Is marketing “everyday cycling” wrong?
Here’s a somewhat counter-intuitive proposal from a UK transport consultant: concentrating our cycle promotion on “everyday folks” might be less effective in growing and normalising cycling than targeting cycling subcultures!
Basing her think piece on marketing and innovation research, Charlotte Welch argues that cycling promotion should concentrate on the innovators (the first 2.5%) and particularly the “early adopters” (the next 13.5%) of the whole population, rather than trying to reach the “early and late majority” folks – the “everyday cyclists” in CAA parlance.
According to this theory, spreading a product or an idea – including something like cycling – works best when you have the forward-thinking, cool and innovative people be your ambassadors. These people then eventually convince the majority to adopt the idea – because they give them a feeling that they are missing out. Because most everyone of us has one of those early adopters around, either in the family, or amongst our friends.
So rather than target the mass market, cycling campaigns should target the more sizable sub-cultures – for example those who cycle specifically for sports or health reasons, or those who cycle because it is sustainable and “eco”.
What do you think of the theory? Truth or just marketing lingo?
Fullers (CAA Sponsor)
Themocracy
No, it is truth.. and for other reasons as well..
For example, in NZ these people make up most of the cyclists anyway, even though they are a “sub culture”. They are passionate, and out there clocking up hours and hours on their bikes on road (as opposed to minutes for urban cyclists). For example, one commute to work for me (which I do for health, fitness reasons) is approx 4 days worth of commuting for the target “Every day cyclist”.
In fact, the “Every day cyclist” in New Zealand, particularly Auckland, is NOT an “urban cyclist” – it is more likely be someone who cycles for fitness/health.
When you add this to the reasons Welch suggests (because they still apply), well.. its obvious isn’t it?
Then, target the “subculture” and use them to spread the word… show them cycling for fitness, and also taking the family for rides, etc.. help them to spread the word..
Cyclists are terrible at this, where motorcyclists do this naturally without even needing organisation.
I’m going to go with specific. Think this video sums it up quite nicely http://vimeo.com/m/45480679 . We [Nextbike] have also been heavily involved with workshops with bus drivers and their attitudes towards cycling. For much less than the price of a billboard we were getting 9 out of 15 drivers asking if their was a way for them to do more cycling in the future.
I’m not against specific targeting of everyday folks… but nothing is going to sell something like passionate evangelists and word of mouth.. get the people who are already cycling and passionate on board, and give them some tools… and stop alienating them.. and things will explode.
Better infrastructure and promos and initiatives like in that video will help too… but your best salespeople are those who are already out there, doing it, passionate, etc…
I think..government campaigns are hyprocritical and don’t work. I don’t see any politicians or mayors on bikes.
It is the cyclists themselves who promote cycling, not something handed down by people who think it’s a good idea but don’t ride themselves.
I think..having a program on tv for cyclists instead of top gear for car nerds/boy racers would be great. Then we could interview people like Sarah Ulmer and Josie Dew.
I do think though people like Lance Armstrong bring cyclists into disgrace..he is definitely not cool in my book. I also think people with that much time and extra income who do cycle not because they need to can at least raise some money for charity while they do it..or get kids who don’t have bikes an opportunity to own one. I didn’t own my own bike until I was 30!
Wouldn’t say government campaigns are hypocrisy automatically just because the specific decision makers don’t cycle (and I know that many of the Auckland Council staff doing the promo campaigns DO cycle) – and as long as they (politicians, not Council staff in this case) are actually, positively supporting cycling, whether they cycle or not is a valid question, but secondary (though oh, what would we give for a Boris Johnson or a Enrique Penalosa!).
The BBC just aired a show called “the cycle show” – it had everything from the tour de france to commuting to stunt riding and everything in between. It was great.