Michelle Wie and Her Blue Driver Join Team Zepp

Written By: Tony Covey

I’m guessing that for most of you, a LPGA golfer joining the Pro Staff of a swing training company whose device you probably aren’t using isn’t exactly headline material.

Don’t take that the wrong way, we’re big fans of Zepp. It’s perhaps not the most robust swing trainer on the market, but it’s unquestionably the easiest (and most fun) to use, which suggests to me that it has the potential to make the biggest impact on the market, and maybe even your golf game.

Adding Wie as a #ZeppPro (yup, there’s a hashtag) certainly doesn’t hurt credibility.

Also worth noting is that Zepp is the only swing trainer that currently measures hand path, which is an important, yet often overlooked aspect of the golf swing. Thanks to instructors like MyGolfSpy contributor, Andrew Rice, that’s changing – and in that respect, Zepp is ahead of the curve.

That’s all good-enough stuff, but what I found most interesting about the Zepp announcement is the accompanying video which features Nike Athlete, Michelle Wie, explaining why she uses Zepp as Zepp’s video team shoots her from a series of angles that the conspiracy theorist in me believes was constructed explicitly to showcase Wie’s unusual, and in the case of the driver, unannounced Nike gear.

Wie’s Pink Nike Blazer hightop golf shoes…Zepp got ’em.

What about the white Blazers? Zepp got those too.

What about that Blue Nike Vapor Fly prototype driver that Nike isn’t talking about (even though Paul Casey has put it into play, Rory is dabbling with, and Michelle Wie is swinging in promo videos for other products)? Team Zepp not only nailed the shot, the company is using it as the main promo image for its video.

Coordinated marketing effort, or just coincidence? I know this much; nearly nothing inside Nike nation happens by accident, and certainly not when it involves unreleased equipment.

Ultimately, who cares, I suppose. Cross marketing is an absolute reality, and intentionally or otherwise (I’m going with intentionally), Nike is finding creative and alternative streams in which to push its gear without pushing its gear.

But seriously, is this a Zepp promo or a Nike commercial?

For its part #ZeppGolf adds one more name to an impressive roster that already includes Keegan Bradley and Bendan Steele on the golf side, while expanding its growing footprint within golf’s tech corner.

Have Your Say

What do you guys think? Is this a small, harmless, but well-coordinated marketing conspiracy, or did Nike get lucky with some extra exposure?

And what about Zepp and other swing trainers? In your mind, does the addition of big name players to a brand’s pro/teaching staff in anyway help validate its technology?

For more information about Zepp Golf visit Zepp.com.

For additional shots of Michelle Wie’s Nike gear, re-watch the Zepp video.