Product Management, PGA Tour style!

I'm a golf nut, for sure. I like the PGA Tour and as a golf fan, am paying particular attention to the playoffs right now.

As a marketer, however, I am also taking notice.

This is the third year the PGA Tour has had playoffs, and each year has had a different playoff structure. I was happy enough with the first one, but there was some criticism. To their credit, they made changes as a result. They could have, like many organizations would have, defended their decisions and done their best to minimize the negative impact of the criticism. But they didn't. They took the ideas of the players and fans and made adjustments to design a better "product".

Oh, and by the way, their decision to introduce a playoff in the first place was based on player and fan input.

BCS take notice.

My point here is so simple, yet so often overlooked in the interest of pride: Take input from your customers and stakeholders and make modifications to improve your product.

Don't be like college football.


Your turn: Think of example of companies that said: "I don't care what you think, we like the product the way we've designed it."

Your turn v2: Think of examples of companies that are truly listening to the market and making modifications accordingly.

And where do you think the New Coke / Coke Classic example fits?