Just Riding Along

Article on e-commerce doesn't mention blogs

For some reason I just received my August 15 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News Magazine (BRAIN).  It must have gotten lost in the mail.  I still think it's crazy they don't have more content on their website, but I digress.

I read with interest a cover story titled: "Internet Sales, Marketing Continue to Blossom."  It was a good article but I was quite surprised to not see blogs mentioned in any way, shape or form...not even a passing reference.

Does anyone else think this is strange?   Haven't blogs had an affect on consumers' buying habits online? 

According to a Marketing Sherpa survey from October 2004, when people were asked where they go online first to "find out more about a product or service," 64% of them said a search engine.  Now, given that we all know how blogs are frequently among the top results for many search queries, I think this fact alone is testament to how blogs have affected e-commerce.

I know at least one webmaster from a major bike brand reads this blog.  I'm curious as to how much inbound traffic they get to various product pages from blogs.  I imagine it is more than a significant amount.

So which is it:  Does a large part of the bike industry still not fully understand this new medium?  Or are my glasses covered in blog fog, making it impossible to see the picture clearly?

OLN's Tour coverage

Now that a few weeks have passed since the Tour, I wonder if OLN has had any meetings to talk about their coverage; what worked, what didn't, what they could do better.  If they haven't, I've found someone with tons of experience in the media and production world who has put together some solid advice.  His name is Eric Matthies.  Eric runs EMP Inc., which is a specialized media production company.  His credits include work on projects like the Matrix DVDs and bike related stuff like an upcoming documentary on the Village Bicycle Project in Ghana.  Suffice it to say, I think he's more than qualified to offer some constructive criticism..

So, without further ado, here's how Eric thinks OLN can step up into the big leagues:

Full coverage. 
Pay attention to all the teams, not just Discovery.  A little background info on the riders, the teams the ProTour and the earlier part of the season could go along way towards helping the viewer understand who’s hot, who to watch out for and who does what work when during the race.

More cameras.
Augment the French TV feed. Give us a racer’s POV, just like in FI and stock car coverage. Put some small hand held cameras in with the fans on the mountains, in the team cars, in the broom wagon and in the race doctor’s convertible too.

Help the commentators.
Get Phil and Paul a spotter and a fast fact checker so that Phil doesn’t embarrass himself confusing Hincapie for Armstrong or Vino for Jan. Give Bobke one of those drawing tablet things like the commentators in the NFL and NBA have. Use it to go back and analyze tactical moments in the race.

Say what!?
I know some people think race radio should be abolished, but if you look at the history of the race, the radio has been in there for a hell of a long time. Rather than trashing it, I say, give us the audio feed! Let part of the televised coverage include the race radio, so we can hear the strategies unfold as if we were in a team car. I’m not suggesting tapping individual team’s communications; just mix the general race feed into the audio. Have an intern who knows what they’re listening for monitor it, and then you can cut it into replays, or cut to it when the action gets hot.

Follow-ups. 
When someone from inside the pack has a rip-roaring day, or becomes a protagonist in a crucial segment of a stage – please go talk to them after the race, even if they didn’t end up winning that day. Give us personalities and drama; do a little background story in addition to the ‘backstage’ interview, dig up some archival footage or photos and let us know who these unsung heroes really are.

Inside scoops.
Rev up the behind the scenes reporting on the teams. We are told repeatedly that there is more strategy and tactics in pro cycling than there is in NASCAR – so show us. There are plenty of retired racers, expert journalists, factory wrenches and team spokesmen available out there to break down the play-by-play for the cameras, so go interview ‘em.

Draw us a diagram. 
Use the motion graphics capabilities to their fullest potential, like they do in other oddball sports like Frisbee golf. The interstitials and commercial bumpers created for Le Tour coverage already look great, so continue using the technology to help explain racing tactics, the rider’s position on the bike, etc.

Gear junkies.
Folks who ride and folks who just watch all love to know how things are done, so get in there and get the goods on tape. Every bike manufacturer in the world has some cool widget or another at use in the Tour, so tell us about them and how they work. I know this is part of the ‘extended coverage’ but there should be way more of it, and not just from the companies that put gear under the Discovery riders.

To sum it up, by borrowing from the proven and exciting televised sporting worlds of auto racing, football and Frisbee golf, OLN could go a long way towards increasing our viewing pleasure – and their audience size- next July. A few more dollars spent on cameras, mics and graphics would be a far better investment than another dye job for Kristin Gum.

If you like how this guy thinks, check out his Human Powered Transport blog.

Bicycle industry media can't ignore blogs

Steve Rubel of Micropersuasion is one of the most respected observers of blogging trends and the media.  His recent post, "Big Media, It's Time to go All Blog" touches on a very similar idea to what I have presented on this blog in recent weeks.  That is: consumer expectations are changing and the longer the traditional media and businesses wait to adapt and change with them, the more they are at risk of becoming irrelevant and losing market share. 

Here is an excerpt from Steve's post:

"a new way of communicating is beginning to resonate with audiences. As blogging and other forms of consumer generated media surge, people will begin to expect the same tone of voice from all the sources they “consume.” What's more, they will also expect to have a say in what media covers and the ability to give transparent feedback. The Cluetrain is going to hit big media just as hard as it hits corporate communications...Social media is not an add-on. It's not a feature. It's a way of life that evolves journalism from monologue to dialogue.

I think publishers like Rodale (Bicycling, Mountain Bike), Inside Communications (VeloNews, Inside Tri), the NBDA (BRAIN), Challenge Publications (Roadie Int'l, Mountain Bike), and Hi-Torque (MTB Action) are sitting on a vast amount of untapped potential.  They should leverage their deep industry knowledge and talented staffs by adopting more blogging into their mix.

