• by Karl Greenberg , June 4, 2013

There are dozens and dozens of bicycle brands -- probably hundreds if you take a ride down the long tail of the business into small operations and niche brands. But like just about every business these days, the wheeled world is dominated by a handful of giants like Trek, Specialized, and Cannondale.   

And like other industry sectors, the bicycle world has its own mega trade show. In the U.S. that's Interbike, which happens Sept. 18 this year in Las Vegas. For years, the show -- open only to industry -- has brought in tens of thousands of manufacturers, designers, and after-market and accessories companies. And it has brought in thousands of members of the real consumer touchpoint (at least until the Web): bicycle shop owners and staff.

But Interbike, a division of of Nielsen Expositions, has been struggling to keep shop owners coming in recent years because the giants mentioned above have gone rogue, opting to put on their own private affairs for dealers who carry their products, per Pat Hus, VP of the exposition company’s cycling and fitness group.

"Now a lot of bigger brands do their own private events where they buy the tickets, feed the dealers, and cater to them," he says. "They are not at Interbike because they spend millions on these events.”

He tells Marketing Daily that Interbike is hoping to plug the drain with a couple of strategies aimed at winning back both retailers and the major bike brands that have opted out. One is an ad campaign and digital effort aimed to get dealers to consider Interbike attendance tantamount to being part of the larger bike community, and necessary if they want an informed staff.

"The whole idea was to reinforce the need to be part of the bike community,” says Hus. “Then to go back and share with customers what you've learned at the show through meetings with product managers, engineers and designers."

The effort -- "Be a part of the community," via Boulder, Colo.-based TDA Boulder -- includes trade book print ads that show shop owners engaging customers. “When bike shops struggle,” ads say, “local bikers do too. And the best way to keep your bike shop a part of the local community is for you to be part of the bigger one.”

Charlie McCorkell, who runs one of New York’s best-known bike shops, Bicycle Habitat (which he also founded in 1978), tells Marketing Daily that there are definitely a lot of cyclists who now rely on the Internet for purchase.

“It’s a very easy thing to do," he says. "You can buy a bike at 2 a.m. in your underwear." But he adds that it hasn't become a major threat yet.  

The second tactic is to invite stores’ best consumers to the show -- something that already happens at the other two major global bike shows in Asia and Europe, but had been taboo at the U.S. show.

"This has been a historically polarizing subject,” says Hus. “The traditionalists don't think consumers should be let in, but that mindset is softening."

The campaign also has a 60-second spot targeted to social media that teases customers to come into bike shops to say they've heard about the opportunity to go to Interbike. "Ultimately it's the bike shop's choice, but the thinking was to reward customers who are loyal to your store. We're talking about building relationships with your best customers."

Bicycle Habitat's McCorkell says Interbike is a critical event for the company. “I try never to miss it,” he says. “Last year we sent six people there; we look for new product, talk to suppliers, try to find out what’s happening.”

advertisement

advertisement