Union Green

With brands like Titleist that have long been coveted by competitors—both on the green and in the aisle—Acushnet had already won their share of loyalists in the golf scene. But while the biggest players in the category set their sights on the same crowded territory, we looked to the fringes—where a new generation of golfers was rapidly emerging. Young, progressive, diverse—and quickly growing.

Through our immersive insights work, we pinpointed a consumer segment that was overlooked, in part because it didn’t look like any other audience in their target market. These golfers played by a different set of rules, challenging the exclusivity and elitist stereotypes commonly associated with country club culture. By identifying this new, game-changing consumer segment, we were able to uncover a vacancy in Acushnet’s portfolio.

Our objective: fill it. Our approach: create a new brand that would extend Acushnet into emergent territory; a brand that could resonate in the changing cultural current, without diluting Acushnet’s status and longstanding reputation in golf’s highest-ranking circles.

We used our nimble, digital validation tools to translate key consumer insights into testable concepts, fast-tracking us to an understanding of purchase intent while laying the groundwork for the brand’s visual and verbal expression. With collective buy-in on the strategy, we began rapidly building the brand—from the name, identity and packaging, to merchandise, photo strategy and marketing collateral.