Bridgestone Signs Big Deal with Tiger Woods

Although Tiger Woods has been out of the game due to a back injury recently, it doesn’t look like the 40-year-old is set to forget about golf just yet. Recently it was announced that Woods and Bridgestone finalised a relationship on Thursday 15^th Dec, with the brand announcing that they have signed a multi-year deal with the world’s number one golfer, who will be promoting their range of golf balls. Woods, who is going to be turning 41 at the end of this month, is expected to be appearing in their television commercials and featured in all print advertising for the brand, along with appearing on their website, on packaging, and at point-of-purchase displays.

The Right Decision

In a statement, Woods said that finding the right golf balls is hugely important to any serious golfer, and that the balls are an extremely important part of his equipment. He has been evaluating new deals by having various products sent to him, however, he has reportedly not been very interactive with the brands, including Bridgestone who reported that they ‘had no communication with him’ and had nothing in the way of helping to influence his decision to choose them to sponsor through marketing. According to Bridgestone director of marketing Corey Consuegra, the brand supplied Woods with the product but the communications stopped there before he finally chose them.

According to Woods’ agent Mark Steinburg, the star golfer ‘did a lot of testing’ but this product was the one that really shone for him. His agent went on to say that the whole process was all about finding what works for Tiger and which products he actually finds useful and would buy himself, before finalising a promotion deal. Since turning pro in 1996, the Bridgestone brand is the third to be endorsed by Woods, who used Titleist balls from the beginning of his career until 2000 before switching to Nike. Although he will continue to be an ambassador for the brand as he has been for the past two decades, the new move to Bridgestone comes as Nike made the decision this year to cease manufacturing golfing equipment. If the new move means that Woods is set to restart playing professionally, don’t forget to be ready to place your bet with some of the great options at Bookmaker Ratings.

Industry Boost

Bridgestone ranks behind Titleist and Callaway as the third favourite golf equipment brand, according to research conducted by industry tracking firm, GolfDataTech. However, the golf ball market is currently flat, similar to the rest of the industry – meaning that Tiger and Consuegra have made an important decision which will support the credibility of the brand. So far, notable spokespeople for Bridgestone include Fred Couples, Matt Kuchar, and Brandt Snedeker.

However, there is one potential new challenger entering the game. During the past few months, Costco have become a competitor as they have started selling golf balls price at $30 for two dozen, working out at just $1.25 per ball. This could present a new challenge for Bridgestone, as according to Costco’s website, the golf balls have already sold out and are quickly becoming one of their favourite new products. Bridgestone currently sells their Tour B-S330 balls at $45 per dozen, working out at over double the price of Costco’s product at $3.75 per ball, however, this is in line with other high-end golfing brands and shoppers can certainly expect only the best quality.

Future Plans

According to Steinburg, Tiger is still testing other clubs but no decisions have been made yet. Although there was an initial buzz around Woods potentially endorsing Bob Parsons’ PXG brand, that was brought to an abrupt end when Parsons told Golf Digest that he didn’t think Woods’ game was what it once was.

Does the new move mean that the world number one will be returning to the top of golf soon?