T-Mobile makes a Ducati ad

Need to advertise speed? What better way than by associating your technically obtuse product with a vehicle intrinsically associated with performance by every man, woman and child? That’s what T-Mobile did in this new ad for its not-really-4G network. It’s made all the better by putting the T-Mobile girl, Carly Foulkes on the bike in full safety gear and making sure her sex appeal is used in an empowering way. Empowering like high-speed cell networks, get it? :continue:

Wes Siler. April 18th, 2012 - Permalink - Comments (45)

Benedict Campbell x Harley-Davidson

So Harley just slapped some different gewgaws on a Sportster and called it a new model. Not notable in the least, right? Well, they did do one thing right. In a world where every other OEM creates at least one or two products capable of appealing to under-49 buyers, but is unable to market them properly, Harley does the opposite. Its products suck, but its marketing is, occasionally, brilliant. Here, chasing those damn under-49 kids, Harley contracted filmmaker Benedict Campbell to pimp its new 72. The result is great, perfectly ticking all the vacuous youth culture boxes. It’s enough, almost, to create a hankering for assless leather chaps and a beer belly. :continue:

Wes Siler. February 21st, 2012 - Permalink - Comments (97)

Watch Royal Enfield sever a grown man’s umbilical cord

Creepy Royal Enfield ad is creepy. We get the message, we get that a lot of man children need to harden the fuck up, we get that it’s hard to convey the essence of motorcycling in an impactful way. Still, the thought of going to the bathroom while our moms stand next to us, feeding us through a flesh tube, is maybe just a little too David Cronenberg. :continue:

Wes Siler. November 4th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (12)

Real men don’t ride scooters?

During a meeting with a major OEM yesterday, this new TV spot was presented as evidence that scooters face an uphill battle for acceptance in mainstream American society. If there’s one source that young American males listen to, it’s makers of shitty beer, right? So a mainstream beer company telling young men that scooters are “not manly” is a major problem, right? I know what we told that OEM, but we’re interested in seeing what you think. :continue:

Wes Siler. October 21st, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (105)

Bikers are mean, Belgians are gutless and other stereotypes

Carlsburg Beer’s Belgian ad agency filled a movie theater in Brussels with a bunch of burly tattooed outlaw biker-types. Except for two seats right in the middle. Those were left open for supposedly unsuspecting “innocent couples” to occupy if they dared. Couples who sat got cheers and a Carlsburg for their bravery. Those who bailed? Well, they got what they deserved for signing the release forms.

:continue:

Grant Ray. October 3rd, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (26)

A two-wheeled tribute to the Space Shuttle

As motorcyclists, you and I probably have a little more in common with astronauts than the average person. We know what it is to take risks, we know what it means to delicately control a machine on the razor edge of performance and we spend a lifetime perfecting the skills required to do so. Constantly pursuing technical innovation in the name of speed, motorcycle manufacturers have something in common with NASA too. So, as the shuttle program prepares to make its final flight tomorrow, Aprilia USA thought it would make sense to put together a little tribute to the men and women, the engineering and the sheer bravery that’s inspired so many, including us. :continue:

Wes Siler. July 8th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (61)

Video: Relentless Isle of Man

This video released by Relentless as a part of its “Short Stories” film competition is not what I expected from an energy drink company. Instead, it is quietly gorgeous, not so much a portrait of Relentless Suzuki’s team or its famous tea-sipping racer Guy Martin as it is an loving portrait about an island that occasionally hosts an infamously batshit crazy series of races known as the TT. The sound of screaming machines will only mildly rattle your desk, you will not have a melted brain from onboard cameras witnessing speeds going plaid. You will also not be in agony from a production company piling on the overtly dramatic soundtrack and emotionally agonizing closeups, desperately seeking to pluck your heart strings. However, you will be tempted to skip work and go riding for the rest of the day.

Grant Ray. June 30th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (39)

Aprilia RSV4 vs Nissan GT-R

When it was released in 2008, the Nissan GT-R shook the world of fast cars to its core, obliterating more powerful competition from more heralded automakers to set a new lap record at the Nurburgring. It did that using not raw power, but advanced electronics that made it both faster and more controllable than any car before. The Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE promises to do the same thing to the bike world using launch control, wheelie control, traction control and quickshift optimized for performance not safety. But, which revolutionary vehicle is faster, bike or car? :continue:

Wes Siler. June 22nd, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (62)

If you’re not wearing the right gear, you may as well be wearing nothing

Created by Australian agency Resin for the country’s motorcycle safety campaign, “Body Paint” is the kind of compelling creativity that can present a strong message without feeling like condescension or lecturing. That it’s multiple World Champion and hard man Mick Doohan delivering the message helps too. :continue:

Wes Siler. June 20th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (32)

Hand painting a Royal Enfield fuel tank

Tiny Indian bike maker Royal Enfield continues to prove that it has a better handle on branding and image than virtually any other motorcycle manufacturer. Here, it details the hand pinstripping process applied to every Enfield fuel tank. Authenticity, craftsmen, passion and slick production. Even if the bikes are a bit crap, this, together with Handcrafted in Chennai, still kinda makes us want one. :continue:

Wes Siler. June 16th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (35)

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