Ideas to Make Moto Guzzi More Successful?

[Groover]

Sounds to me that because of the lack of dealers in the area for most enthusiasts, Moto Guzzi should just bypass the idea of physical address outlet at this point since it's a huge undertaking in making that happen at this point (unless they partner with a local retail store like Sears... wait, those are all disappearing) anyway... and sell bikes only online through Amazon using cool drone delivery service to your door; Free delivery if you are Prime member, and a 30-day money back guarantee.

Problem solved.

In regards to service, parts, and repair, meh.. who needs that. That's what YouTube, eBay, and this forum are for 

[drlapo]

I have a marketing degree and would be very wealthy if I had the answer to that question
At 66 I'm no longer in a "growth" demographic but those damned kids (the youth market) is the long term solution

[segesta]

In sports, there are teams that usually win and those that have a formula for NEVER winning.

Example: Cleveland Browns (football), Chicago Cubs (baseball).

Sports team economics gets weird. The Houston Astros were famously the most profitable team in baseball, even as they had the worst record. The Cubs sell out every single year, and are century-long underachievers (though they were good last year, and should be better in 2016).

[azguzzirep]

In the USA they could spend a few dollars and stick a few bikes in a trailer and tour the country. Pull the trailer behind a DP motorhome with full body ad art.

But first they need to acknowledge that they exist because of customers and not because they grace our presence with theirs:

1. Go the extra mile for your customers. Don't weasle on warranties. If an owner has an issue, don't make them go cross country for a claim when no dealer is local, they took the money right? Make it smooth and easy.
2. Make amends with dealers. Treat dealers right and dealers treat customers right.
3. Set a clear direction for the company. Just what is a Moto Guzzi these days, a 70s era bike or traditional bikes moving into the current century?


Moto Guzzi has everything to gain. The engines are marvelous.  The owners are passionate. Support that.

Customer service doesn't have to.mean giving the store away, it means being responsive, fair, involved, helpful and interested.

Realize that buyers have choices and you can't really sell something if it isn't available.

Understand that the owners who are satisfied with a 70s, 80s or 90s and early 2000s Moto Guzzi are not the customers that keep the company afloat, it is buyers of current models. Recognize that those who contribute to the yearly bottom line are the ones to chase. 

Repeat customers mean repeat revenue. A customer who buys once and then recycles the used market isn't putting money in the company's coffers.

Where is the Moto Guzzi customer loyalty program? Just because you say a MG is durable doesn't mean buying a new MGdetracts from that.

Where is the Moto Guzzicustomer satisfaction survey for owners of current models? If they aren't asking what current model owners think then what can they possibly know?

This sounds just like the Tom Cruise movie "Jerry  McGuire ", just replace football players with Moto Guzzi.

All are good sound ideas that will sadly never see the light of day.

[blackcat]

Sports team economics gets weird. The Houston Astros were famously the most profitable team in baseball, even as they had the worst record. The Cubs sell out every single year, and are century-long underachievers (though they were good last year, and should be better in 2016).

".... the total regular season home attendance of the Cleveland Browns franchise of the National Football League from 2006 to 2015. In 2006, the regular season home attendance of the franchise was 578,672."

It was less this year but the town supports the team. Too bad they suck, but it is a tradition to say there is always next year.

It is the same with the Indians though in the 1970's they were not supported by the fans; I could walk into the stadium after the 2nd inning and have great seats behind home base for free because they just wanted bodies to fill up that enormous stadium.   

[LowRyter]

SUPER BOWL AD


 


)that would just about break the whole company)

[Calijackalbob]

wow ! USA Guzzisti must have a really sad dealer network.
My advice to Guzzi...... become Honda. Sell more bikes, get more dealer support. How? LISTEN TO WHAT WE WANT!

Guzzi hit the mark with the V7 range. Selling well from where I'm looking. But what about producing bikes we want? THe MGS01 was an awesome machine. Make some more! The Bellagio woud have sold like hotckaes in the USA, seemed made for the US market, but never sold there ! Why? Did they think they'd lose market share to the california range? HELLO ! If someone buys one Guzzi in favour of another Guzzi,..... They're still selling a Guzzi ! D'oh !




and then,.......... a ton of people have been making said Bellagio into a cafe racer A'la V7 style.



hmmmm what an idea,............ using one frame/engine style - Bellagio and making a cafe racer out of a cruiser. Does that work?

and if they brought back the Daytona 1000, (or an updated engine in that guise,... ) I'd buy one!
Unfortunately for Guzzi, I have to buy an old bike and make for myself what they should be producing.


