New exec at KymcoUSA

[Neil955i]

Might be a neat idea to have a Kymco rally at a different place each year. I noticed the Cushman club has such a event.  Don't know if there would be enough participants to be worthwhile?  Would also be a good place for KYMCO to release new products, say like the AK550.

I do really wish I hadn't read reference to the AK550 on here the other day.  Looked it up only to see that it is available in the UK and I think I might just be in love.  Now how do I tell the good lady that my 6 month-old XT really does NEED to be traded in for an AK?...

[CROSSBOLT]

I do really wish I hadn't read reference to the AK550 on here the other day.  Looked it up only to see that it is available in the UK and I think I might just be in love.  Now how do I tell the good lady that my 6 month-old XT really does NEED to be traded in for an AK?...

You on your own with that one, bud!

[john grinsel]

Maybe professional from the US motorcycle industry can perk things up----professional organization should equal professional results.

[CROSSBOLT]

Well, at least Dennis McNeal is not an MBA! His degree is in communications which is probably more constructive than business baloney.

[souzamoto]

I wish him the best of luck. Again, they need some MARKETING! How about doing a series of demo days with dealers? Or getting some of the well-known folks in the off-road community to start pumping the products? You can't grow by sitting around and doing nothing. It takes a consistent effort. I hope they can do that.

Ummm, all the things that some of you are suggesting, Dealer Demo Days, Scooter Rally, Etc, have been done before by KUS. The Kymco Demo Truck was around up until about 2 years ago and scheduled visits to various dealers across the country. The demo/show truck also attended most of the NHRA Drag Events to open peoples eyes to the Scooters and OHV's. Kymco created a yearly rally that lasted 2 years. The first year saw about 20 riders, the second year was about 6 and was dropped due to lack of interest. Things have changed in the past 2 years, Demo/Show truck was sold (both of them) and the NHRA sponsorship was dropped (grossly expensive). KUS spent a lot of marketing $$ for a company that sold less than 10K units per year. Trust me, there was a good management team, good parts availability and accomplished Tech team at KUS but things began to change, like I said, about 2 years ago.

[pa-outdoorsman]

Ummm, all the things that some of you are suggesting, Dealer Demo Days, Scooter Rally, Etc, have been done before by KUS. The Kymco Demo Truck was around up until about 2 years ago and scheduled visits to various dealers across the country. The demo/show truck also attended most of the NHRA Drag Events to open peoples eyes to the Scooters and OHV's. Kymco created a yearly rally that lasted 2 years. The first year saw about 20 riders, the second year was about 6 and was dropped due to lack of interest. Things have changed in the past 2 years, Demo/Show truck was sold (both of them) and the NHRA sponsorship was dropped (grossly expensive). KUS spent a lot of marketing $$ for a company that sold less than 10K units per year. Trust me, there was a good management team, good parts availability and accomplished Tech team at KUS but things began to change, like I said, about 2 years ago.

And how much has the world changed in the past two years? A ton. The media landscape is completely different. I agree with you that an NHRA sponsorship is probably not enough bang for the buck. But in today's media environment, what about pouring a fraction of that money into TARGETED social media campaigns and then using those to drive people to dealer events? There is so much you can do with digital marketing today, both to drive sales directly and to educate consumers on the value proposition KYMCO products offer. Even a small scooter rally with 20 riders could generate a TON of digital content. A few key influencers could take the visibility of the ATVs and SxSs from "what is that thing" to "that's the machine so and so drives. I am going to go check one out at my local dealer." Right now, KMYCO has essentially ZERO presence on social media (at least in the U.S.) and ZERO presence in the off-road media. If you search online, you can't find a single review of a KYMCO unit by a dirt publication that's less than four or five years old!

BTW, I happen to the be the editor of a large, hunting-oriented magazine that also has a significant web and social media presence. Before I purchased my UVX, I made contact with the marketing person at KYMCO (who knows if that person is still there) and asked whether there was any kind of demo program. Nope. And kind of industry purchase program? Nope. This would have been a perfect opportunity for them to get some great exposure to a key demographic. They basically said, we don't do anything like that. Compare that to Polaris or Can-Am. I can basically make a phone call and have a brand new unit delivered to a local dealer and keep it for 90 days at no cost to me in exchange for publicity. It's not rocket science, folks. And no, I'm not bitter about it. I went ahead and just wrote a check for my UVX outright because I think it's a cool machine and I don't owe anyone any favors. But the point is, hardly anyone who has seen my new machine can tell me what it is, and that's a shame, and it's not going to change without some effort on KYMCO's part. I'd have been happy to help, and still would be, but they have to do their part. As the old saying goes, HELP ME HELP YOU.

