This Is Style: Towards The Grand Finale Of The New Ducati Storytelling

1. I'm not against marketing, just bad marketing. This is bad marketing because, whilst it might appeal to new market segments, it doesn't take its existing customer base with it, it insults viewer intelligence and offers no real hook to pull people in. Not good classic marketing, not good viral marketing.
2. KTM (+28.2%); BMW (9.2% Q1) - can't be arsed looking for any more. And most of Ducati's increase comes from low-margin entry level stuff (ie Scrambler) whilst (ISTR from the latest Audi corporate report, which buries Ducati deep, that revenues are flat to slightly down).
3. Ducati has not gained anything from Audi in quality: they're still treating their customers as development riders. Which is oxymoronic to their current marketing approach.
4. Not so much real innovation as riding the industry waves.

Their videos have high production values, which is NOT the same as effective marketing. They seem to be going down a similar route to Porsche, with marque enthusiasts being a marginal part of their market, albeit that most Porsches don't disintegrate in the first two years of ownership and Porsche does occasionally throw a sop to the hairy-arsed beardie enthusiast, most recently with the GT4. You can certainly broaden your market and grow sales that way, right to the point where the brand values are seen to be diluted and/or the shit hits the fan and the fashionista desert the brand in droves. Me, I'll buy Ducati if the product is right, regardless of the message. Unfortunately, product quality does not appear consistent with that of a 'premium' brand and, in my case, for the first time in 30 years, I'm actively looking elsewhere for my next bike.

 

Excellent. The only thing missing was standing on the cat in the dark

 

i blame zer audi

 

vorschprung durch hoden?

 

errrr, advancement through testicles ?

 

Er, yes - I had to go formal as I couldn't remember the German for 'bollocks' ;-)

 

This isn't Style, it is bollox. It is bollox for several reasons:

1. You can't see anything at all, thus it doesn't tease. There is not enough to pique your interest. All it does is waste your time and fatuously suggests that it is entitled to do so such is the import of the news that is coming.

2. Real premium brands understand that you don't claim you have style, you have it or you don't. Brands that claim to be "luxury" aren't. They are wannerbees. You never state, you act. Cool people don't claim to be cool. So it's a fail on that score.

3. The news, when it comes, better be good. Like really good. Teaser campaigns increase expectations and it's a double-edged sword. High expectations lead to let-down and disappointment if the news doesn't match them - an own goal.
For example, the Monster R is not sufficiently new or radical to merit a teaser campaign. It's a revamp. So I hope that Ducati are truly going to amaze us with something very new and unexpected.

But bearing in mind all the above, I don't think they will. I think they just have a pretentious marketing campaign.

 

Quite. And honest people don't claim to be honest. And wise people don't claim to be wise.