Rawlings SWOT Analysis

Parker Jenkins

SWOT Analysis for Rawlings 

Look good, feel good, play good!  Baseball players across the United States are extremely familiar with the sporting goods company, Rawlings. By proving their company’s loyalty to their consumers by providing the highest quality equipment, Rawlings has earned the label of the strongest selling baseball brand in North America. Founded in 1887 by brothers, George and Alfred Rawlings, this establishment was born in St. Louis. Listed below you will find my personal thoughts and comments to what I believe is the primary focal points this company thrives on. 

Strengths

• Recognizable name brand
• As the number one go-to baseball brand ranging from little league to professional ball, Rawlings has created a sense of popularity within their products. Created by George and Alfred Rawlings in 1887, the brothers have lead this stitching to it’s empire. 
• Endorsed by well-known athletes
• With the name of this brand becoming more in demand, Rawlings took it upon themselves to raise the bar by scoring the highest paid athlete, Alex Rodriguez, to sport their apparel. Mark Teixera and Derek Jeter were also only a few of the players in which Rawlings endorsed. 
• High quality gloves 
• This company has a strong suit especially in their gloves. The success is due to the extreme comfort and the top of the line leather utilized in the making of their 125 different types of gloves. 
• #1 Manufacture 
• Rawlings takes pride in holding the title as the strongest baseball equipment brand. With the high demand for their products, their costumers are the fuel to their fire. 
• New products
• The game of baseball is always changing. With new technology and performances constantly evolving, Rawlings has not skipped a beat in maintaining their status. By conforming their artifacts to meet the needs of their fans, this brand is kept refreshed and up to date. 

Weaknesses

• Expensive 
• Due to the desire to obtain their gear, Rawlings is forced to increase their pricing on all merchandise and equipment. While at first glance price tags may seem a bit steep, the quality proves you get what you pay for. 
• Lack of advertising
• By using well-known professional baseball players to sport their name, Rawlings is only familiarizing the familiar. This route of advertisement does not reach viewers outside of the baseball world. 
• Competitive market
• While Rawlings shows to be the most popular brand, there are many other successful baseball brands trailing behind them such as Wilson, Easton and TPX. To stay on top, Rawlings must keep on their toes and only enhance their products.
• Tied to North America
• With baseball expanding globally more and more every four years through the World Baseball Classic, Rawlings is limiting their business to only North America. By doing so, they are missing out in over seas marketing and transactions. 

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 Opportunities

• Expand market outside the United States
• Restricting customers out of our country is not allowing Rawlings to reach their full potential. If this brand were to extend to European/Asia countries, the revenue would inflate. 
• Constant growth
• Due to continuous development, Rawlings has the possibility to create merchandise that has never been touched before. While times are ever changing and greater needs are presenting themselves, enterprise has a large playing field in designing new commodities.
• Traditions
• Promotional events can increase Rawlings customer loyalty by offering a new line of gear to celebrate their anniversary. By creating new designs that will attract the buyer’s eyes, this will attract not only committed costumers but also new ones. 

Threats

• Alternative sporting goods companies
• TPX, Wilson, Nokona and Easton are only a few of the brands in this competitive market. This forces Rawlings to generate equipment that will stand out to the consumers. 
• Not strong in other sports
• While Rawlings has gear in different sports such as football, basketball, and soccer it is not as vigorous as it is in baseball. From being created specifically to meet the needs of the game of baseball, Rawlings has set their focus on becoming the primary brand for this sport.
• Economy
• With our economy constantly fluctuating, the company has had several financial setbacks. Because of this, consumers are not secure position to always be ready to purchase. 

Sources:

International Directory of Company Histories. (Vol. 24. St. James Press, 1999.) Rawlings Sporting Goods Co.,Inc. History. Retrieved from http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/rawlings-sporting-goods-co-inc-history/ 

Garry. (2014, July 6) Top 10 Athlete Endorsement Earnings of 2014. Retrieved from http://sportschatplace.com/mlb-picks/2014/07/16/top-10-mlb-athletes-endorsement-earnings-in-2014