[Other] Discussion about brand support

[the1discChallenge]

If this isn't the right place to put this, sorry! I'm happy to repost elsewhere.

I've seen a few videos and posts recently (especially during this season of changing sponsorships) about how the big brands no longer really need support from un-sponsored players and how smaller brands need player support to be grow and succeed.

I have mixed feelings– not so much because I think one way is right or wrong– but I keep going back and forth about how I feel about it. On one hand, I'm not sponsored, don't really play tournaments, hardly play leagues, and most often play by myself, so nobody sees me throw and is influenced to check out a lot of Innova because of me. I love the availability of going to any used bin anywhere and being able to probably find a Wraith, Roc, or Teebird, and I wanted to challenge myself to be able to throw molds that really require good form to unlock.

But on the other hand, I know that it's not so much about who sees a person like me throw. I really want to support smaller companies because I do like a lot of new plastic being made. When we have so many options, my $10 Roc isn't going to make a difference to Innova, but a new disc from a smaller company makes a big difference. Also on the off chance that I do play leagues or get with a group to play, I can make a difference and get the word out about some awesome people making awesome plastic.

The obvious answer is "throw what you like", but I've seen a lot of talk about this topic recently. What do people think about it? Are you brand loyal? Do you intentionally choose to support or not support a brand based on this?

 

[seedlings]

Innova sets the bar. Get players, grow the brand, offer players a handshake deal, grow the brand. Brand is as big as it gets, offload high-price players.

 

[acrosley]

If you really enjoy a certain mold then by all means share your enthusiasm! But the 99.9% of us who aren't sponsored are under no obligation to throw and/or espouse the virtues of any brand. That being said my friend threw only Innova for a while because he enjoyed keeping it simple.

At the end of the day it's really as simple as throwing what makes you comfortable, whether that's sticking to one brand or mixing it up

 

[autocrosscrx]

Mostly just throw what I want.

I've got Innova, Lat 64, Dynamic Discs, Westside, Discraft, DGA, and MVP in my bag.

I've got the names of Henna Blomroos, Cat Allen, Nate Sexton, and Chris Clemons on my discs in my bag. Henna is probably the only one that I bought somewhat in an effort to support her. The others just fit slots in my bag.

 

[ThrowBot]

For me I don't sweat too much about specific sponsorships when purchasing plastic. There are so many other factors... mold, weight, color, etc. So to add in worrying about sponsored player A, B, or C would just add unnecessary complication.

Where they may get me is at the margins, if there's a signature or tour series disc for a player I like that is also a mold I like. For example a Barsby Eagle or Sidewinder. I'd be throwing Eagles and Sidewinders either way, but because I like Barsby as a player I might spend a few extra bucks to support his tour series.

If you're really worried about the impact of your purchasing power, also consider what retailer you are supporting. Unless you buy direct from the factory store, someone's making a margin off your purchase, regardless of the manufacturer. An example is Infinite Discs. I've been down to Utah and played some of the courses that the Infinite folks helped to fundraise for and design. And I appreciate them helping to sponsor the Utah Open and 2021 Worlds. So I'm happy to give my money to that organization, because they are working in various ways to keep the Mountain West in the disc golf map.

 

[chevis]

when i started it seemed all i could find was innova. as i got more into the sport more companies made more discs & i wanted to try all the discs. after amassing a collection of discs, i started to get more picky; so now i only buy a disc if it looks good and made in america. i should sell all my foreign plastic, but sometimes it's fun to take a full bag from one company & pretend i'm sponsored (i always say i'm going to do this, but never do).

 

[the1discChallenge]

Mostly just throw what I want.

I've got Innova, Lat 64, Dynamic Discs, Westside, Discraft, DGA, and MVP in my bag.

I've got the names of Henna Blomroos, Cat Allen, Nate Sexton, and Chris Clemons on my discs in my bag. Henna is probably the only one that I bought somewhat in an effort to support her. The others just fit slots in my bag.

