Trek Women Who Ride

[rij73]

I'm glad to see at least *something* from a big company that really draws attention to women who cycle, but, yeah... I gotta say I didn't appreciate the lack of diversity. Not only are they all white, but they are super-white! Not even a black hair among them. (I'm a latina with black hair...)

On this page: http://www.trekbikes.com/women/ it says, "Five women just like you..." Oops!

[Zen]

I'm glad to see at least *something* from a big company that really draws attention to women who cycle,

I've been thinking about this.
Have you ever seen an ad for bikes on television on any channel other than versus or ESPN?
I would think TV advertising would be an effective tool. There must be women who would love to ride but feel intimidated. Seeing a woman on a Townie or riding with her family might make it seem possible.

[Trek420]

I've been thinking about this.
Have you ever seen an ad for bikes on television on any channel other than versus or ESPN?
I would think TV advertising would be an effective tool. There must be women who would love to ride but feel intimidated. Seeing a woman on a Townie or riding with her family might make it seem possible.

Not gonna happen I don't even think Trek or any of the other "big" bike companies have the funds for an ad campaign.

It would take all of them together doing ads for cycling.

There's a ton of "product placement". Seems like every TV spot has a bike.

[rij73]

It's a shame... I think it just doesn't even occur to lots of adults that riding a bike would be fun, healthy, useful, etc. Someone should be able to raise money for TV ads... What about Critical Mass or Transportation Alternatives? (Though we don't have to get into a discussion of those groups and their methods!)

[Kimmyt]

It's a shame... I think it just doesn't even occur to lots of adults that riding a bike would be fun, healthy, useful, etc.

I don't know... there has to be a reason all those pharmaceutical companies use screenshots of aging folks having fun riding bikes to give off a 'healthy' image and sell their ads.... if it weren't selling their product, they wouldn't use it, so obviously folks associate riding bikes with healthy living...or perhaps it is associated with youth.

[slmdunc]

The problem with marketing to and for females in athletics spans to many sports. My partner and I have been watching the current Women's World Cup (soccer) - and we are blown away by the lack of attention it gets in the mainstream area of sports. The U.S. beat England the other day in the Quarter Finals, and it was buried in the middle section of the NYTimes sports section on Sunday, with just a little blurb announcing it. It's a HUGE win, and yet - as with most female sports - it gets largely ignored.

Zen, I have been thinking about the marketing as well... I wish they would market more to females for all sorts of sports, namely biking. One could say, well, there is not a big enough market to spend those kind of advertising dollars - and yet - if one WERE to spend some money advertising it, the market would GROW. Catch 22.

So - in conclusion - yes, the Trek campaign is seriously lacking in diversity, but AT LEAST it's something. Baby steps maybe.

[Zen]

So - in conclusion - yes, the Trek campaign is seriously lacking in diversity, but AT LEAST it's something. Baby steps maybe.

Seems to me they're selling to those who are already buying.

I have been seeing a lot of the U.S. Women's soccer team with Nike but we know they have a ginormous ad budget. Probably the only coverage we'll see of them on network TV

[KSH]

Well I liked reading the following:

Susan is best described as “A one woman show”. She made us laugh as she described her bike as her “saving grace” during her 40 months of pregnancy, 210 pound weight gain (and loss), 48 months of nursing and the hormonal battlefield she calls her bod

“Take that Cancer!” was Jen's mantra last September as she crossed the finish line at her first Danskin Triathlon.

An inspiration to eveyone who reads her story. Laura shares the trials and tribulations of her journey to lose the “extra person” she carried with her until March 13, 2007.

At 60, Marie has broken down more barriers to cycling than most. Her story of achievement is impressive and inspirational.

So, yes they are lacking diversity and darker hair color... but they picked 2 ladies who lost a lot of weight (that's inspirational- and a good reason to ride), a cancer survivor, and someone who is "older".

[slmdunc]

I have been seeing a lot of the U.S. Women's soccer team with Nike but we know they have a ginormous ad budget. Probably the only coverage we'll see of them on network TV

I know! I love them! It's quite on topic actually... the subject of the commercial is "The Greatest Team You Never Heard Of," and the joke is the team dealing with a new PR Director, hired to "get them noticed." Hee.

[amymisk]

I have to agree with Pinkbike- trek is trying to sell bikes, it is marketing. I also wouldn't want to force diversity for diversity's sake. There are minorities who ride, but cycling is primarily a middle to upper class sport. It is a very expensive sport/hobby and not widely marketed. Our culture is focused on other sports, not cycling. It is great to see some marketing regarding cycling. I also don't need someone who looks like me to relate to. I love the Alberto Contador example.

