This paper presents a differentiation analysis for "Tracker," a mobile application designed to help golfers locate lost golf balls using chip-fitted ball technology. The analysis applies a four-part marketing framework — product, placement, price, and promotion — to position Tracker within the evolving mobile-app marketplace. It then surveys the competitive landscape, examining three existing golf ball–finding products: the RadarGold System Golf Tracker (RFID-based), the BallFinder Scout (digital imaging), and Visiball glasses (filtered lenses). Environmental factors, including licensing arrangements and offshore manufacturing history, are also addressed. The paper concludes that degree of rivalry and pricing strategy are the most critical issues for Tracker's market success.
Product. Tracker fits within the new technological footprint of multiple applications on a single mobile device. The performance of chip-fitted golf balls has been defined and accepted in the marketplace. Tracker effectively eclipses previously dedicated ball-tracking devices employing RFID and digital scanning/tracking technology.
Placement. SkyCaddie SG5 GPS, which was once available as a dedicated GPS device, is now available as an application for Android devices. Placement of Tracker will be congruent with this trend; however, the threat of substitution is great. This is evident given the constellation of golf-related applications — such as range finding, driving distance, score-keeping, pro-tour tracking, GPS course maps, and pro-advice. Integration of applications is standard, and barriers to entry are roughly equivalent across applications.
Price. Tracker's affluent target market is unlikely to prefer low-end glasses to locate their lost golf balls. Tracker requires the purchase of chip-fitted balls, with pricing points in the range of quality regular golf balls, and a mobile device application likely to be priced below either of the two competing dedicated ball-tracking devices. It is highly likely that applications for all major brands of smartphones will be developed, making the degree of rivalry the most fundamental marketing issue. For this reason, pricing points will feature prominently in Tracker's marketing campaigns.
Promotion. Psychographics vary across venues. Golfing gadgets are commonplace in specialty catalogues and on online trend-setter websites. Opportunity exists for partnering with mobile device manufacturers for product placement of Tracker applications.
Three types of products designed to help golfers find their golf balls — currently or recently available on the market — are discussed in depth below. Two of the three products, the RadarGold System Golf Tracker and BallFinder Scout, use sophisticated technology to locate golf balls. The third product, Visiball glasses, relies on a special light-filtering lens that permits a golfer to spot golf balls that are not otherwise concealed from view.
Unique selling value. Both BallFinder Scout and RadarGold System Golf Tracker are dedicated handheld devices that do not offer any additional functionality. In the time since these products were first marketed, applications for mobile devices have proliferated. For anyone who owns an iPhone, a BlackBerry, or an Android device, a separate, single-function (dedicated) device is unlikely to be appealing.
The RadarGold System Golf Tracker is a "ball positioning system," or BPS, that relies on an RFID-enabled tracking system. The BPS unit is used in conjunction with golf balls that have been implanted with tiny RFID chips in their cores. The balls are of sufficiently high quality to warrant approval by the U.S. Golf Association and have been "qualified" (Lindsay, 2005) for professional play. The chip-fitted golf balls have been tested against balls made by Titleist, Callaway, Nike, and Maxfli, and were found to perform equally well (LaPedus, 2005).
The proprietary chip-fitted golf balls emit LCD/pulsed audio (Rubin, 2006) signal feedback to the RadarGolf handheld apparatus. The signal strength enables a range of 30 to 100 feet from the radar system. The handheld finder emits an audio tone that grows louder as the golfer approaches the chip-fitted ball, and a corresponding LCD visual signal appears on the finder screen. The radio frequencies indicate the exact location of a chip-fitted golf ball regardless of surrounding vegetation, assuming the player knows the general direction in which the ball was hit. Chip-fitted balls not in play are kept in protective pouches that block radio frequencies, preventing the detector from finding spare balls and producing false reads (Lindsay, 2005).
The unit initially sold with 24 chip-fitted golf balls, two protective metallic fabric pouches, a protective case for the transmitter, and six AAA batteries. The transmitter weighs 14 ounces and measures 6 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 1½ inches high. A dozen chip-fitted golf balls is priced at U.S. $39, and the handheld is priced at U.S. $249, though the unit has been sold at a discount in major lifestyle catalogues for U.S. $139.95. For reasons unknown, the RadarGold System Golf Tracker is no longer available online.
"BallFinder Scout video-camera scanning technology"
"Visiball lens optics and perceptibility enhancement"
"Licensing, manufacturing history, and R&D plans"
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