Reestablishing Louisville Slugger as the Official Bat of America's Pastime.

How an American icon recharged its fans—and won back its place as market leader.

Why they called us (The challenge)

• Once the number-one brand among baseball and softball bats, Louisville Slugger had slipped to third place in both categories.
• To reclaim its place as market leader, Louisville Slugger needed a strategy to reposition the brand as a performance leader.

What we did, Part I (The solution)

• GodwinGroup repositioned the brand as not just a bat, but as part of the game itself, effectively separating it from competitors.
• This strategy tapped into the powerful emotion connected to the brand’s rich heritage as a cornerstone of the sport, which heightened the effectiveness of the messaging.
• During the brand re-launch, Godwin also positioned Louisville Slugger as the dominant performance technology in baseball and softball.

What we did, Part II (The strategy)

• For a high-impact brand re-launch, we integrated select print advertising opportunities with Web marketing, event marketing and public relations.
• We also leveraged relationships with key college programs to reinforce the brand’s position as performance technology leader.

How it worked (The results)

• In a single year, Louisville Slugger regained its leadership position in baseball.
• A year after that, the brand regained its leadership position in softball as well.
• The company introduced the first new wooden bat product in 15 years with the most successful new product launch in company history.
• Louisville Slugger was named one of America’s Greatest Brands by America’s Greatest Brands, Inc.

In conclusion (What we learned)

Sometimes, the best way to change the game is to change your position. Even if only slightly. Louisville Slugger’s repositioning strategy was the key to recharging its brand—and surpassing the competition. And the same team that developed their winning strategy is here for you, should you fall behind.

Because when you play to win, it’s never too late to make a comeback.

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