Interview with Mark King, President & CEO of TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company
What is your background?
I was born and raised in Green Bay, Wis. I attended Northern Illinois University for two years on a golf scholarship before transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, from which I graduated in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. I joined TaylorMade Golf, then a fledgling company, soon after as a territory sales representative. I have also served as a regional sales manager, national merchandising manager and vice president of sales. In 1999, I was named president, and added the title of CEO in 2002. Under my leadership TaylorMade-adidas Golf (TMaG) sales rose from $300 million in 1999 to more than $1 billion in 2006; TaylorMade drivers, fairway woods and hybrids have dominated the PGA Tour; and TaylorMade metalwoods have risen to No. 1 in worldwide sales.
Any honors you have received?
I was named Golf Industry Executive of the Year in 2001 and was inducted into the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
What is TMaG's history?
TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the adidas Group. We're headquartered in Carlsbad; our parent company is headquartered in Hertzogenaurach, Germany. All global golf activities are centered in Carlsbad.
It's a great fit and has been from the start. The adidas Group is an authentic sporting goods company and a global leader in the industry, while TaylorMade has always prided itself on being an authentic golf company and a leader in the golf industry. As a huge international company, the adidas Group has subsidiaries all over the world. That's allowed us to use adidas' infrastructure to enter emerging golf countries and quickly distribute product to a broad retail base. That advantage has really helped us grow internationally. Another important and obvious benefit to our relationship is that the adidas Group is a very successful company and powerful financially, and have invested in us, giving TaylorMade the ability to grow.
How many employees at the
Carlsbad Location?
879.
What do you enjoy most about
your position?
I've been a golfer since I was a kid, and I dreamed of having the opportunity to work in the golf business. I bring my love for the game to the job every day. I've been with TaylorMade since the beginning, so I grew up with the company. I've got a great passion for the products, the people and what we do every day, and I'm involved in all aspects of the business.
What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Product lifecycles are shorter today because players constantly demand better-performing equipment. That puts continuous pressure on manufacturers to develop and bring out newer and better technologies every year. Otherwise you're going to lose your consumer base. With that in mind it's a much more competitive, intense business now than it was even five years ago.
There's been a sharp rise in the cost of all aspects of business during the last five years, making spending decisions much more critical today. I'd say that the companies that will be the most successful are the ones that prioritize correctly and make the right decisions on where and how to spend their money.
There are key new players in the game. Nike wasn't in the golf equipment business ten years ago, they are today. adidas wasn't in the golf equipment business eight years ago, now they're one of the biggest players.
I think that the people who ran golf companies when I entered the business and who are no longer around would be amazed at how big and complex the industry has become. It's a global business today, and it definitely wasn't 25 years go. Back then we did 95 percent of our business in the United States; now half of our business is done internationally. Back then a golf company was as good as its sales department, while today you're only as good as your research and development department. Because product is king. That's not to take anything away from sales, operations, finance, and marketing, but if you don't have innovative products that make golf easier for the consumer, you can't sell anything.
What's TMaG's marketing strategy for 2007?
A continued focus on the development of better products, on tour validation, on spreading our message efficiently and effectively, and on providing the kinds of products to consumers that will help them play better golf.
What's ahead for TMaG in 2007?
We've enjoyed solid success in the marketplace during the past several years because we have in place strategies that are working. For us to continue to grow our company and our brands, we need to execute those strategies more effectively. The better we get at executing our strategies in the marketplace, the more success we'll have.
What's TMaG's product strategy?
Our product strategy is very simple. Develop technologies that help golfers play better golf. We test those technologies on the best players in the world. If our technologies can help them hit longer and straighter shots, then those technologies will help all types of golfers, all the way down to beginners, play better.
What is your background?
I was born and raised in Green Bay, Wis. I attended Northern Illinois University for two years on a golf scholarship before transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, from which I graduated in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. I joined TaylorMade Golf, then a fledgling company, soon after as a territory sales representative. I have also served as a regional sales manager, national merchandising manager and vice president of sales. In 1999, I was named president, and added the title of CEO in 2002. Under my leadership TaylorMade-adidas Golf (TMaG) sales rose from $300 million in 1999 to more than $1 billion in 2006; TaylorMade drivers, fairway woods and hybrids have dominated the PGA Tour; and TaylorMade metalwoods have risen to No. 1 in worldwide sales.
Any honors you have received?
I was named Golf Industry Executive of the Year in 2001 and was inducted into the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
What is TMaG's history?
TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the adidas Group. We're headquartered in Carlsbad; our parent company is headquartered in Hertzogenaurach, Germany. All global golf activities are centered in Carlsbad.
It's a great fit and has been from the start. The adidas Group is an authentic sporting goods company and a global leader in the industry, while TaylorMade has always prided itself on being an authentic golf company and a leader in the golf industry. As a huge international company, the adidas Group has subsidiaries all over the world. That's allowed us to use adidas' infrastructure to enter emerging golf countries and quickly distribute product to a broad retail base. That advantage has really helped us grow internationally. Another important and obvious benefit to our relationship is that the adidas Group is a very successful company and powerful financially, and have invested in us, giving TaylorMade the ability to grow.
How many employees at the
Carlsbad Location?
879.
What do you enjoy most about
your position?
I've been a golfer since I was a kid, and I dreamed of having the opportunity to work in the golf business. I bring my love for the game to the job every day. I've been with TaylorMade since the beginning, so I grew up with the company. I've got a great passion for the products, the people and what we do every day, and I'm involved in all aspects of the business.
What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Product lifecycles are shorter today because players constantly demand better-performing equipment. That puts continuous pressure on manufacturers to develop and bring out newer and better technologies every year. Otherwise you're going to lose your consumer base. With that in mind it's a much more competitive, intense business now than it was even five years ago.
There's been a sharp rise in the cost of all aspects of business during the last five years, making spending decisions much more critical today. I'd say that the companies that will be the most successful are the ones that prioritize correctly and make the right decisions on where and how to spend their money.
There are key new players in the game. Nike wasn't in the golf equipment business ten years ago, they are today. adidas wasn't in the golf equipment business eight years ago, now they're one of the biggest players.
I think that the people who ran golf companies when I entered the business and who are no longer around would be amazed at how big and complex the industry has become. It's a global business today, and it definitely wasn't 25 years go. Back then we did 95 percent of our business in the United States; now half of our business is done internationally. Back then a golf company was as good as its sales department, while today you're only as good as your research and development department. Because product is king. That's not to take anything away from sales, operations, finance, and marketing, but if you don't have innovative products that make golf easier for the consumer, you can't sell anything.
What's TMaG's marketing strategy for 2007?
A continued focus on the development of better products, on tour validation, on spreading our message efficiently and effectively, and on providing the kinds of products to consumers that will help them play better golf.
What's ahead for TMaG in 2007?
We've enjoyed solid success in the marketplace during the past several years because we have in place strategies that are working. For us to continue to grow our company and our brands, we need to execute those strategies more effectively. The better we get at executing our strategies in the marketplace, the more success we'll have.
What's TMaG's product strategy?
Our product strategy is very simple. Develop technologies that help golfers play better golf. We test those technologies on the best players in the world. If our technologies can help them hit longer and straighter shots, then those technologies will help all types of golfers, all the way down to beginners, play better.