You Meet the Nicest People—On A Kodak?
You Meet The Nicest People—On A Kodak?
ROUNDUP
CAMRON BUSSARD
MOTORCYCLES ARE BACK ON PRIME-time television. Not in a series or a-made-for-television movie, but in commercials, and not just in commercials for motorcycles; several advertisers outside of the motorcycle industry are using bikes in their campaigns to hawk their non-motorcycle-related wares. And amazingly, some of these “outsiders” are doing a better job of selling motorcycling than the motorcycle industry itself is doing.
Undoubtedly the best commercial in this genre is the one for Kodak film in which a clean-cut young man travels around the country on a Harley to “find America.” The agency responsible for this commercial says that the response has been both overwhelming and positive, which is easy to believe: it's difficult not to identify with any ad that has such a warm, upbeat mood. It blends positive images of patriotism, brotherhood. and apple-pie with the journey of man and machine.
Much of this commercial’s success. especially for the non-riding segment of the viewing audience, is that it focuses on the positive experience of motorcycling rather than on hardware or high-performance. Instead of smoking burnouts and intimidating night-riders, w'e're presented with laid-back cruising and everyday people. Also prevalent in the commercial is a strong feeling of community, and a sensitive handling of the freedom that only motorcycling can offer.
That's quite a contrast to the commercials the manufacturers normally produce, which consistently put the emphasis on performance. The V-Max stalks slowly through the drive-in. challenging anything and everything on the lot before disappearing in a barrage of smoke and noise. The most recent Honda V65 commercial is medicinal, shot in a sanitary, white control room, but the theme is the same: The Honda smokes its rear tire on the dyno as white-coated technicians stand around looking impressed— sort of.
In all fairness, the manufacturers have done some nice commercials in the past. Two standouts are the “Jake” ads for the 650 Nighthawk, and a Gold Wing commercial showing a couple on tour through some of the most scenic parts of the country. All too often, however, the manufacturers have produced commercials in which the bike lurks in the shadows, ready to deal some dark mysterious truth.
On the other hand, not all of the outsiders portray motorcycling in a positive manner. One of the diet cola commercials has a chase scene in w hich a motorcyclist rides over cars, slides under trucks, and leaps from building to building. It's an entertaining commercial, but it reinforces the stereotype of the crazed biker who rides recklessly.
Honda's scooter commercials, on the other hand, put the emphasis on the experience rather than on the riding. Granted, scooters are by no means performance vehicles; they> are fun, but their new-wave commercials seem aimed somewhere between Kodak’s and the motorcycle industry’s. The latest one features musician Lou Reed and lots of urban imagery. When you finally see the scooters they are parked, just another part of the cityscape. The music in the background is Reed’s “Take a Walk on the Wild Side,” which suggests breaking away from the crowd to take risks. That ties in with an earlier Honda commercial in which Grace Jones convinced Adam Ant to ride a scooter.
Admittedly, these are advertisements for scooters, not for motorcycles—in the traditional sense of the word, at least. But even though the scooter and Kodak commercials are selling something other than motorcycles themselves, they also do an excellent job of selling the experience, the fun and excitement of traveling on two wheels.
With that in mind, maybe the motorcycle manufacturers ought to start watching more prime-time television—particularly the shows they don’t sponsor.