[CROSSBOLT]

Pa-outdoorsman, excellent points! There are, like I said, but the ideas fall on deaf ears. Kinda the NIH thing. So are the gang at KUS gonna try anything different? There is the Assphalt Eaters group on facebook that have hundreds of the chinese 50 Ruckus wannabee lowered scoots plus a mixed bag of other brands. There is the Memphis Kings scooter club, who knows how many other groups are there in the nation?

The point is, in my opinion, is all the big expensive ideas fizzled and now it is time for THEM, KUS, to start listening to US! US is the riding public, regardless of brand....

[pa-outdoorsman]

Pa-outdoorsman, excellent points! There are, like I said, but the ideas fall on deaf ears. Kinda the NIH thing. So are the gang at KUS gonna try anything different? There is the Assphalt Eaters group on facebook that have hundreds of the chinese 50 Ruckus wannabee lowered scoots plus a mixed bag of other brands. There is the Memphis Kings scooter club, who knows how many other groups are there in the nation?

The point is, in my opinion, is all the big expensive ideas fizzled and now it is time for THEM, KUS, to start listening to US! US is the riding public, regardless of brand....

Absolutely! As you pointed out in a different thread, some of the folks on this board could be some of their most powerful marketing tools. They just need to build some relationships and then throw some effort behind it. With today's digital media environment, you can reach a large number of people at a reasonable cost. And, one of the big things social media has proven is that a small group of ENGAGED people is more valuable than just throwing a million darts into the air and seeing what you hit.

[john grinsel]

One current problem with 2 wheel market in us----riders/buyers do not ride enough or at all.  There is some fun in long rides.....but you have to do it.....not trailer it!

[randyo]

don't be surprised if the harder marketing in the US, will be for ATVs

[Kansas kymco]

don't be surprised if the harder marketing in the US, will be for ATVs

I would say your correct. Talking to the local dealer the motorcycle market tanked in 2008 and never came back. He makes most of his money on zero turn mowers and UTV'S  mostly sold to farmers that can write the expense off.

[randyo]

I would say your correct. Talking to the local dealer the motorcycle market tanked in 2008 and never came back. He makes most of his money on zero turn mowers and UTV'S  mostly sold to farmers that can write the expense off.

OHRVs have become big business here in NH, especially the past couple years whe Polaris moved their annual RZR event to  Berlin, NH,  It's not as big as bike week in Laconia, "yet"

[pa-outdoorsman]

OHRVs have become big business here in NH, especially the past couple years whe Polaris moved their annual RZR event to  Berlin, NH,  It's not as big as bike week in Laconia, "yet"

I'm biased toward the off-road machine, just because that's my area of interest. I know nothing of the scooter market, really. I truly believe that KYMCO could gain traction in the off-road market if they could be successful educating consumers on the quality/price ratio of their machines. However, as I said in an earlier post, considering their partnerships with Arctic Cat and Tracker, it might not make sense to make a big marketing push into that segment, since those companies are doing some marketing.

Then again, I think it's just the 450 that those companies are carrying from the KYMCO line, and they obviously have the 700 UTV and a whole lineup of ATVs. So, maybe it is. Like CROSSBOLT said, the folks down at HQ should just ask us what to do. Wouldn't that be fun? LOL.

[airshot]

A couple years back my grandson and his 4H group put on a farm days show for the public. All types of farm equipment on display and a local dealer put a Yamaha atv and a Polaris Ranger so my grandson took my Kymco 450i to display. The Kymco recieved far more attention than any of the other offroad machines. People were interested because they never heard/saw then before!!  The offroad market is booming right now, it would be a great opportunity to get there name out there!!

[Kansas kymco]

Probably a poor time to take over with the stock market in correction territory. Discretionary spending should be down. I wish him the best of luck but he has a tough road ahead of him.