From Callaway's post: "As soon as we recognized the seriousness of the issue..." = 'we didn't really care about the ad until people started complaining.'
Corporations are amoral. They only care about their bottom line and the shareholder, which is their fiduciary and legal responsibility. To the extent they demonstrate any morality at all, it is only because their shareholders demand it.
Hey Jen, I think XX-XY should submit a request to Callaway for part or all of the million dollars. There is no other organization that works as hard “to prevent violence against women, provide resources to survivors, and advance education and awareness efforts”.
I really enjoy your breakdowns of what’s going on. Very interesting. Interesting too that my 20-something daughters thought the ad was super cringey and tone-deaf. While you are absolutely right that it takes a stretch of the imagination to believe it was advocating for violence against women, the execs who approved it should have known that some people would make that leap and been prepared for that, not act all surprised about it.
I love this marketing commentary. It is honest and fresh. As an older "boomer" person I have found the entire "influencer" movement tiring. I am in sales and marketing and understand the power of affiliation marketing. It is great when a star endorses a product and the buyers of said product can feel a little closer to that star, riding a little of that wave. But why an otherwise undistinguished influencer gets the star treatment is beyond me. I am somewhat gratified that JS feels it is impermanent and ephemeral. It is the stuff of winning a lottery: undeserved fame. Callaway and the other big name brands are just doing what large corporations do and covering their rear ends. This is the nature of corporations.
I find this both exhausting and exemplary. It is a bright-light signal on who still holds institutional power at companies. There are "top-down" responses and "bottom-up" responses when things go awry.
The most coherent "bottom-up" response I can think of is the Bud Light fallout after the Dylan Mulvaney marketing effort. I think in a lot of ways that was probably unfair to Dylan (perhaps not too dissimilar to Good Good in some regards!) to take a huge fall and face public outcry. But the corporate response came from a bottom-up consumer driven backlash. Customers were mad at the brand and moved with their dollars, in a very very serious and real sense, away from Bud Light. AB Inbev responded because they *had* to in response to customers.
Contrast that to a "top-down" response like Callaway with respect to Good Good. It comes from the institutional sensibilities. The "what would HR think" angle (notwithstanding some individuals at Callaway approved the ad). It has far more to do with the political valence of the employees, rather than the business.
Top-down company responses, like this one, present very inauthentically. Callaway faced no real financial hit -- nor will they (you really think the demographic angry at the ad was (1) a consumer of Good Good advertising or (2) considering buying Callaway clubs?). It's all posturing and signaling.
The ad sucked. Mostly because it was just... straight up bad? I don't know who would spend money investing in Good Good, but I have to presume it was probably as a LARP. There are good (no pun intended) golf content creators out there that I am a fan of, and Good Good was a brand I had literally never heard of until this recent news.
Anyway, this story sucks, and I hate everyone involved.
No one seems to be addressing the fact that the woman in the video, AGREED TO DO THE VIDEO! Does she have no agency in this? Why isn’t she being castigated for her participation in “violence against women”? The entire thing is ridiculous and a product of the MeToo bullshit we had to endure.
Iconic: “This is not justice. This is just how it works.”
And if your contribution is being the young, edgy player in the market, you better realize you are going to age out at some point if you haven’t figured out how and when to graduate to a more substantive role. Still, I agree with Jen that Callaway’s response was craven and probably destroyed the business of the callow couple of Good Good Golf.
I don't care anything ⛳ golf, Jenn. The ad was distastegul. Allow the chips to fall where they may. I see this as dumb and dumber. Blame it all on Peyton Manning.
Jen is, as always, like a laser beam of truth. But what will the antidote to the sickening capitulation to the woke culture be? When will our hammer of truth show up to avenge?
From Callaway's post: "As soon as we recognized the seriousness of the issue..." = 'we didn't really care about the ad until people started complaining.'
Corporations are amoral. They only care about their bottom line and the shareholder, which is their fiduciary and legal responsibility. To the extent they demonstrate any morality at all, it is only because their shareholders demand it.
"The buck stops at the lowest possible level we can push it to and get away with." - Corporate Executive, with spotless desk
Hey Jen, I think XX-XY should submit a request to Callaway for part or all of the million dollars. There is no other organization that works as hard “to prevent violence against women, provide resources to survivors, and advance education and awareness efforts”.
I really enjoy your breakdowns of what’s going on. Very interesting. Interesting too that my 20-something daughters thought the ad was super cringey and tone-deaf. While you are absolutely right that it takes a stretch of the imagination to believe it was advocating for violence against women, the execs who approved it should have known that some people would make that leap and been prepared for that, not act all surprised about it.
