Influencers and Exclusivity—Not Advertising—Spark Ultra-Luxury Purchases

How the maker of high-end golf trolley RolleyGolf got affluent consumers' attention

When UK-based engineering firm Drive Daddy released RolleyGolf, the first ride-on golf trolley, in 2008, it had to get the product noticed by the people with the means to purchase it—affluent consumers. Arnold du Toit, Drive Daddy's founder and CEO, spoke with eMarketer's Sean Creamer about launching an ultra-luxury product, and how the company's marketing strategy is evolving as the company grows. Du Toit was interviewed as part of eMarketer’s July report, "Affluents in France, Germany and the UK: Savvy and Demanding, Both Online and Offline."

eMarketer:

What's the idea behind the RolleyGolf?

Arnold du Toit:

We thought of the aging population and the demand in golf at the time. RolleyGolf users can walk with their trolley in the usual way or walk behind it, but they can also hop on and cruise along if they get tired, or just for fun.

eMarketer:

How did you reach your target affluent audience at first?

Arnold du Toit:

We didn't actually do any marketing when we started. It was just word-of-mouth. We won some innovation prizes and design awards, and with that came some PR. Then very quickly people started picking up the product. People began telling friends, family and close connections, and they would pick up the phone and buy one.

Interview conducted on June 11, 2018

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