I decide to write that post because in 2014 i did a design excersice imagine a rebranding for BBB company, and some time after that they did it, not beacuse of me, just because the tribals design were no longer in fashion.
In an early
2019 we saw the social media channels and some the most influencers cycling
culture websites presenting and showing the latest changes under the umbrella
of Decathlon from now on #D, the brand new Van Rysel.
Almost ten
years ago I was working as collaborator in the Cycling Department in the #D
shop from my native Island, Gran Canaria. There I could experience a stigma
that many riders had about to being seen riding on a Btwin, especially in performance
and sportive level, but if we talk about the entry level riders, frequently
they are more than happy with the service at the shop and after sales service.
The moment when
I saw Van Rysel as a brand in Bike Radar, CyclingWeekly or in Road.cc I had the feeling that
they were doing something great from the perspective of bring the brand out of
the #D box. At this moment I started to look for information officially from the
brand, like a VanRysel.com or vanrysel.cc , something that help to imagine the
new brand independent but it was not possible.
From my
point of view, If they create a web independent from #D It may be looks a small
detail that seems like a big change.
Knowing how
the blue giant works, I think that will be impossible to see the brand Van
Rysel out of their four walls, but would be great to have this brand in some
strategy and independent bicycle retailers, as a bicycle brand with entry level
prices as many others. The graphics designs that they are doing are popular and in line
with the market, but the bikes technically are not integrated at all with Di2 systems, something hard to understand if you pusch the new brand in the pro levels and non a single disc brake on the same level.
Recently I look for a web site from VR and at this moment post COVID lock down, where all the brands push their B2C, it is moment especially important to have their own website and ready to sell to end users far from the stigma of the blue giant #D.
Recently I look for a web site from VR and at this moment post COVID lock down, where all the brands push their B2C, it is moment especially important to have their own website and ready to sell to end users far from the stigma of the blue giant #D.
When I talk
about stigma is just because many people see the multinational company as a
supermarket of sports, a supermarket with own brands or third party brands, so
the value for the own is representative of what you pay for it. “You know that
you are buying a good material with a low price, so is something that you are
proud to pay for it but not proud to show it”
From by
vision the steps necessary to increase the rider appeal are three:
- Create the web vanrysel.cc to enlarge the brand awareness and unlink the Van Rysel from #D
- Push that web to sell online like a Canyon and use the #D shops to offer a well performed after sales service offline.
- Create a strategy to make new riders and current riders not linked emotionally to another brand desire that brand as new brand.
Today (Sunday
13.07.2020) this seems to me like the same dog with a different necklace, but
of course a new necklace more beautiful than before from the design
perspective.
Having
attractive, competitive and interesting brands in the market helps to activate
and stimulate the development of other, but as you may know is better a welldone aluminium bike than a mediocre carbon one.
