The Inevitable 2022 Pros Switching Sponsors Thread

[BogeyNoMore]

Maybe players changing sponsors is as good for the manufacturers as it is the players. Opportunity to move players' fans to a new line of discs.

Personally, I really don't care which company sponsors whom. More a fan of certain molds, than I am of a specific manufacturer.

I like certain players, I'm not gonna buy a D2 with any expectation that it will do for me what it does for Kevin Jones. Or that anything Simon or Eagle do with their discs remotely translates to my lame @ss game.

That said, I suppose putters and mids in our hands can be expected to perform closer to what touring pros see (moreso than drivers), but still, I'm not overhauling my bag cuz so and so signed with fill in the blank.

<'s stick is stuck firmly in the mud :|

 

[zenbot]

I've still never bought a disc because of the signature on it. I've bought a lot of JK Aviar-Xs because I liked the disc.

Innova will still sell lots and lots of discs.

 

[seedlings]

Discraft tried to get Ricky, but because of the rivalry between he and Paul, Ricky thought it would be weird to go to Discraft.

 

[elmexdela]

something something halo effect

 

[jdm0514]

 

[R-Ogre]

It's funny, I waste way too much time following DGers on the gram yet of all of them the only one who I've intentionally bought a disc for is an MJ Comet.

Side note, I have a very receding hairline and I told my daughters I was going to grow out a ponytail then showed them a picture of MJ and said I would look like that.

 

[SaROCaM]

But DGCR is a very small percentage of players and we tend to nerd out on this stuff. Regular everyday chuckers don't even know who any of these players are..

I think people are also missing the fact that Innova has the largest international team by far. What effect will that have on their brand worldwide? To me, it appears they are making smart moves and laying the groundwork for more distribution of their products internationally. Maybe in a few years if they see their sales drop in the USA because they don't have Wysocki, they might spend big bucks for the next up and comer. But til then, silently they are making giant moves globally.

Innova chooses to run their business differently than the other companies. They are bigger, older and have been better managed for a long time. They are operating from a position of strength and don't have the need to "get their name out" to the same degree as anyone else.

I have no insider info, but from my couch it just looks like some of these other companies are betting on the current boom in the market. Innova doesn't have to. They don't have to worry about getting left behind in this wave of manufacturers out there.

We don't see the sales numbers so we don't see the big picture. The big picture might show that Innova sells more DX Wolfs* at Dicks than they sell Ricky Wysocki Pigs. If that is the case, letting Wysocki walk suddenly doesn't seem like the disaster that people in this thread make it sound like.

*should that be Wolves? I guess I spelled that wrong. Engrish are hard. :\

Grooves kept selling because Dick's had an SKU for them and when inventory got low, they ordered more. Casuals bought them because it was a driver available at a sporting goods store. No marketing necessary.

Something a lot of the newer dg faces probably don't comprehend…the destroyer was approved in 2007, while the ion was approved in 2009 and Dynamic's first molds in 2012. The destroyer itself predates both companies, and is still the gold standard in distance drivers.

Aviar, roc, leopard, teebird, valkyrie, and firebird are all dg royalty.

I know of some people who run an online sports supplement business and have for years, and they've accumulated a loyal following over the years all through online sales (never had a store).

Eventually they got one item out of their entire 40 or so product line into Walmart. That one product, through brick and mortar sales at Walmart, eclipsed their entire online business of all 40 products for the year combined, and has continued to do so for several years now.

I guess the moral of the story is that we forget just how big the US really is and how many big box stores there really are.

A lot of good points in the last dozen posts.

I'm not sure that boutique sponsor discs are a great deal for Innova. If you are a direct to consumer brand you can afford to list discs at a premium and make more money despite the royalty. This is exactly what Innova has tried to do with the factory store. But when the boutique discs are a sliver of your profits, is it actually worth having around? It damages your core business, which is maintaining relationships with brick and mortar retailers. It takes a lot of management; maintaining separate SKUs and tooling new molds for each new pro tour disc. End of the day business is about min/maxing. You want to maximize your most profitable side while minimizing the overhead. I don't know if the pro sponsor discs did this very effectively.