I'm even thinking, since the bellagio is such a fantastic bike, to buy another one, so I have one that looks like the half way between cruiser and V7 clone. Looks to me like the perfect Guzzi answer to the Ducati Monster.

and it's a parts bin special.


WhAT AN IDIOT DECISION NOT TO SELL THE bELLAGIO IN THE us. i CAN IMAGINE THE AWESOME BIKES YOU yANKS WOULD HAVE MADE FROM IT......... wHAT gUZZI COULDA, sHOULDA DONE.

[Calijackalbob]

OK. iVE HAd A FEW BEERS,.... MY EXCUSE TO RANT. nEXT(wOOPS CAPPSLOCK!) 
My next Guzzi is probably a daytona/sport 100

 

or a Griso, made to look like the old Sport 1100/ daytona a'la Ipothesys.



Quick poll, who'd buy a Guzzi lie this?

[blackcat]

Yeah, you get press with this bike.

The bat mobile, gets bupkis....ok,maybe a little more than bupkis but based on the wet fart reception it got when I was at the Guzzi dealer unveiling, I'd say not much more.

[blackcat]

Even better, bring this contractor in house and replace the Griso with this bike. Offer an optional Ohlins equipped bike.

[Calijackalbob]

Yeah, you get press with this bike.

The bat mobile, gets bupkis....ok,maybe a little more than bupkis but based on the wet fart reception it got when I was at the Guzzi dealer unveiling, I'd say not much more.

urrrrhhhh,What's a bupkis?Is that english or what?

[blackcat]

urrrrhhhh,What's a bupkis?Is that english or what?

bup·kis
ˈbo͝opkis,ˈbəp-/
nounUSinformal
nothing at all.
"you know bupkis about fundraising"

[pikipiki]

I tried to write an ad for MG..


If a motorcycle doesn't have to be an extension of your manhood.

Either you have it or you don't. No amount of bulging chrome, 100cu between the legs or overhead cams has ever turned a milksop into Attila the Hun. The Moto Guzzi V7 is for you because you don't need a crutch. It is, simply and stubbornly, an intelligent well-made motorcycle. It delivers a very efficient 50+ miles a gallon, tops 0-60 in around 5 seconds, and has a top speed of over 100 mph‎. Enough for anybody who isn't trying to prove something. It's also got ABS and traction control to protect you from the guys who are. Besides it out-handles and out corners a lot of fancy-price fantasy bikes. Our price is a mere $8990 but for another 3000 bucks you can choose from one of our exclusive Guzzi Garage extension packs because lets face it we've been kidding our selves up to now and so far you've been reading something Luigi senior wrote in 1965 but the world changed. Luigi senior died a long time ago, God rest his soul. Your changing and we want to change with you and help you change. Lets face it these days we all have sexual inadequacies. We know your only considering a motorcycle because of that mid life crisis your currently going through! Go on, and spend that extra $3000 on a garage pack to boot. You know you want it, we know that too and your friends know you need it from the stupid posts you pin on your face book wall. Make the next post 'I bought a Moto Guzzi'! Make that a proud post, buy a Garage pack because your an individual and you demand exclusivity. It's a tough world out there and you need to stand out from the crowd.‎




but as you can see - half way through I tried to give it a modern spin and it all went horribly wrong :(

I conclude Guzzi should pay me to review the competition

[rob-mg]

The underlying assumption here is that Moto Guzzi isn't successful or, if it is, that it could significantly improve its success by ...?

Does anyone actually know how successful Moto Guzzi is in Italy? Rest of Europe? Asia? South America? Africa? Is the North American market (Canada, Mexico, the U.S) significant?

From a North American centric view, I'd say:

Come out with a V7 with more horsepower.

Make better use of your apparently small marketing budget. Start by either dropping the Ewan McGregor association or doing something with it that isn't embarrassing. I dare say Billy Joel would be more effective.

