Putter Ads Sputter in a Lackluster Odyssey

Advertiser: Odyssey Golf

Agency: Vitro Robertson, San Diego

Challenge: Convince golfers fixated on titanium drivers that a putter from Odyssey, a unit of Callaway Golf, is a worthy investment.

The Ads: Two television commercials and accompanying print ads dramatize the campaign slogan, “Never underestimate the power of a good putter.” One TV spot opens with a shot of golf clubs as viewed from inside a golf bag. “Two-hundred-fifty-yard drives may be good for your ego,” a voice-over says, “but if you keep missing four-foot puts, you won’t have an ego.” The second ad begins with a flesh-colored blur that comes into focus as a sweaty forehead while the voice-over explains, “Somewhere in the world, a player is standing over a put worth $300,000. Another player is standing over a put worth a buck. The beads of perspiration on their foreheads are exactly the same size.” Both ads assert that Odyssey is the No. 1 putter in golf. Print ads include versions of the TV spots.

Comment: These ads don’t make much of a case for Odyssey putters. The slogan--never underestimate the power of a good putter--could be made by any leading manufacturer of golf clubs. While it is acknowledged that Odyssey makes a good putter, it is not the clear No. 1. A 1997 survey showed that Odyssey is the leading putter on the Senior PGA, Ladies PGA and Nike professional golf tours. On the mainstay PGA tour, it ranks behind Titleist and Ping. $$