Made in America
Posted on 14. Jul, 2010 in Bike industry, Marketing
The bike industry has its faults but at least we’re not just cranking out ads that gush with empty pontifications about American greatness. With that in mind, here are the 2011 Jeep and Corvette campaigns.
Although I hate the pompousness of the Jeep ad, Chrysler deserves some credit for admitting that they made crappy vehicles for a while and making a reasonable-sounding claim about their product (“It is well made and it is designed to work.”). On the other hand, GM merely evokes a history that has nothing to do with their cars while ignoring the five decades (and the $49.5 billion bailout) that have come and gone since then. Cynically, they also perpetuate the false impression that “Made in America” means “Made by middle-aged white men”.
A counterpoint
I’m really proud of this spread in the 2010 Zipp catalog. Instead of just waving the red-white-and-blue, Zipp wanted to talk about the practical benefits of making their products in America. And instead of only showing workers who look like their customers (who also happen to be middle-aged white men), Zipp gladly showed the Latina women who are an important part of the company’s workforce.
It might not have sold a ton of wheels, but I think this spread says a lot about the people I get to work with at Zipp.
WELCOME TO SPEEDWAY. About halfway between Kona and l’Alpe d’Huez sits a flat little town with a world-famous auto race. Admittedly, Speedway, Indiana is far removed from the annals of cycling and triathlon lore. But for over 20 years, our hometown has been a hotbed of the motorsports composites industry and continues to attract advanced technologies and talented engineers. So it’s no accident that Zipp was born and raised here, or that every Zipp wheel is still made by individually trained Zipp employees in our facility in Speedway.
So, when we talk about where Zipp products come from, it’s not about politics. It’s about the advantages of integrating manufacturing with design, engineering, and testing. Doing everything in-house gives us flexibility to develop new products efficiently and release them with shorter lead times. It allows us to keep a close eye on quality control and provide superior customer service. Ultimately, having all these functions under one roof enables Zipp to make the world’s fastest wheels and components.
A side note
I really enjoyed this ad for the Nissan Leaf. I can’t remember the last time I saw a sponsor portray Lance in a way that regular cyclists can relate to.
