Callaway labored with Netflix and Glad Madison on the brand new merchandise, with Callaway’s Odyssey taking part in a barely larger function within the inventive course of than it did in making the unique Glad Gilmore putter. Earlier than filming the 1999 authentic, director Dennis Dugan approached Odyssey Sports activities marketer Vikash Sanyal about making a putter resembling a hockey stick for the film. The corporate agreed, asking solely that one among its inserts be used because the stick and its brand seem on the blade.
The corporate was bought by Callaway for $130 million a 12 months after Glad Gilmore’s launch, and a model of the putter made it into McInally’s Callaway workplace within the U.Ok. a number of years in the past. Whereas “a bit huge” and “nice for digital camera, however not essentially match for goal,” the hockey stick putter predicted not solely Callaway’s participation in a Glad Gilmore sequel, however its golf advertising and marketing future {that a} robust social media presence, trick-shot influencers, and movie star companions like Stephen Curry, Justin Herbert, and Niall Horan.
“At any time when we’re doing advertising and marketing, each time we’re doing activation, we’re at all times attempting to focus on golfers, however there’s an viewers that may sit and watch the Golf Channel each week, and watch the PGA Tour, watch the LPGA, and so on.,” McInally mentioned. “That’s most likely about 15 to twenty% of your viewers whenever you get the chance of one thing like [Happy Gilmore 2], that hardcore golfers are going to look at, occasional golfers are going to look at, comedy followers are going to look at, Adam Sandler, followers are going to look at. It simply makes it a lot greater.”
Any individual’s nearer
The Nationwide Golf Federation discovered that 32.9 million of the 45 million individuals who performed golf within the U.S. in 2023 did so at off-course services. Final 12 months, the variety of golfers taking part in solely at off-course services rose from 18.4 million to greater than 19 million. McInally famous that, in South Korea, greater than half of the nation’s golfers won’t ever play on a course.
Whereas Callaway is aiming for that entire group of golfers, the modifications to golf demographics have it taking a running-start swing on the sport’s extra informal followers. McInally famous that, up to now, Callaway would’ve launched a marketing campaign round Glad Gilmore 2 with a number of TV advertisements, a function in Golf Digest, print advertisements, a presence at Dick’s Sporting Items or the PGA Tour Superstore—and hope {that a} Callaway-sponsored participant would win that weekend.
