to resurrect brand as it does to launch one”, and it makes sense from a brand clarification perspective.

POWERBILT AIR FORCE ONE N7 HYBRID CLUB DRIVER

The AFO DFX premium driver starts at $249, and in this case a lower price works against perception of the brand.īut as of now, that complicated relationship is in the rearview, although some objects are still closer than Kvinge would like. Economists refer to “prestige goods” as items which require higher prices so people believe they’re purchasing something of quality. The history of the company as one of the oldest (est.1859) and most reputable companies meant nothing to a generation of golfers raised on titanium heads and solid core balls.Ĭonversely, those who count a dusty Louisville Slugger and trusty PowerBilt three wood as valuable family heirlooms couldn’t quite wrap their collective heads around the uber-affordable pricing structure of this newfangled N7 nitrogen-infused technology. It didn’t matter that PowerBilt was in the bag of more than 120 PGA Tour winners like Chip Beck, Frank Beard, Fuzzy Zoeller and Grant Waite.

You had the golfer who knew PowerBilt as a premium name releasing more budget friendly clubs.Then you had younger golfers who had no idea who Powerbilt was.” – Ross Kvinge

The problem was consumers never got this message. Take the heritage and credibility of the PowerBilt name, add in some 21st century compressed nitrogen technology, and presto, you have a high-performance golf company (Air Force One) with built-in brand awareness and a positive history steeped in a rich tradition of quality product (PowerBilt). On paper, Kvinge’s original 2009 plan seemed to make a lot of sense. Truthfully, it doesn’t conjure up much of anything to do with golf.Īnd therein lies the basics of the problem, one which CEO Ross Kvinge (pictured above) is working to resolve by re-launching Air Force One as its own entity. The name doesn’t exactly conjure up nostalgic memories of persimmon woods and leather wrapped/hickory shafted mashie niblicks. As in, it’s gone the way of the dodo bird and Taylor Swift songs which are actually country. Now, Air Force Oneis both the brand and licensee and the PowerBilt name is no longer. So let’s set the record straight.Īir Force One equipment was previously released under the PowerBilt Brand, a licensee of Hillerich and Bradsby. Chances are, any association you do have is tied to a company that rhymes with Schmowerbilt. Depending on how closely you follow companies not named TaylorMade, Titleist or Callaway, you may have some vague idea about Air Force One.

Powerbilt air force one n7 hybrid club