By: Kyle Berger, Skee-Ball Product Manager, Bay Tek Entertainment
If you were asked, “what’s your brand” back in the 1950’s or 60’s you most likely would have replied with the brand of cigarettes you smoked. Luckily, for the health of us all, that trend has faded and the globally competitive world of branding applies to almost everything we consume. From durable products to entertainment and all things in between, the power of brands sways our choosing and buying decisions on a daily basis. I’ll take my own personal passion for example, golf. Let me be clear, I am not a good golfer, but rather I just have an unhealthy obsession for the game.
Every segment of the golf industry has competitive brands all vying for my attention and dollars. Shirts, shoes, clubs, balls, gloves, courses, the list and choices for each go on and on. The tools these brands use to reach me are also endless; magazines, professional endorsements, on-course demos, free samples, social media etc….
My best example is the golf ball. For many years I have used the same Titleist branded golf ball. There is no single, overwhelming reason why I stick with this ball. Maybe because it is the “#1 Ball on Tour,” or my friends use, or its round and shiny with numbers on it. Could it actually be performance? Well, I did my own test on that.
One of Titleist’s competitors, TaylorMade launched a new ball in the fall of last year and touted that it was “on par” (my own beautiful pun…) with the “#1 ball in golf.” They got a few professionals to switch, gave some impressive analytics, and created some fancy designs. Price point was identical, so I figured what the heck, I’ll try a dozen.
What did I find with my test? Both balls ended up on the bottom when I hit them in the water. I couldn’t find either when I sliced into the woods. They both scuffed the same when I hit the cart path (or parking lot…). Long story short, they performed close enough to where I could not tell a difference. My next dozen balls…… back to Titleist. With all things equal, I chose the brand I was familiar with, could trust, and believed would consistently provide the experience I expected.
Brand building takes time. Brand sustainability and relevance take effort and innovation. At Bay Tek we are being very intentional about how we care for, and grow our brands. Skee-Ball®, Gamer Green®, Big Bass Wheel®, among others are our brands that create unique interactions and experience for users. We look forward to building consumer loyalty with great products and entertainment to make Bay Tek Brands the #1 choice.