Friday 24 January 2014
Harley Street 750 On Ice
The extreme sports juggernaut that is the X Games is considering including motorcycle ice racing in future event. Concurrently, Harley Davidson are pushing their new entry level liquid-cooled Street 750 (called, the, er, Street 750) and enrolled Brad Baker and Mr and Mrs Mees to promote the cause.
They want fans to tweet their opinions with the hashtag - #XGIceRace. We've never been to a X Games, but if it turns people onto flat track in some way, it can't be a bad thing. Twits should tweet something encouraging, but don't forget the hashtag.
Talking to AMA Pro Racing about the Street 750, Jared Mees said, “The Harley-Davidson Street 750 definitely gets up and runs. The throttle response is more instant and it’s definitely a lot snappier and has a lower center of gravity than the Harley-Davidson XR750. I think Harley-Davidson should consider this bike to compete at the Grand National level at some point. I would be all for this decision.” G
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6 comments:
Marketing masquerading as 'fan involvement'.
Eh? Pro motorsport is nothing but marketing. G
Sure - but HD using fans/customers rather than their own paid army of corny marketeers to create a buzz around a bike seems especially cynical. 'Get involved!'
“Personal freedom in not just an American ideal,” explained Richer, Harley’s marketing boss. “It’s spreading around the world. People want to be who they want to be right now."
Googling 'Street 750' led me to this nonsensical quote and I had to react negatively somewhere. Dicks.
Dunno. It's a big discussion, that I would enjoy having face to face. Selling T-shirts to fans to wear a brand name? It's another form of free marketing. Doesn't seem too cynical to me. If you don't want to tweet, don't do it. It's a pretty easy opt-out. If you want to opt-in, it's free. It's not like paid vote phone lines on primetime TV. In a cynical world, it's almost quaint.
'Get involved!' Er, no thanks, but I might next time, thanks for suggesting.
Anyway, go ICE RACE - Yay! G
PS I was mid-reply when the other comment came in. If you're expecting marketing execs, especially working for H-D, to make sense you're clearly suffering from sleep deprivation. Don't get angry, be amused. They're saying stuff like this to amuse you. They are the Ron Burgundys of marketing. They make the Daz man look like Noam Chomsky.
Astroturfing, innit? Creating a fake grass-roots demand.
Angry & amused. I enjoy not enjoying marketing. And the football's rained off.
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