Disc golf is still very much in growth mode, and will be for the foreseeable future. Innova is in a position where even if they lose market share to XYZ competitor, any growth in the market as a whole will more then make up for the loss. For a while it was all on Innova to grow the market because they only had Discraft to help shoulder the load. Now that there are a dozen or so entities capable of throwing money at growth, Innova can shrink back, reduce overhead, and benefit from the market growth it's competitors are spending money like mad to feed. For example, the headline grab from Discraft signing McBeth to a $10mm contract may have swung some market share to Discraft away from Innova, but I would bet it also increased the net market to an extent where Innova made more money by letting him walk.

People have already made these points, so I'll quote them instead of writing the same things again.

Innova will be fine. It's been over a decade and everyone is still copying the Destroyer, not the other way around.

 

[ru4por]

Discraft tried to get Ricky, but because of the rivalry between he and Paul, Ricky thought it would be weird to go to Discraft.

Is this all he said on the topic? Or did he expound on this.

 

[dehaas]

Is this all he said on the topic? Or did he expound on this.

I'm curious as well, for a handful of reasons.

 

[Hyzer Ale]

People have already made these points, so I'll quote them instead of writing the same things again.

Innova will be fine. It's been over a decade and everyone is still copying the Destroyer, not the other way around.

Isn't the animal trying to copy ther Berg?

In all seriousness, they will be fine. There aren't any holes in their lineup (how could there be, they have had 161 molds PDGA approved) and they also manufacture for at least 2 other brands (Millenium, Infinite).

 

[Nale72]

Ok, so not only Cat and Hailey is in the air when it comes to disc sponsor for 2022. Gannon has now also confirmed that his announcment about new sponsor for 2022 wasn't a complementary sponsor, like a bag sponsor, but a new disc sponsor.

 

[wolfhaley]

Ok, so not only Cat and Hailey is in the air when it comes to disc sponsor for 2022. Gannon has now also confirmed that his announcment about new sponsor for 2022 wasn't a complementary sponsor, like a bag sponsor, but a new disc sponsor.

Gannon Buhr you mean, Just to clarify. I was thinking of Missy Gannon after first reading your post and seeing Gannon. Different Gannon came to mind for me.

 

[Nale72]

Gannon Buhr you mean, Just to clarify. I was thinking of Missy Gannon after first reading your post and seeing Gannon. Different Gannon came to mind for me.

Valid point, should of course have put his last name out there since Missy Gannon so far is a much more known player than Gannon Buhr :doh: . At least it should have been obvious when anyone open the attached image .

At times like this I wish you could edit your posts after 5 minutes also..

 

[autocrosscrx]

If Gannon Buhr announces sponsors like he plays, we'll find out in a few months.

 

[Nale72]

If Gannon Buhr announces sponsors like he plays, we'll find out in a few months.

Valid point there, but on the "Nick and Matt show" he said the announcement would be today (Wednesday). But I guess it's still up in the air about when today .

 

[Jolt]

I wonder what Henna and Eveliina is thinking?

All the other top rated FPO now have huge deals. . my guess is that Henna and Eveliina is not even close to that kind of money.

But Kristin DID make the trouble to get over to the US last year, an wow that paid out for her. . .

 

[seedlings]

Is this all he said on the topic? Or did he expound on this.

I'm curious as well, for a handful of reasons.

Go to 13:30 for the Q about manufacturers. The only one mentioned was Discraft. Ricky said he's the #1 player this year and shouldn't have to live in Pauls shadow (paraphrase).

 

[kw83028]

As expected, Kyle Klein promoted to Sky Team with Simon and Eagle (per DM facebook)

 

[Flick Maniac]

So got his Crush Boy Credentials officially

 

[txmxer]

As expected, Kyle Klein promoted to Sky Team with Simon and Eagle (per DM facebook)

He's one to watch this year.