Callaway To Sponsor 30-Minute Segment Of Super Bowl Pregame Show

Callaway Showcasing Its Diablo Edge Golf Clubs During Pregame Show

Callaway Golf Company has signed on as the presenting sponsor for a 30-minute segment of CBS' "Super Bowl Today" pregame show Sunday, marking the first-ever Super Bowl pregame show sponsorship struck by a standalone golf company. Callaway will employ its 5:00-5:30pm ET sponsorship to showcase its '10 product line, headlined by the company's new Diablo Edge golf clubs. The line arrives at retail on February 15 (Callaway). SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Jon Show reports the sponsorship includes a "video clip introduction to the pregame show that intersperses golf- and football-themed highlights with Callaway branding." Callaway also will air 90 seconds worth of TV spots prior to the game, and longtime endorser Phil Mickelson will "appear in a taped segment that will run during the show and at least one of the commercials." There is "expected to be Callaway golf bags and equipment and other branding displayed on the set." A company spokesperson said that the sponsorship is "meant to grab the attention of the mainstream sports fan." Show notes this approach is a "departure from the traditional advertising strategy of Callaway and other major golf equipment companies, which primarily stick to media buys and sponsorships of professional golf tournaments on CBS, NBC and Golf Channel." NBC's Super Bowl XLIII pregame show last year during the 5:00-5:30pm slot earned an 11.6 rating and about 21 million viewers (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/1 issue).

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME: Callaway VP/Brand Management Brian Groves said that this year's Super Bowl is an "ideal time for Callaway to jump in." Groves: "We want to get the season off to the fastest start possible this year." MARKETING DAILY's Sarah Mahoney wrote it is "good timing because golf appears to be ready to shake off its slump" (MARKETING DAILY, 2/1 issue). In San Diego, Mike Freeman writes the move "could signal that the company expects TV viewership of golf to sink now that Tiger Woods is taking a hiatus from play." Callaway said that the buy was "not related to the PGA Tour but is an attempt to broaden its name recognition beyond its core audience" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/2). Callaway President & CEO George Fellows said, "A very significant proportion of golfers watch the Super Bowl. Plus the fact that, particularly this year, coming back off of the '09 Super Bowl gives us the broadest exposure that you'll get in any kind of advertising and we think that it represents the perfect opportunity, particularly this year" ("Squawk Box," CNBC, 2/1).

Callaway CEO Says Golf Equipment Industry Will Rebound In '10

ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL: Fellows said he is "seeing signs" that the golf equipment industry "will be significantly better" in '10. Fellows: "But before we get back to what is a more traditional year for us, it'll probably be '11. ... Foreign markets are actually leading as far as the recovery is concerned." CNBC's Darren Rovell asked if "heavy discounting " is "still going to happen" in '10. Fellows: "I think that's going to be reduced significantly (as) '09 was an exception. We're expecting that there will be some discounting but not nearly at the level that '09 represented" (CNBC, 2/1).