Reebok 2011 Annual Report Download - page 89

adidas Group
2011 Annual Report
GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT – OUR GROUP
85
2011
02.4 Other Businesses Strategy TaylorMade-adidas Golf Strategy
– Accessories: Golfers need more than equipment to play the game
at their highest level, they also need accessories like gloves, bags,
head covers, towels and umbrellas. TaylorMade is committed to
improving its position in the accessories market, starting by taking the
accessories business in-house (the brand had licensed its name to an
outside company for the past six years), which will allow closer control
over design and help the brand gain a larger share of a category which
offers significant growth opportunities.
adidas Golf: setting new standards in high-performance
footwear and apparel
adidas Golf develops high-performance golf footwear and apparel for
athletes seeking products to elevate their game by maximising their
athletic potential. In footwear, leveraging proprietary technologies
from various other adidas categories such as adiPrene+ or the Torsion
System with golf-specific technologies offers a significant competitive
advantage over “pure play” golf footwear brands.
05 adidas Golf
Tour360 ATV
In 2011, adidas Golf was again able to bring cutting-edge products to
market including the Tour360 ATV PICTURE 05 . The shoe is designed to
give golfers a combination of lateral stability with better adaptability
through a new sole engineered to fit to any lie, slope and terrain in all
types of conditions. For 2012, adidas Golf is scheduled to introduce
PureMotion footwear, a light and flexible shoe helping golfers to
activate improved footwork in order to promote better ball striking.
In apparel, adidas Golf is well respected as a leader in incorporating
advanced technology and design into tops and bottoms to help the
player perform better. Highly visible adidas Golf lines like Climacool,
Climawarm, Climaproof and Formotion are universally worn by Tour
professionals and casual golfers alike. In 2012, adidas Golf is confident
in its ability to attract a completely different demographic group by
introducing the new Fashion Performance line, which features bold
colours and unique patterns combining Tour-proven performance
technologies with contemporary, fashion-forward styling PICTURE 06 .
Each piece offers a tailored, comfortable fit without sacrificing
performance, resulting in a dynamic, confident new line of apparel.
06 adidas Golf
Fashion Performance 3-Stripes Rugby Polo
Ashworth: focus on performance fabrics and
Tour presence
Ashworth is an authentic golf brand with powerful name recog-
nition among true, authentic golfers who live the game at all times.
Ashworth’s iconic Golfman logo symbolises authenticity, quality
and style. Highlights for 2011 included the brand’s re-entry into the
footwear marketplace with the Cardiff, a highly successful spikeless
shoe that can be worn on and off the course.
In 2012, Ashworth will focus on incorporating comfortable perform-
ance fabrics into a full line of golf polos consisting of clean, modern
designs in a wide range of attractive colours.
In addition, in order to gain Tour visibility and credibility, Ashworth’s
PGA Tour presence has increased significantly for the 2012 season,
from a handful of players to more than 20. The new Ashworth Tour
Staff includes long-time brand ambassadors Fred Couples, Sean
O’Hair, Ryan Palmer and Justin Leonard, making Ashworth one of
the most visible brands on Tour. Similarly, raising Ashworth brand
awareness will also be an integral part of its marketing initiatives,
including print advertising, social media and online initiatives.