Agree 100%
The bros were so tickled by their meta-ness that they didn't think of how the normies would see it.
Dear God, revenues of 4 million after that much time!
That’s just pathetic
If it’s true
No one is indispensable and that’s the problem that these young people have no concept of
They come out of college with their shiny basket weaving degrees and think they own the world. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so sad.
And how much easier would’ve been to have done a parody of a funny Golf movie and everybody would’ve gotten it
Instead, they go dark
And I don’t know the brainiacs who put that together, but people would rather laugh and even if it needs to be something more obvious, that’s OK
And down the line with all of your comments
True
True
True
I’m watching the first season of
The Audicity on Netflix
Talk about Silicon Valley sharks
And all the sickness they create
And of course it is
This really could’ve been solved as easily as you said
Admit it
Own it
And be done
Life goes on
Sheeee it, if only they'd have had that golfer dude slamming Dylan Mulvany playing the part of the woman golfer, it'd be OK!
Like 2020, dems eating their own. Think Al Frankin for starters.
I love this marketing commentary. It is honest and fresh. As an older "boomer" person I have found the entire "influencer" movement tiring. I am in sales and marketing and understand the power of affiliation marketing. It is great when a star endorses a product and the buyers of said product can feel a little closer to that star, riding a little of that wave. But why an otherwise undistinguished influencer gets the star treatment is beyond me. I am somewhat gratified that JS feels it is impermanent and ephemeral. It is the stuff of winning a lottery: undeserved fame. Callaway and the other big name brands are just doing what large corporations do and covering their rear ends. This is the nature of corporations.
I find this both exhausting and exemplary. It is a bright-light signal on who still holds institutional power at companies. There are "top-down" responses and "bottom-up" responses when things go awry.
The most coherent "bottom-up" response I can think of is the Bud Light fallout after the Dylan Mulvaney marketing effort. I think in a lot of ways that was probably unfair to Dylan (perhaps not too dissimilar to Good Good in some regards!) to take a huge fall and face public outcry. But the corporate response came from a bottom-up consumer driven backlash. Customers were mad at the brand and moved with their dollars, in a very very serious and real sense, away from Bud Light. AB Inbev responded because they *had* to in response to customers.
Contrast that to a "top-down" response like Callaway with respect to Good Good. It comes from the institutional sensibilities. The "what would HR think" angle (notwithstanding some individuals at Callaway approved the ad). It has far more to do with the political valence of the employees, rather than the business.
Top-down company responses, like this one, present very inauthentically. Callaway faced no real financial hit -- nor will they (you really think the demographic angry at the ad was (1) a consumer of Good Good advertising or (2) considering buying Callaway clubs?). It's all posturing and signaling.
The ad sucked. Mostly because it was just... straight up bad? I don't know who would spend money investing in Good Good, but I have to presume it was probably as a LARP. There are good (no pun intended) golf content creators out there that I am a fan of, and Good Good was a brand I had literally never heard of until this recent news.
Anyway, this story sucks, and I hate everyone involved.
My expert PR advice to the Calloway CEO:
Say this: It was a dumb ad. We pulled it."
That’ll be $50,000. You’re welcome.
No one seems to be addressing the fact that the woman in the video, AGREED TO DO THE VIDEO! Does she have no agency in this? Why isn’t she being castigated for her participation in “violence against women”? The entire thing is ridiculous and a product of the MeToo bullshit we had to endure.
Good point, and why isn't anyone mentioning her smiling after she hits the ground?
No, you misogynist. She's an actor.
Shut the fuck up moron. She isn’t an actor, she is an actual professional golfer. Who agreed to do a video with them in which she gets knocked over.
Iconic: “This is not justice. This is just how it works.”
And if your contribution is being the young, edgy player in the market, you better realize you are going to age out at some point if you haven’t figured out how and when to graduate to a more substantive role. Still, I agree with Jen that Callaway’s response was craven and probably destroyed the business of the callow couple of Good Good Golf.
I don't care anything ⛳ golf, Jenn. The ad was distastegul. Allow the chips to fall where they may. I see this as dumb and dumber. Blame it all on Peyton Manning.
Jen is, as always, like a laser beam of truth. But what will the antidote to the sickening capitulation to the woke culture be? When will our hammer of truth show up to avenge?
The fecklessness of today's CEO class rivals only that of the political class. Fuck em all.
Jen, 100% spot on. Totally have lost respect for Callaway, and not for the ad, but for the performance virtue signalling. Cowards.