Speaking of marketing, there is a Volvo commercial out featuring a "mom" cyclist on a journey of some sort with her husband as the sag driver of a volvo. Cute commercial, and shows cycling.

Bicycling magazine has been critized for using models, instead of real cyclists. They too are trying to sell the image of cycling.

I hope it all works out well for Trek and it is nice to see something focusing on women and that might inspire others to get out and ride.

[Zen]

There are minorities who ride, but cycling is primarily a middle to upper class sport.

I'm sure you didn't mean that like it sounded

It is a very expensive sport/hobby and not widely marketed.

It can be very expensive but it doesn't have to be. I just want to see women unafraid to ride. They don't have to do centuries in $200 shoes.

Our culture is focused on other sports, not cycling. It is great to see some marketing regarding cycling.

But the marketing is being done on the Trek site. They're preaching to the choir. I would be thrilled to see a one page ad in Ladies Home Journal or People showing a fifty year old woman riding a three speed in the park with her family.

Speaking of marketing, there is a Volvo commercial out featuring a "mom" cyclist on a journey of some sort with her husband as the sag driver of a volvo. Cute commercial, and shows cycling.

Yes, but it shows someone who has invested a lot of money and devotes a lot of time and treats cycling as a sport. I want to see them reach the masses, especially considering the downhill slide of the health of our society.

I hope it all works out well for Trek and it is nice to see something focusing on women and that might inspire others to get out and ride.

I hope so too, but if they only run this campaign on their web site who's gonna see it?

[rij73]

There are minorities who ride, but cycling is primarily a middle to upper class sport.

Ummmm...... I, like ZenCentury, am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you didn't really mean that as it sounded too. I love the positivity on this forum so I won't delve into the implications I read in that sentence. Please just be careful when writing about such hot-button issues. You might unintentionally hurt someone's sensibilities.

[KSH]

You know, this thread got me thinking... how many minorities do I see when I ride.

I belong to a cycling club in Dallas, TX. We have a large membership and I go on different rides around the city.

I can honestly tell you that in 3 years of riding with my club, I have only seen one African-American woman ride with us. ONE. And I only met her once.

We have one African-American gentleman that rides with us. ONE. I see him often. I also use to know 2 other African-American gentlemen that rode with another club.

I do know of one Hispanic man that rides with us on a regular basis.

Now, what is the reasoning for this... couldn't tell you. As with any "study", there are so many factors... it's hard to say what the cause is. I just know that I don't see many minorities on our rides.

If we put women in general in as a minority, I will say that the women are always out numbered by the men, unless it's a gender specific ride. In fact, 2 of my 3 rides last week... I was the only girl in a group of 6-10 guys.

[Geonz]

I love the way folks can put out opinions and still be respectful.

I sent in my essay for "women who ride." All you had to do was send an essay, oh, and three photographs, so I would imagine they got ***lots and lots*** of applications. I noticed that the applications were due at the end of April... but entrants were supposed to be prepared to start their exciting year of touring and blogging... May 1.
I believe it was Mid-July before they made their selections - despite a couple of emails saying "we'll pick by ___" and it not happening. All the evidence says it was a committee of folks who may or may not have consciously considered The Diversity Question; if I remember right they made a point that they were looking for "all ages," and said stuff like whether we rode for a cause like environmentalism... which I considered could have been 'cause they wanted to weed those folks out
There were also some pretty fundamental flaws in their website about their "women's tour" - Illinois was an "eastern state" if you clicked on it... but the events were actually listed (oddly enough ) under the midwest, as just one example. That one they didn't fix; I emailed the contacts about it and at least one other, which they did fix. Their site is pretty consistently flawed (and then there's the content: "Ten best reasons to commute by bike," half of which involved having "fun" dodging heavy traffic, which of course is what *intimidates* people from commuting, so I'd have to call that one a marketing faux pas ).

So. IMO, they've got a marketing budget... but not particularly good *skills* in the craft.
When I saw who was picked (only because I kept going back to the site and probing and searching - *not* because they plunked it front and center or sent it out in their email right away) I thought, "wow... those folks are poster ladies... they're the Hallmark Channel STories of cycling." Then summer was over and I've been working a lot harder and surfing a lot less - but I have wondered whether the individuals would stay Hallmarky for the whole year... and whether they would actually gather a community around them or not. I did duly notice that they were all white folks, and figured it was the usual unconsciously homogenous thinking that steered things that way.
I agree that in a sense they are singing at the choir (not even preaching... but trying to *do* at us what we are already doing) as opposed to trying to make cycling look accessible to the masses. Reckon it's up to us to do that

[rij73]

KSH, I guess one of the reasons for what you describe could be regional. Here in Brooklyn, minorities are actually the majority of bike riders.