Sunday, March 18, 2012

A brief, illustrated missive on those Can-Am Spyder Ads

If you've been watching the NCAA Tournament, even for just a few minutes, you've no doubt seen the ads for the Can-Am Spyder. This is the three-wheeled (don't call it a tricycle!) version of the venerable sportbike, presumably built for the suburbanite with an attitude. Thought not quite enough attitude to ride a real sportbike.

But the funniest part of the ads is the fawning reassurance factor, apparently revealed by careful focus-group testing. That is, the secret fear of every Can-Am buyer is: "Will Real Bikers™ Laugh At Me"?

The first attempt to assuage these concerns in the ads is this drive-by acknowledgement by real bikers. Like, don't worry, dude -- you're still cool even though you're driving a trike.

Just to reinforce the notion that Can Am drivers aren't nerds is this scene, like something out of Roadhouse. This is where the hard-assed, grizzled biker inspects the Can Am and then nods approvingly. When, as we all know, he'd be laughing his ass off, pointing, and slapping his knee.

Methinks the marketers overdid the message. Be happy in your geekiness. Revel in it. Don't fight it. