Hank [BS/MSEE,
MSM $$$, Ph.D. Mgmt] teaches 
First, make a good product. Fishing rod? Ok. Then, give it a memorable name. Ugly Stik? Oh yes, that will do just fine. Talk about name differentiation. That’s a name with balls.
In 1908 The William Shakespeare, Jr. Company had more than a dozen employees and created high quality products under the slogan “Built Like a Watch.” Seven years later Bill’s company became “The Shakespeare Company.” The company’s tradition of innovation continued through the century, right up until 68 years later when the manufacturer’s first Ugly Stik tubular fishing rod was heralded by a trade publication as perhaps “the most remarkable product of the last two decades.” The first Ugly Stik’s design used the ferruless construction and the “Howard Process,” which probably means very little to people who don’t fish, but which amongst anglers and rod-makers was a very big deal, technologically. This breakthrough led to a new caliber of fishing rod that could be bent from end to end into a circle without snapping or splintering, and yet retained a high level of stiffness so it would not be flimsy and unmanageable when trying to the land the big one.
Essentially, this is the foundation of Ugly Stik’s success: It delivers an exceptional product, at a reasonable cost, to those who are looking for just such a product and doesn’t waste its time with those who are not. This humble strategy has made Ugly Stik the bestselling rod on the market today. To get an idea of the brand loyalty Ugly Stik enjoys, read the viewer comments accompanying one of the brand’s recent television ads . (It is also noteworthy that in this ad Ugly Stik has managed something that seems very simple but is actually quite rare: a funny commercial that also highlights an actual product feature.)
All of the above is excerpted from Abran Sauer’s article in the 9/29/08 issue of brandchannel.com’s brandfeature-profile here: The video ad cited above is embedded below. Hank
Wow, this would be amazing to have but I’m kind of wondering how much it costs and if its just for the more serious fisherman rather than the average joe like me who only goes out occasionally. I would definitely like to try a rod like this when pike fishing to really test if its strong enough cause those things have one hell of a tug and would really put it to the test of not breaking when it bends.
I own 2 Ugly Stiks and for those of you from the north east, mainly NY, I’ve used them to pike fish in the thousand islands area and they out preform any rod on the water.
Agreed. I have used an Ugly Stick. They are quite amazing.
I also have used the ugly stick. Its truly is a great rod. The price you pay for one is reasonable and rod holds its own on the lake. This is a great example of a great product with good advertisment and marketing behind it. Plus to cap it all off the ugly stick is wife proof!
I have never used the ugly stick. But I have seen glasses with frames like that. Those are very useful but I wonder if they sell well. If it is so strong, customers only need to buy it once and they will not need to buy another one for a long time
Seems to me this is a great example of a company doing exactly what they’re supposed to to be successful. I don’t know much about fishing, but my friends who do all use and love Ugly Stiks.
Haha, I’ve owned only one fishing rod my whole life but this has convinced me to buy another. But I got a feeling it will probably be the last judging from that commercial.
I personaly do not care much if the fishing rod I own can withstand the abuse of a dishwasher machine, however if the price is right I would probebly get one.
I have only fished once in my life but I live on a lake and my entire family fishes. I think this looks like a really good product! I doubt if anyone that fishes in my lake would have to worry about the rod being so flexible, because I doubt if there are fish that big in it.. but it is definitely a great invention and the ad was awesome! I think this product seems like the fishermans dream and the houswives nightmare!
Ugly Stick has done a great job of marketing and producing a useful and durable product. The name recognition is definitely a helpful tool for those in the marketing aspect of this company because, the name is so different from the competitors. The commercial also does a good job of showing the durability of the product and the easily relating “story”.
I think the last time I went fishing was 10 years ago, and I never caught anything. Clearly I’m not a fisher so obviously I know nothing about other fishing rods out on the market. However, it sounds like they have a good product out that fishermen would love. I also give the company props for their commercial.
My family and I are big fishers and have probably bought more fishing rods than imaginable. One of the biggest hassles we used to have was untangling all our rods and then re-assembling them. By the time we had put all the rods together we were too frustrated to want to fish. Ugly Stick gets rid of all that extra time and is more efficient than its competitors. There ad also does a great job of showing how wonderful an Ugly Stick is.
Haha this commercial was really funny and gave a good image of the rod. It also attracted my attention. When commercials were made to be funny and if it isn’t funny, it is not a good advertisement. But this advertisement was funny and got the point across. This was a good commercial. but i did go fishing at the puget sound and caught a dogfish. it was awsome. me and my friends were fishing on a canoe.
