Analysis of Marketing and Production Strategies : A Case Study of the Tennis Equipment Industry

Abstract

With the growing interest in tennis, the evolution of tennis racquets and strings has allowed companies to take advantage of the upward trend within the tennis equipment market. Racquet and string companies, in this industry, act in a competitive nature in ways such as, striving to increase profits as well as gain market control. "The Big Three" companies in the tennis industry consist of Wilson, Head, and Babolat. They are called "The Big Three" due to the size and scale in which they produce tennis equipment. The purpose of this study is to review economic theory in order to show the type of market structure the tennis racquet and string market exhibits. The way the companies behave towards one another, as well as how the market behaves, with the amount of small and large firms, reveals that the market structure is an oligopoly with a competitive fringe. Along with observing the market structure, this study analyzes and observes the marketing strategies and production techniques used by "The Big Three," in order to explain how these larger firms have become the leaders in the tennis industry.