This is a good point, and something I should be better about. More so than brands, I like to support pros and this is a great way to do that...I picked up a glow Eric Oakley Kotare just because I like him. It's an unessecarily overstable disc that I have extremely niche uses for, but wanted to support EO and the stamp is *chef's kiss*

If you're really worried about the impact of your purchasing power, also consider what retailer you are supporting. Unless you buy direct from the factory store, someone's making a margin off your purchase, regardless of the manufacturer. An example is Infinite Discs. I've been down to Utah and played some of the courses that the Infinite folks helped to fundraise for and design. And I appreciate them helping to sponsor the Utah Open and 2021 Worlds. So I'm happy to give my money to that organization, because they are working in various ways to keep the Mountain West in the disc golf map.

Another important aspect I didn't really consider for buying discs. I will always pay a little extra to support local or support distributors I like. Glad to hear Infinite is a good company– I've been buying from them for years and their social media presence is great for showing off some cool, smaller companies too. There's a local shop by me that is great and I might pay a few bucks more, but I'm supporting a good cause that way.

 

[discerdoo]

I throw what I like. Primarily from local shops to support them and I know the profiles I like on the molds I throw. It's a bonus when players I like have tour series discs I throw....Barsby Eagles, Queen Wraiths.

I started out as kind of a Discraft fanboy but that faded when they decided to focus on special runs at inflated prices. I'll never understand the allure of mystery boxes.

 

[Hampejo]

Started playing in the beginning of the 00s and back then, most of the discs available here were Innovamade. Took a break between 10-17 and when I returned to the sport there were too many brands and discs to consider. Kept it simple and decided to continue to play with Innova after trying out just a few other brands. The market had become a jungle.

 

[mostlynorwegian]

Learned with Innova, so I have mostly stuck with them. I also happen to like the feel of their star, and g* plastic over most other brands I have access to. I also have an older noodle arm, so I like (lower) weights which a lot of other brands are not providing, and it's a territory pro releases don't really delve into. That said. My winter bag is pretty diverse for a where I get it from, but. With exception to the Zone, and the Logic. It's all g-star plastic. My bag is a mix of innova pro-shop, local PIAS, Northwoods disc golf, Millennium, Marshal Street, Discmania Mystery Box, and Fly Green Disc Golf.

 

[jakebake91]

I have a unique perspective on plastic stuff. I worked for quite awhile actually building plastic injection molds while working in a molding facility. I really place a strong value on part quality. I also have the knowledge to really understand what variances are actually really hard to control (read: expensive), and what is let go due to manufacturers quality standards.

This, coupled with the fact that so many manufacturers these days make any disc you could ever need, has really guided me to where my bag is today.

 

[Serious-OLD]

Disc Golf is kindof a strange sport in this respect.

Manufacturers run this sport, and contract the professional players who represent them. Big retailers have become involved as well, but all of the money in this sport is still from disc sales, and is spent in promotion of disc sales.

Other sports have branding that is front-and-center (cars decked out in corporate liveries, stadiums that seem to be literally constructed out of advertisements...) but I dont think any other sport successfully focusses everyone's attention on the brands and products that they're using and selling.

When Paul McBeth switches teams, we are very interested to see what a nearly perfect player (among a growing group of nearly perfect players) can do with completely different discs. We are seriously riled trying to figure out if an Athena is as good as a Teebird (even though we all already knew deep down..)

One upside of this focus is that it's actually fairly easy to get on the radar of your target market regardless of brand size.

I watched Niko play like one skins game, dont have any affinity for the guy, and I know a good bit about Clash's lineup now.

Combine that with he growth of the sport and you have a lot of dollars up for grab for new manufacturers. New players building their bag werent raised on Teebirds and Destroyers and someday one of them might want a disc named Popcorn.


TL;DR

Buy good discs. Support good brands. Well run companies with decent business plans are likely to achieve at least moderate success right now.