Kept my attention the whole time, very good commercial usage too! I like fishing but I’m not a huge fisher so I don’t really compare rods or anything!
I’m not much of a fisher myself but I found the commercial very appealing. It definitely kept my interest the entire time. Based on what I saw, they looked pretty durable. My only question I would have is how much do they cost?? Other than that it looks like Ugly Stiks have something good going on for them!!
Never been much of a fisher either but the commercial was really interesting. I like the name too it’s funny you wouldn’t think it would apply to fishing at first.
Wow, thats really neat. I like to fish every once in a while but I’m not even close to being considered a professional angular so even though I haven’t heard of this. I might consider getting this if my current rod breaks.
I do not fish, and never have been fishing. However, one of my good, die hard, fishing friends has used an Ugly Stick. He had nothing but good things to say about it. He has actually been trying to get my to go fishing and tell me that WHEN (not if haha) it happens, we’ll use an Ugly Stick. This way I’ll be able to see how “amazing” it truly is. I’m pretty skeptical, just because it’s fishing in the first place, but I’ll give it a shot . . . well maybe!
Although i don’t know much about fishing rods, the company did do a great job of advertising it by letting the lady put the rod into the dishwasher and the ugly stick look the same as before it was being put into the washer.
i wonder how much it cost to buy this ugly stick.
The ad is very effective and direct to the point. We need like those kinds of ad during these days.
Yeah I don’t know anything about fishing. But I do know enough about stuff to know that that rod is impressive. It seems pretty darn near unbreakable. I’m sure that kind of technology can carry over to many different industries.
And it seems to have a very high user approval rate. Always good for a product. Nothing advertises like word of mouth.
Ugly stick seems like a pretty cool product. The way it is so flexible from bending end-to-end without sacraficing performance and strength of the rod is impressive for me at least. I wonder how much it is compared to an average rod on the market.
PS-Funny commercial! It shows how durable an Ugly stick is in the UGLIEST conditions.
Love it!
I actually have one and they are pretty sweet. Shakespeare did what every company envies in their commercials, humor and effectiveness.
I have never really been a big fisherman……I’ve always bought the cheapest rod I could find. After watching this though I would be temped to buy an Ugly Stick next time I go to buy a new pole. I feel that this product will do well.
Being an Eagle Scout I have some experience with fishing and while I must say Ugly Stiks aren’t your top of the line rod per se they have pretty dang good value for the price.
The commercial which advertises the Ugly Stik is a prime example of successful execution. The commercial conveys the high malleability of the rod while providing entertainment for its viewers. I would definitely invest in this product just to say, “I have an Ugly Stik” even if it may not be the top of the line rod.
This product is perfect for fishermen who go fishing and have the trouble of their rod always breaking when the weight of the fish becomes too strong. This product has a perfect name for the type of product it sells. I think if I was a fisherman I would buy this rod and this would be my first and only rod. The advertisement is also very good because it shows that no matter how hard the wife attempted to break the rod, she still could not break it, which was amusing to watch.
That’s a humorous commercial to accommodate an interestingly made product. I’m very surprised that a product with such an awkward name could be one of the best selling rods in the fishing industry, no matter how far it could bend back!
This just shows how far a good product could go without the “startup-naming” treatment.
I’m amazed by the fact that this product can produce happiness by making you laugh and making fisher easier and more efficient.
I own one of these fishing poles, and I can vouch for their product. I am not the best angler, but I have caught my share of fish, and my 6′6 rod has the perfect combination of flexibility and weight balance. This is necessary to feel the small nibbles of fish, and it is easy to do with this pole. I agree Phil, it is amazing to see how a name like the Ugly Stik could contribute to the product’s great success.
wow. thats actually pretty impressive.
and the commercial was great. it showed exactly what it does in a fun-to-watch manner
I think that I have gone fishing once in my life but I found this commercial to be very interesting. It looks like a great product that is backed up with credible advertising and marketing. Not only was it funny but it got the point across.
Ugly sticks are amazing, especially for the price. They outperform the more expensive rods. I have a few and I know several people who won’t use anything but ugly sticks.
The advertisement uses rebellion to connect to husbands everywhere, interesting.
The You tube video was very funny. I can understand how the woman is feeling, but than again every guy has that one thing he wants to get out of the house and do. I love how the fishing pole is still in good condition after he gets it out of the trash compactor. Ugly Stick has great advertising, and the name alone is fantastic!
That’s amazing how something so thin and small can endure such punishment. The name ulgy stick is something that’s catchy and used by everyday people. Great product name. i have fished in Hawaii with different fishing rods, but have never came across an ugly stick. Quite an amazing rod, and would like to use one someday.