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All it will take is a couple seasons and then we'd all wonder how the sport ever survived in the past without the big billboard.
That said, I think the real money is and always will be in the broadcasting. Either via TV or over the internet. Make the sport interesting enough that it can get consistent ratings and then the networks will actually pay the sport to be on TV instead of the sport paying to be on TV. Throw in revenue sharing to all of the teams and then you will have something. Teams wouldnt rely on individual sponsorship anymore. They'd survive off the TV money......what a pipe dream.
It could be done if packaged right. UFC has built themselves up in just about 15 years from obscurity to mainstream. At some point UFC might not even need PPV.
I DO wonder when I look at the guys clothing how the teams sign off on the clothing brand logo being 90% of the design.
We're the only sport that does that. Every other sport there are sponsors as the focus, not a big ass thor/fox/shift/seven logo. Yes I know they are sponsors but I bet the spatial relationships don't reflect the dollars being paid!
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But I also think it's fair that I get my shots in based on that he's new, that this is something that's been debated here before (with other players), that he's twisting what I said, that the art is terrible, and that I don't necessarily agree with much of what he said on the blog.
Part of what makes it shocking is that it has no similarity to the bikes that the manufacturers sell, or that consumers use. It's not like they're adding billboard space to a Sprint Cup car. It's not exactly organic to the vehicle.
Making more money for privateers? No one's going to argue that. I just hope they can work up a sponsor and graphics package that people will point at and be impressed, not point at and laugh.
This idea has been around with these guys for a decade now.....no one on any team is interested.
Ask yourself why.....if it truly would be a great boon to advertising space why wouldn't a team use it?
Let me answer that question; because it changes completely how the product looks....if they made all motocross bikes with those style plastics sales would plummet.
Sorry but it's an ugly looking bike with those Frankenstein plastics on it, plain and simple.
Ad space means nothing if no one wants to look at the billboard.
But that's just my ignorance. I think they are getting more exposure from the internet day show
broadcast and that's a good start. Maybe a campaign to get Holly to promote 5 privateers, 5 min each
from the b and c class could have way more effect? Let them talk about their sponsors.
TM
Thanks for taking part, sir. Please add this to the comment section on the blogs, in the future. Readers need to see it there, also. Great day.
They tested had no problems riders liked them but Honda wouldn't let them use them. So there is a value its just the factories want the bikes stock looking.
So if the big boys aren't doing it no one else wants to be different we have advertiser's that want to go just need to find some riders who want to step up.
So it is what it is, bottom line its all about money and branding an image makes money. Its going to happen for sure we have been contacted by a few companies that never knew this type of advertising existed and they love the idea. Their marketing departments are shocked as to the numbers of supercross TV ratings. Just matter of time and it will be the norm.
I do wonder about the life of the graphics under a pro rider, and installation. The MXA one does look a little haggard, and I'm not sure how long they'd been riding that one. Pro riders grip the bike so hard, their stuff looks abused after one six-minute practice session.
1: The product isn't as attractive as the stock appearance. Chalk this up to a combination of it's uniqueness and poor design. On one hand if it didn't look so different than the stock bikes it wouldn't stand out so much, on the other hand, it can definitely be designed to be more attractive and play off the lines of the stock motorcycle.
2: The OEM's won't pay contingency to or support a team that rides a bike that looks so much different than what they have sitting on their dealer's floors.
How can this be fixed?
The upgraded design on the Honda rendering shows that slater is getting more serious about the design side and perhaps looking at an injection molded process rather than a vacuum formed slab of plastic. This is a great development and could produce something attractive enough to get teams on board that aren't tied at the hip to their bike's manufacturer.
The number one way this will see adoption by not only privateers, but larger teams is if they were able to use the product to attract sponsors and then pay out a higher contingency than the manufacturers are paying out to the riders that agree to use the skins and advertise the sponsors in the program. It could be conceivable that a program not tied to any particular rider might be able to put together a very recognizable program that gets run by a near majority of riders in the night program. Perhaps not the top teams, but for the guys who require cashing contingency checks to make ends meet, the opportunity to increase their paycheck is obviously worth considering if an alternative was available.
These "skins" should have been pushed for 20 years ago. If the sport was as progressive as it needs to be to have seen the benefits, it would have gone for it back then. Instead, like most new ideas, it is quickly rejected.
The OEMs dont really need or want outside money in this sport, that could take away their controlling interest. They want to sell bikes. Thats it. They could care less if the privateer is taken care of. The sanctioning body or promotional rights holder are always stuck in the middle. It is what it is.
But at this point in the game, asking the teams to switch over to something they dont want is the equivalent of asking UFC fighters to wear spandex pants and under armor compression shirts so that they can provide exceptional ad space for potential sponsors.
The NFL, NBA, nor MLB wont even allow for sponsorship on jerseys. The brand of their teams is too important. It's the same for the OEM's that field the MX/SX teams.
The real money is in TV. TV. TV. TV. TV.
Get ratings. The rest takes care of itself.
Pit Row
I would speculate that this type of approach, especially to those who are offering constructive advice, is the primary reason why Slater Skins hasn't realized the type of success that's been expected.
The overall concept is a good one, but the execution here is deeply flawed. Do you want to be a company that produces these panels for dirt bikes? Right now, you're a vendor for a product no one wants. If so, any success you realize will be wiped out the minute a manufacturer decides to go with a more full-coverage shroud.
Your only hope is to be perceived as an industry leader in producing DESIGN for this type of shroud. You need a partner, a firm with real experience in ergonomic design, graphical layout and branding presentation.
More than anything, you need to hire someone else as your salesperson.
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