Callaway and Lamborghini Form Strategic Partnership

The world-renowned R&D teams of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. and Callaway Golf have formed a unique and powerful alliance. The first collaboration of this strategic partnership is a co-developed material called Forged Composite, but the origins of this elite relationship date back many years. Through constant pursuit of lighter and stronger materials that improve product performance, Lamborghini and Callaway cultivated similar areas of expertise. Development of advanced composite structures was a major point of convergence and goal for both organizations. These advanced materials – comprised of turbostratic carbon fibers – feature superior strength and performance characteristics in comparison to the metal alloys generally used in the automotive and golf industries. For Lamborghini, lighter and stronger composite materials enabled their designers to create important components of their technological demonstrator, "Sesto Elemento," featuring unforeseen power-to-weight ratio and acceleration capability. For Callaway, employing carbon composites in place of steel and titanium offered engineers the ability to design increasingly advanced clubheads with a greater transfer of power upon impact with the ball and more accurate trajectories. Forged Composite, which debuted at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and in the new Diablo Octane Driver, is the first collaborative element of the Callaway and Lamborghini alliance.
 

GATORADE PARTS WAYS WITH TIGER...

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Seems Gatorade was less than impressed with Tiger Woods' public apology.

The sports-drink giant has dropped Mr. Woods, who in a televised news conference last week publicly apologized for his transgressions after details of his numerous marital infidelities surfaced following a one-car accident he was involved in on Thanksgiving night. The beverage brand is the third sponsor to walk away from the embattled golfer, who also said he was staying off the links.

APTiger Woods was Gatorade's first golf endorser. -->"We no longer see a role for Tiger in our marketing efforts and have ended our relationship," said a Gatorade spokeswoman. "We wish him all the best."

Gatorade first brought on Mr. Woods in 2007. He was the beverage brand's first golf endorser, and the deal was reportedly worth $100 million over five years. "Gatorade has been part of my game plan for years, whether I'm training or competing, so this is an ideal match," Mr. Woods said at the time.

Late last year, Gatorade decided to discontinue the Tiger Focus line of beverages, a decision it said was made before the scandal erupted in December. The company said at the time that it had ditched the line to make room for "our planned series of innovative products in 2010."
The Tiger line had not been performing well, with volume down 34% in the first 10 months of 2009, according to Beverage Digest figures.

The Gatorade spokeswoman said the brand's partnership with the Tiger Woods Foundation will continue.

Accenture and AT&T have also dropped Mr. Woods. With Gatorade now out of the picture, Procter & Gamble's Gillette brand is one of a handful of major corporate sponsors still standing by their man, even though the brand has scaled back on advertising that utilized Mr. Woods. On his personal website, tigerwoods.com, Mr. Woods lists his official sponsors as Nike, EA Sports, Gillette Champions, Tag Heuer, Golf Digest, NetJets, Upper Deck and TLC Laser Eye Centers.