I’m kind’ve in the cycling world. Or at least like to pretend I am in my head. I cycle and am interested in the industry let’s just say that.
So I came across this news that the Niner bike brand is either closing for good or at least for now. Like most industries, and especially hoppy ones like cycling, the branding of a company is absolutely critical to success.
It’s all about the story, the feel, the cool factor, the people involved with the company, brand ambassadors, style, even just simply the logo.
Obviously like I’ve mentioned in the past the things are built over time with effort and quality. A good brand isn’t given with flashy advertising or throwing money at marketing nonsense. It’s built with consistently meeting the expectations you set, and making the customer enjoy the whole experience and the meaning behind the brand.
So when I saw Niner was bellyflopping, I had to wonder if it had something to do with the branding of the business.
It worked for a long time. 29 inch wheels were not the standard back in the day. It was a new and unique thing at the start. It’s not a selling point or a unique position of a brand to have only 29 inch wheel bikes anymore.
The introduction of 32 inch wheels are about to cause more problems. For better or worse. Obviously worse for a brand named after a potentially obsolete wheel size.
Anyway, I could continue to ramble on about bike brands and I may do that in the future. My lesson here was to try not to position your brand on something that’s either just a trend or something every competitor will certainly adopt and do as well. Like move to 29 inch wheels.
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