BikeTrac Ad Campaign

Dear BikeTrac,

I am a motorcycle enthusiast. I have always been fascinated with motorcycles and find myself, now that I’m older, making investments in higher end motorcycles so that I can appreciate them for years to come. I do not race, but I do enjoy having a motorcycle that can perform when the need arises. As such, I have taken the initiative to select a high quality one from Honda Motor Company as my motorcycle of choice. As such, the need to ensure proper insurance exists as well as any anti-theft mechanisms are firmly established to help me protect my investment. I came across your ad on a motorcycle enthusiast magazine the other day and wanted to learn more. Below is the ad that caught my eye. I will describe the manner in which I perceived the ad campaign since I am personally interested in advertising as a career.

The BikeTrac is a theft protection device advertised in the UK to assist those who utilize motorcycles as a mode of transportation in keeping their motorcycles safe and theft-proof. Similar to what a GPS tracking device would do for a stolen car, BikeTrac traces every physical movement of a motorcycle when not moving via the owner’s personal use. The online portal allows the owner to see the movement history of the motorcycle as well as real-time tracking of the motorcycle if stolen. This is a benefit to the owner who wishes to have their property returned, and it also helps reduce insurance expense for the owner. Anti-theft protection saves the insurance companies thousands of dollars in claims and assists police in solving stolen motorcycle reports. Overall, the service appears to be quite beneficial to the owner, the insurance companies and the police. The only people who would not appreciate this would be potential thieves. That is, unless they are smart enough to disable or remove the device from the motorcycle.

The ad addresses a person riding an imaginary motorcycle. The picture depicts the rider in motion, but no motorcycle is present within view. The question at the top of the ad states “Where is yours now?” The prominent white print is the first thing you notice after seeing the black leather motorcycle rider on an invisible motorcycle. This caption and image go well together to support the entire purpose of the marketing campaign and it fully supports the value of the product sold.

In the lower right hand corner, an orange box with white font goes into the details of what the product is, what it offers, and specifics on cost and purpose. There is a considerable amount of vocabulary used and visually it can be a bit too much for a reader to feel compelled to completely read. This is possibly not the best strategy to get the potential buyer to follow up and inquire or purchase the product. For those who are very detail oriented, this may come across as a benefit. For those who are price conscious, this may also provide a deterrent. It really depends on the target audience.

Clearly this ad campaign is not targeted at the lower quality motorcycle owners. The sleek image of the rider, with the clear distinction of cost, which is not incredibly cheap, but simultaneously fair, would draw the attention of the professional who prizes their motorcycle as an investment or personal prized possession. Lesser quality motorcycles would not merit such extravagant tracking, nor would they be the targets of theft as likely as a more sophisticated motorcycle model that holds higher value.

The black rectangular box located below the orange box re-states the product name and the value it offers. Below this box, the contact information and website address are listed to draw the potential customer to follow up and learn more. To the left of the boxes, there are prominently displayed logos of numerous higher end motorcycle manufacturers represented as companies that support the use of this product. This adds reinforced value to the company that is selling the product, while subliminally targeting those who own such brands to feel an affiliation with the organization through its support of BikeTrac.

Clear slogan print, clear affiliation representation and contact information all bode well for a strong ad campaign. The predominant image quickly captures the attention of the potential client. The orange box with the meatier details pulls in the consumer who thrives on details and wants to be given enough information to feel compelled to call, but also prepared with appropriate questions so that they feel that they are approaching this with full authority.

The ad was overall quite compelling and it definitely drew my attention, which is what brought me to writing you directly. I did take the time to go to the website and learn a bit more about the product and found that the website had the same “busy” feel as that orange block of text, but probably even more so. The only suggestion I might offer is to simplify text and perhaps add bullet points so that the most impressive factors stand out without a lot of text distracting from the main points. It seems that today’s society isn’t much for reading anything at great length and the use of social media has only exacerbated this aspect. This has always been a challenge for advertising, but even more so with the speed in which people move today. The only reason I took the time to learn more was because I was sitting in a doctor’s office and had time to stare at the magazine ad for a while. Not everyone is going to have that kind of “forced” attention time, so we should considered a Twitter advertising model in the future.

(Table omitted for preview. Available via download)

As you can see, I did add the contact info to the orange block. This can be independent of the lower listing or in addition to. The fine print at the bottom of the page could be more adequately disbursed if the contact information is included in the orange square. Also, by including the contact information in the orange square, the potential customer’s eyes cannot ignore that segment if they wish to find out how to contact you. The current way you have the ad set up, the customer has no reason to even read the orange busy-text segment when they can just jump to the bottom of the ad and get the website. You have only inspired them to learn more by your catch phrase at the top of the page and the exciting photograph. If that is all you want to use to lure them, then omit the orange box entirely. Otherwise, it would be wise to include the contact information within that box to ensure the potential customer’s eyes do not ignore that segment of information.

Overall, I do feel you have a strong campaign. Your target audience is addressed appropriately and the visual is captivating. The only suggestion for change was addressed above, and I feel that with that minor change, the impact of the ad would be improved significantly. I thank you for creating such a wonderful product and I look forward to using your service in the future.