I know what you mean. All of those automobile ads that show driving to be a fun, sexy, & exhilarating experience have set car advocacy back by decades!
Fun and exhilarating is one thing, YF. Out of control is another.
In the early days of automotive advertising, some auto-motive sportsman ads proved to be disastrous in term of advocating automobiles as safe for users (and others) and as a serious alternative to the standard forms of transport. Once the automobile was established as a serious choice, the ads loosened up again. But the public had to first buy-in to cars as a reasonable possibility.
When BikeNashbar ran a series of catalog covers showing a nerdy bike-commuter a few years ago, I doubt it generated the same sales response of this catalog (or the one that followed it, showing the same cyclist after doing a "fun" face plant).
What sells bikes to consumers, and what sells bicycles as a transportation mode, are often at odds.
7 comments:
Do we have to be serious all the time? I mean, he's clearly riding through the grass for Pete's sake!
"Do we have to be serious all the time?"
I'd settle for just often.
I know what you mean. All of those automobile ads that show driving to be a fun, sexy, & exhilarating experience have set car advocacy back by decades!
Fun and exhilarating is one thing, YF. Out of control is another.
In the early days of automotive advertising, some auto-motive sportsman ads proved to be disastrous in term of advocating automobiles as safe for users (and others) and as a serious alternative to the standard forms of transport. Once the automobile was established as a serious choice, the ads loosened up again. But the public had to first buy-in to cars as a reasonable possibility.
When BikeNashbar ran a series of catalog covers showing a nerdy bike-commuter a few years ago, I doubt it generated the same sales response of this catalog (or the one that followed it, showing the same cyclist after doing a "fun" face plant).
What sells bikes to consumers, and what sells bicycles as a transportation mode, are often at odds.
Fortunately, I suspect most non-cyclists don't look at Nashbar catalogs.
Does the Nashbar family still own it? I am old enough to remember when it was the "Bike Warehouse" catalog.
Nashbar is owned by Performance, Inc.
stu42j said...
"Nashbar is owned by Performance, Inc."
Really? I didn't know that. That's a surprise... but not, I suppose.
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