 

[ray1970]

Likely the closest sport to disc golf is probably Nascar.

If Billy Jo Jimbob is putting his Chevrolet in the winner's circle then people are going to buy Chevrolets.

If Billy Jo starts driving for Ford after many successful seasons with Chevrolet then that puts a spotlight on Ford and their products.

I'm waiting for the day when I watch disc golf and the shirts are totally covered with sponsors. When players are plastered with ads like a race car that's when you'll know the sport has really grown.

 

[Moose33]

I buy from people for a variety of reasons;

They make the product I think is the best at what it does: DD makes the Justice, I'm not a DD Stan and I dont like their theme but I find it to be the best disc available in that slot.

Price/availability- I throw A2s. I could throw a Harp, Slammer, Zone etc in this slot happily but I have been able to obtain a lot of A2s in my preferred plastic very cheaply and easily at tournaments as Prodigy is abundantly available locally. Same story for several other slots.

They support me- Lonestar currently and other brands in the past have offered me some support in the form of gear or discs and I will often buy more if I think the product is good.

I dig the people or their vibe. Most obviously is RDG. Jamie has done a great job creating discs, has down players packs for me and is a good dude. I'll always buy from him when I can. Doomsday I find really funny and though I've never gotten close to bagging one of their discs(yet) I have bought a few. We have lost a few small companies who made good products in disc golf and I try to throw some dollars to the smaller guys if I think they make good stuff.

My bag is unconventional and other than the Teebird has very little in it that you would see in most players bags, but I have come to love all of those discs and I'm happy to support all 7 companies that make them.

 

[The Shide]

When I went to GBO in 2019, I saw all the Trilogy fan boys & thought, "I want a brand I can call my own." So I thought about it for a while & then it dawned on me that I have two great manufacturers in my home state. Ta Da!!

 

[the1discChallenge]

I love the variety of answers, I'm glad I am thought to ask the community! Sounds like the general consensus is throw and support good people, which I'm all about.

For those of you mostly throwing smaller brands-- do you find it challenging trying to get discs? Obviously there are many amazing online retailers, but a lot of local brick and mortar places don't have much past the handful of big names.

 

[Moonshine]

I have a unique perspective on plastic stuff. I worked for quite awhile actually building plastic injection molds while working in a molding facility. I really place a strong value on part quality. I also have the knowledge to really understand what variances are actually really hard to control (read: expensive), and what is let go due to manufacturers quality standards.

This, coupled with the fact that so many manufacturers these days make any disc you could ever need, has really guided me to where my bag is today.

I'm curious what brands make the best quality parts in your opinion?

 

[the1discChallenge]

When I went to GBO in 2019, I saw all the Trilogy fan boys & thought, "I want a brand I can call my own." So I thought about it for a while & then it dawned on me that I have two great manufacturers in my home state. Ta Da!!

I actually just moved to Wisconsin from Michigan and I just discovered MVP/Axiom right about when Axiom was becoming a thing. I fell in love with the Envy and Crave when they first came out and threw a full Michigan bag for a while before I switched away to other things. Wixom was only about a 40min drive from where I was, so most of the local bags were full of Discraft and MVP.

 

[Moose33]

I love the variety of answers, I'm glad I am thought to ask the community! Sounds like the general consensus is throw and support good people, which I'm all about.

For those of you mostly throwing smaller brands-- do you find it challenging trying to get discs? Obviously there are many amazing online retailers, but a lot of local brick and mortar places don't have much past the handful of big names.

For a lot of the smaller guys their own site will have the best selection and deals unless a big site just bought up all of their stock. If you want smaller brands in store you might have to ask the owner to check them out.

 

[ray1970]

I'm lucky because some of the local brick and mortars carry some of the smaller brands. I know I can easily pick up RPM, Thought Space, Gateway, DGA, Mint, Reptilian Disc Golf, Millennium, Legacy, Clash, and probably several other brands locally in addition to the usual Innova, Discraft, and Trilogy stuff.