Pocock Racing Shells is is a member of the rowing industry and provides mainly products, but also services. The company produces rowing shells along with parts and accessories for the boats. The company will also repair heavily damaged boats. Pocock positions its products as high quality with a competitive price, and falls into the middle of the market with both higher and lower end competitors surrounding it. This makes Pocock products a good choice for rowers with some budget restrictions looking for a durable boat and is hence most commonly found in collegiate boathouses.

Pocock was the main brand of boat found in my collegiate boathouse when I rowed for The University of Tulsa my freshman and sophomore year of college. We had a couple of boats each from two or three competing brands, but the majority of our boats were Pococks. In my four years of rowing leading up to college I had not rowed a single Pocock and was not very open to trying them. However, what Coach said you did so I was forced into the boat just the same. Throughout my first year my resistance to the brand died off, but I remained unattached. It wasn’t until my second year that positive feelings started to develop. That spring I was put into a lineup that began as tangle of negative emotions, but grew over time into a lineup that believed we could conquer any challenge another was brave enough to hand to us. As our lineup’s attitudes transitioned, so did my feelings for Pocock. All 5 of us became attached to our lineup and to our boat, Judy.

Judy was the sixth member of our lineup and was just as important to our success as any other member. In the few instances where our coach forced us to abandon Judy for the day our practice lacked something intangible. We were missing a link in the chain that took us from individuals, to a unit. Judy helped us demolish our competition and bring home a bronze medal from the Conference USA Championship. To this day that is the only medal the Tulsa rowing team has brought home from that race despite several years of participation in the Regatta. Judy brought us through one of the best days of our lives. I have never felt so invincible. I will always love the Pocock brand and jump into one of their boats every chance I get.

 

Like my team, many collegiate teams own Pococks and are the brands biggest segment. While collegiate men do row these boats, Pococks are found mostly in the boathouses of women’s rowing programs. Women collegiate teams can range from 20 to over 200 rowers, although most programs have at least 45 athletes. Most of these programs compete in only one of the two types of rowing, which is called sweeping. As a result, their boathouses are comprised of mainly bigger boats like fours and eights. 

 

A smaller segment for Pocock is rowing clubs around the country that function similarly to a gym. Often, there are many different levels of rowers who pay a monthly membership to use the equipment, and perhaps pay an extra fee to participate is classes and practices. These members usually have a variety of backgrounds. Their age alone could vary from a junior (a student enrolled in high school) to a master rower (an athlete that is at least 21) well into their 70s. These clubs usually house all types of boats, which could be anything as small as a single or as big as an eight. 

An even smaller segment for Pocock is individuals looking to purchase a boat for themselves. While most rowers would love to own their own boat the hefty cost of a shell, with the cheapest single being about $4,000, keeps most athletes from purchasing one (2). The individuals that purchase a boat vary in many aspects, but are usually at least in the upper middle class, which allows the individual to have the proper funds to purchase a boat.

Each of these segments has a separate value proposition. Collegiate teams are looking for durable equipment that can fit their very specific demographic, while catering to an outlined budget. This makes Pocock valuable because the boats are designed to last for several years and yet are only in the middle range as far as price. Rowing clubs are looking for longevity as well and have even more budgetary restrictions, but, in contrast, are looking to appeal to a variety of rowers both based on skill and body composition. Pocock offers all types of boats and offers a base level that is cheaper and can effectively act as a mass targeted product. Individuals interested in purchasing boats are often less restricted monetarily than the other two segments, but are looking for a high level of customization in order to own a boat that fits them perfectly. Pocock caters to these individuals by having different boat types, price ranges, hardware variances, and aesthetic design customization.

Sources:

1) http://www.pocock.com

2) http://www.wintechracing.com/index.php?target=/boats/racingshells/1x.php