Why keep talented writers and journalists like Joe Lindsey, Dan Koeppel, Chris Lesser, and so on from their full potential?  Isn't their business (besides selling ads) to gain attention for their content?  Are these publishers afraid of blogs?...or do they just not understand how they work?  Do they think blogs are just an overhyped phenomenon that will go away?

Even Kryptonite -- whose business suffered millions of dollars in losses and whose brand suffered irreparable harm at the hands of bloggers and forums -- still does not have a blog.

The cycling media and industry needs to begin to take blogs seriously, both as a source of market research, and as a vital part of their marketing communications strategies.  It's not just a matter of their success as a business, it's a matter of the success of our industry as a whole.

Electra on the "O" List

A few weeks ago, BRaIN reported that Electra's "Rosie" cruiser was featured an issue of "O, The Oprah Magazine."

This is great exposure for Electra and for bikes, no doubt about it.  But how many non-cyclist Americans will consider taking "Rosie" up against traffic on their morning commute?

It would be great if something other than cute cruisers could get this kind of exposure.  These Electra cruisers (and others) have gotten tons of press because the mainstream, lifestyle media is smitten with their retro-metro look and flashy graphics.  What the bike industry needs is a bike with the fun visual appeal of the "Rosie", the utility of a Breezer, the distribution of a Trek, the durability of a Surly, and the exposure of an Electra.

This new line of bikes would be hip, beautiful, utilitarian, durable, affordable, simple, and available.  I know they'd sell well in Portland and other bike-centric towns and who knows, with some luck, maybe even the editors at O Magazine would like them.

KBOO Bike Show

Forgot to mention it, but I'll be co-hosting the KBOO Bike Show this morning.  This show is a popular, Portland community radio show and the main topic will be bike safety in light of several fatalities we've had here in the past few months.

You can listen to the live stream from 9-10AM today on KBOO.fm.

Bicycles selling "like hotcakes"

A Reuters story just hit the wires with the headline, "Bicycles selling like hotcakes in U.S. stores."  I know there has been a ton of these stories in the media lately, but this one has some interesting tidbits that stood out to me:

Americans purchased more bicycles than new cars and trucks combined in the past year

"Our sales have almost tripled in the last couple of years," said Bob Ippolito, executive vice president at Pacific Bicycle, the largest bicycle distributor in the United States.

Tripled?  That's a big deal.  This sure is an exciting time for the U.S. bicycle industry and for cycling  in America in general.  I'd love to hear from the shop trenches about the type of people that are walking into shops these days.  Are you seeing a ton of newbies?  What is their general perception of cycling?  Is it really all just because of Lance?  Thanks for any feedback.

NY Times photo faux pas

In the latest example of the mainstream media looking silly while trying to cover cycling, the NY Times pulls out this dorky photo from the Corbis archives to accompany their story on (and here's the irony) how cyclists are using new tech gadgets.  You've got to love the helmet cover, LeMond-era aero bars, and downtube shifters.  I'd say this bike is early-mid '90s at the latest!

Lance in a NY Times op-ed

Noted author and columnist for the NY Times, Thomas Friedman, wishes America's leaders were more like Lance.  I couldn't agree with him more.

"What I find most impressive about Armstrong, besides his sheer willpower to triumph over cancer, is the strategic focus he brings to his work, from his prerace training regimen to the meticulous way he and his cycling team plot out every leg of the race. It is a sight to behold. I have been thinking about them lately because their abilities to meld strength and strategy - to thoughtfully plan ahead and to sacrifice today for a big gain tomorrow - seem to be such fading virtues in American life."

Same story, different headlines

I think it's interesting how the same story can have such different spin, just by changing the headline.  As an example, check out the following headlines.  They're from newspapers around the country introducing the exact same article.

• Armstrong wants to finish in style
• Armstrong stays on course
• Workin' on a chain gang
• Armstrong getting closer to seventh Tour title
• Armstrong emerges from mountains still in lead
• Armstrong not giving in to rivals
• Armstrong protects lead in mountain stage
• Armstrong feeling better every day
• Armstrong Aiming for Daily Tour Stage Win

Another thing about headlines is that at many major newspapers the person who writes the story doesn't actually come up with the headline.  The writer turns in the finished article and someone else comes up with the title and decides what quotes to pull out as teasers (known as "call-outs").  It seems strange to me that journalists can't choose the titles of their stories, but I'm sure there's a good reason for it.

The AP on Trek and the "Lance Factor"

Ryan Foley of the Associated Press [not Forbes, as reported elsewhere] wrote a story that gives a behind the scenes look at Trek Bicycle Corp. and their association with Lance Armstrong.  Because Trek is both privately held and the biggest player in the bike biz, it's always interesting to read their press clipppings. 

The article gives Trek credit for sticking with Lance through his ordeal.  When they asked Zap about it he seemed to be getting ready for Interbike in Vegas with this quote:

"It was like putting a penny in a slot and winning a million bucks."

The story also pointed out that much of Trek's success in high-end road bikes can be attributed to aging baby-boomers and their growing interest in cycling, a topic I touched on recently.

The final quote went to the curator of the Wisconsin Historical Museum in Madison.  A museum curator?  What would he know?  I thought the same thing, but it turns out his museum is currently running an exhibition called "WisconsInnovation" that has a whole section devoted to Trek.  I guess in the state that accounts for nearly 20% of the entire U.S. bicycle industry even museum curators know about the bike business.