Ibis Cycles Relaunches Website
With all the EuroPortland news this week some other bike industry news got glossed over a little bit. It's understandable since EuroPortland is big, big news. But something else that caught my eye was the relaunch of the Ibis Cycles website.
I'm not a big bike geek, as I've mentioned before, and I'll never pretend that I am. However, I do know a little bit about marketing - at least I like to think that I do. My opinion? I like the site. A lot. Seriously, anything that has Popeye on it is ok with me.
The site shows that not only is this a bike company, and seemingly a good one, but a fun company. The site shows all of their products and is very functional showing styles, sizing information, clear, crisp photos and answers most of the questions you'd ask about a bike.
It also uses some fun images for sections; dollar bills for 'buy' and a hammer for 'tech' to name a couple. This shows this company knows that when you are out on your bike you are having more fun than you are when you are on your computer or at work. They are selling a lifestyle, not just an object. It shows on the site. They aren't trying to hit you over the head with 'we know bikes because we ride constantly and all our friends ride and it's all about riding, riding, riding'. They know their product and they know the lifestyle you want and they show that on this new site.
There is also a section for "Chuck Spew", a 'not blog' (that really is a blog) from founder Scot Nichol. The name alone makes me chuckle. It's a good place to learn what is going on at a bike company and illustrates what the company is doing and where the people go with some nice photography.
Can you tell that I like this site? I like the feeling I get when I'm there. I don't need to be a bike geek to enjoy the site and learn from it. That's a good thing. They have pulled me in. I want to know more - isn't that the goal of a website? To get someone who is a potential customer to poke around the site without being intimidated by all the techie stuff? You want to give that person a good feeling and eventually leave the site with a feeling of a lifestyle that is obtainable.
Mission accomplished, Ibis.
Oh, so where's Popeye? Go on over to the site and find him yourself - it's a fun place to be.
Just my thoughts on this Sunday evening in New England.
Posted by Donna Tocci at 3:05 PM
2 Comments
Scot and the gang at Ibis are some of the most genuinely intelligent and funny people you'll ever find in the bike industry.
I really wanted to catch up with Scot at Interbike this year, but he was kinda bausy, as was I, so it just didn't happen. This past January I interviewed Scot here and hoped I'd get to follow up with him, but it just didn't happen.
Maybe Scot will smell that we're talking about him again and come back on over for a little "how-dee" and maybe submit to a second interview. Who knows...
You can read the first interview again, if it makes you feel better;
http://bicyclemarketingwatch.blogspot.com/2006/01/kool-aid-exclusive-interview-with-ibis.html
Oh and yes, the new site is really cool. I dig the cartoon feel and the blatant sense of humor. I'm very happy that they are doing what they do, the way they do it.
I love the new site. It appears that Ibis tries to make every little interaction that a potential customer might have with the brand a good one. From the website to the bikes, an emphasis on good design is evident. Bikes are fun and Ibis knows that. I think that their attention to reflecting that fun in every detail of the customer experience is just great marketing.
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