It seems the in thing now to sustaining your brand by consumerism If that didn't happen Ducati would fall by the wayside so now it's lifestyle is pushed to be obtainable by anyone hence the different makes and the different types of person from HRH William to pop stars to the man on the street Luxury can now be afforded by all of us It's a different world to our days I'm only just over 21 plus
"Lifestyle brand" is just marketing speak for bloody overpriced. It works for people who are dumb enough to buy a product just to impress other people but bikers tend to buy bikes to please themselves and to hell with what other people think and they tend to be discerning and well informed about what they're buying. Its a risky strategy to assume that your customers in a notoriously conservative sector can be relied upon to have more money than sense.
There is something special about Ducati can't put my finger on what it is though Even my die hard zx10r owner friend Ducati electrics are rubbish, started to be interested in my SS and would have gladly rode her if I had let him They stir something in your soul
I cannot stand Ducati owners. Awful people :Meh: I love the two Ducatis I own, though. So engrossing and rewarding As for lifestyle? I don't even have a life, let alone style :Hilarious:
That is indeed the case. We marketing types produce what are known as "brand essence wheels" which are a graphic representation of where the brand is at. They answer, among other questions, such things as What is the brand? What does the brand do for me? How does the brand make me feel? How does the brand make me look? All these bits of the wheel need filling-in and defining. The last two questions are very important. Owning a Merc will make you feel different to owning a Vauxhall. Owning a Ducati makes you feel different to owning a Yam or a Honda. Your vehicle makes a statement about you (like it or not, but mainly we like it). Now, if Ducati really were a "lifestyle brand" it might make you feel a tosser/ripped off/trying too hard - any number of things. And you might look that way too. What you can say is that not many of us choose a Ducati purely because it is the best value and most practical bike for the money. We pay an emotional premium for one and that is factored into the price.
I must admit I do find this a very interesting topic. I worked out many years ago that if people find you more interesting/sexy/attractive because you have a Jag/Ferrari rather than a Morris/Austin then they are not really people worth knowing. I don't know if I've ever fallen for a 'lifestyle' product, I may have done (I wear Levis, Vans and other names along with my Tesco/Asda briefs etc. but think that is because I prefer them and they are more comfortable - and i buy most of y clothes in the USA as the are MUCH cheaper) I own a Ducati because I have wanted one ever since I saw a Pantah 600SL back in the 80s and I thought it was so BEAUTIFUL. I didn't even care how it went. I now have my first Ducati, an ST4, and the vast majority of people don't know what it is apart from a Ducati. It cost £1750 but people think it must have been lots more!?! It has given me more grief in the month/6 weeks I have had it than most bikes I've had but when I've been out on it it has been a lovely bike to ride. I may buy a T shirt (or not) depending on how I feel and if they're cheap. At 67 I don't think any 'lifestyle' product could make me sexier than I am and I am against PCP deals on principal (although I do understand that they allow people to use something they can't afford - bit like rent really) because you don't own what you're paying for and you have to live by someone else's rules. I also ride a Triumph Sprint RS, another unpopular, and therefore cheap, bike - am I different on the Triumph compared to the Ducati?? I don't feel any different! Sorry for the ramble. I shouldn't witter on (old age dontcha know) as long as I don't have to grow a beard and wear turn-ups on my jeans I think I'll be OK as long as I follow my principles - i.e. you can do what you want in life as long as you don't hurt anyone else !! (I note that this site spell checker underlines Ducati as an error/unrecognised word. I find that strange)
The new Ducati are desperate to (re)brand. To the point of cutting off dealers who are unable (or unwilling) to pay Ducati to modernise their dealerships into glass palaces. Ducati are selling more bikes than ever. Good on them. This has been at the expense of what used to make Ducati special.