Stop looking like you're playing catch-up with Ducati.

[oldbike54]

 Rob , MG's total production is about 8,000 units a year , tiny compared to any other real MC company.

 Dusty

[rob-mg]

Rob , MG's total production is about 8,000 units a year , tiny compared to any other real MC company.

 Dusty

But that has nothing to do with whether the company is financially successful.

Leica's production of cameras is insignificant compared to Canon and Nikon, but my rather well-connected camera dealer told me recently that the big names are bleeding money whereas Leica is making money. And yes, this is a New York dealer that works almost exclusively with professionals and Leicas are a very small part of its sales.

[Steph]

Change your image and substance.
Stodgy Volvo managed to do it

From this to this

[rob-mg]

Moto Guzzi has two choices. It can be a mass market brand or a niche brand. Both are completely legitimate business models. So far, it's the latter, and there's no reason to believe that that is about to change. Nor is it obvious why it should change. I would include, in niche, the company's express interest in fleet sales.

As a niche brand, I think the only issue is the demographics of its buyers in its key markets, wherever those markets are and whatever the demographics. North Americans who extrapolate what they know about local Piaggio demographics, mostly anecdotal anyway, to Europe, are way offside the reality.

[rob-mg]

Make better use of your apparently small marketing budget. Start by either dropping the Ewan McGregor association or doing something with it that isn't embarrassing. I dare say Billy Joel would be more effective.

I should perhaps clarify this. The reference to Billy Joel is not a crack. He is a big Moto Guzzi fan, who has a space on Long Island, open to the public on weekends, that houses his collection of Moto Guzzi and other bikes. There is also a fairly amusing video on You Tube about him riding Sonny Bono to a rented house on Long Island, the only problem being that Bono didn't know where the house was.

Info here: http://www.20thcenturycycles.com/

There are some news articles on the site about why he created 20th Century Cycles.

[oldbike54]

 Billy Joel ? Wonder how many folks under the age age of 50 even know who that guy is ? 

 Dusty

[rob-mg]

Billy Joel ? Wonder how many folks under the age age of 50 even know who that guy is ? 

 Dusty

Just might be why I said "I dare say Billy Joel might be more effective". I guess the wry tone didn't come across. That said, young people do know Billy Joel's music. I'd be surprised if there hasn't been a discussion, although if there has, nothing has come of it.

[MGPilot]

1. Recognize it's a lifestyle brand. They're not competing for the biggest hp, highest top speed, latest tech. So, if they're not, then like Harley, Royal Enfield, etc., they're selling an experience. For some, it's theatre. This does not have to denigrate their engineering, merely figure out where the emphasis should be. Dave over at Moto International said that the same designers do Aprilia & Moto Guzzi. Aprilia is based on tech & performance. Guzzi is in some ways harder, an experience.

2. If it's a lifestyle/experience brand, then start using social media more to help create and communicate the image.

3. Sounds odd, but work on getting product placement in the right movie(s). Worked for diamonds. Diamonds were not originally valued (and to this day are an artificial market; there are enough diamonds in storage that they could make diamonds no more valuable than cut glass if they were allowed into the market).

4. If it's a lifestyle, then start working on more options for the bikes that let owners play with or develop that image.


Frankly, I think most of you don't want Moto Guzzi to become too successful. If "everyone" starts riding one, how interesting would it be?  If popularity goes up, the only way to keep production at reasonable levels is to raise the price. Then (like older Porsche owners) you can sit around, over beers, and bemoan how you used to get a new Porsche for $5-6k.

[rob-mg]

2. If it's a lifestyle/experience brand, then start using social media more to help create and communicate the image.

Moto Guzzi clearly has a very limited marketing budget, but being more active on social media is not a big drain.

Three weeks ago, I sent an e-mail to the press address of Moto Guzzi North America asking for high resolution versions of their current public relations photos of the V7 II Special Rosso. I told them that I intend to make some YouTube videos about the bike, and that the photos might be helpful.

One might think I'd get a download code immediately, given that the whole point of these photos is to get them widely seen.

Three weeks later, I have no response. Not yes, not no, nothing.

