Kawasaki: The Hangouts

By Duncan Johnson

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. –-(Ammoland.com)- The same passion for innovation that drives Kawasaki engineering has also propelled its marketing and advertising over the years. Sometimes, the best result comes from far out, innovative thinking, just like with groundbreaking products like the 500 Mach III H1 triple and supercharged Ninja H2™R motorcycles.

This was exactly the scenario in 1989 when Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC) launched an inventive print advertising campaign informally known as “Hangouts.” Over two years, a dozen well-known bike hangouts were identified – from Marcus Dairy in Danbury, Connecticut to The Rock Store in Malibu, California – with two-page ads created around riders congregating there. In what must stand as one of the earliest forms of social media, the ads were run months ahead of time, announcing the exact location and date and enticing riders to come.

The campaign was conceived by Scott Young, the Executive Creative Director at Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt. “Motorcycling is only partly about bikes and how you feel on them; it’s also about sharing with other people,” he explains. “The idea was to find a series of places where motorcyclists hang out, and …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand