Improve your brand
By getting a better team of people in
place and refocusing on its core cotton
products, Ashworth turned the corner
and drastically improved the third part
of Fadel’s recipe for success — its brand
image.
“The positive impact is they’re saying,
‘Ashworth is back,’ but it takes time,” he
says. “We’ve improved perception. The
new product line is exciting to them. The
product line we’ve gotten on people’s
backs, they can tell a difference, so that’s
the positive.”
The numbers also confirm that. After
stopping the bleeding and breaking
even in the golf segment’s fiscal 2007
third quarter, the next three quarters all
went up.
“To be up three consecutive quarters,
shooting for the fourth, shows some
consistency and sustainability, and I feel
more confidence today than I did
before,” Fadel says. “We’re a product
company again. We’ve really elevated
our brand and separated ourselves from
our competitors.”
With yearlong product cycles, Fadel is
finally seeing the seasonal lines with his
signature on them, and he’s already looking to build on what he’s already
improved.
“Don’t stand still,” he says. “You have
to constantly elevate. Every season, say,
‘What are we doing better than we did
six months or a year ago?’ I can tell you,
there are a lot of things we’re doing better today, but there’s still a lot of room
for improvement.
“You’re never done, and you’re always
trying to get better. It’s like a golfer — if
you shot in the 90s, once you shoot in
the 80s, then you try to shoot in the 70s.
Once you shoot in the 70s, you try shooting in the 60s. You’re always trying to get
better.”
HOW TO REACH: Ashworth Inc., www.ashworthinc.com