[PJPR01]

Just might be why I said "I dare say Billy Joel might be more effective". I guess the wry tone didn't come across. That said, young people do know Billy Joel's music. I'd be surprised if there hasn't been a discussion, although if there has, nothing has come of it.

Might be on to something here if it were Billy Joel AND Christie Brinkley featured in the first ad...you know, Old Guy has nice looking, well preserved wife just a few years younger, then flash forward to Billy Joel riding with his 3rd wife, a chick 1/2 his age, now that would make Guzzi sell like Viagra and Hotcakes in a heartbeat, and voila...Piano Man becomes Uomo di Guzzi!

[oldbike54]

Might be on to something here if it were Billy Joel AND Christie Brinkley featured in the first ad...you know, Old Guy has nice looking, well preserved wife just a few years younger, then flash forward to Billy Joel riding with his 3rd wife, a chick 1/2 his age, now that would make Guzzi sell like Viagra and Hotcakes in a heartbeat, and voila...Piano Man becomes Uomo di Guzzi!

 So... Paul , are you saying it was the Guzzi and not all of Billy's money at work there ? Interesting 

 Dusty

[PJPR01]

So... Paul , are you saying it was the Guzzi and not all of Billy's money at work there ? Interesting  Dusty

What better marketing than that, right?  Just like the Tag Heuer...you too can be Tiger Woods if you wear one, or the Davidoff Cologne - you too can dive from a cliff and come up out of the water to a beautiful babe.  They all play to every man's desire to be something bigger and better than they are...that's what sells.

Don't see why it wouldn't work for Guzzi too...and Bill Joel is sort of Italianish, so it might just work.  Certainly would be more appealing than seeing Ewan McGregor riding off into the dust all by himself!   

[oldbike54]

 Paul , the only one of those product names that is familiar is Tag Heuer , and that's only because there are signs with that logo around every racing circuit in the world . Tiger Woods , is he a tennis player ?

 Dusty

[PJPR01]

Tiger Woods , is he a tennis player ? Dusty

Only in his spare time, when he's not chasing wimmins or being pummeled with a 5 iron!   

[SED]

I tried to write an ad for MG..


If a motorcycle doesn't have to be an extension of your manhood.

Either you have it or you don't. No amount of bulging chrome, 100cu between the legs or overhead cams has ever turned a milksop into Attila the Hun. The Moto Guzzi V7 is for you because you don't need a crutch. It is, simply and stubbornly, an intelligent well-made motorcycle. It delivers a very efficient 50+ miles a gallon, tops 0-60 in around 5 seconds, and has a top speed of over 100 mph‎. Enough for anybody who isn't trying to prove something. It's also got ABS and traction control to protect you from the guys who are. Besides it out-handles and out corners a lot of fancy-price fantasy bikes. Our price is a mere $8990 but for another 3000 bucks you can choose from one of our exclusive Guzzi Garage extension packs because lets face it we've been kidding our selves up to now and so far you've been reading something Luigi senior wrote in 1965 but the world changed a long time ago. luigi senior died a long time ago, God rest his soul. Your changing and we want to change with you and help you change. Lets face it these days we all have sexual inadequacies. We know your only considering a motorbike because of that mid life crisis your currently going through! Go on, and spend that extra $3000 on a garage pack to boot. You know you want it, we know that too and your friends know you need it from the stupid posts you pin on your face book wall. Make the next post 'I bought a Moto Guzzi'! Make that a proud post, buy a Garage pack because your an individual and you demand exclusivity. It's a tough world out there and you need to stand out from the crown.‎




but as you half way through I tried to give it a modern spin and as you see it all went horribly wrong :(

I conclude Guzzi should pay me to review the competition

HaHa!  I like it. 

[azguzzirep]

Perhaps a small delegation of WG members with a knack for diplomacy, persuasion and technical skill could fly to Mandello this year for the 95th anniversary and enjoy the time there to visit and share concern about the current state of affairs of Guzzi N.A.

I'm sure we can find a few of the head chieftains at Guzzi with whom to have a conversation and provide some feedback on how Guzzi Italy and Piaggio N.A. are managing the relationship with Dealers/Customers etc.

I'll volunteer my services! Since I will be there anyway!

Tom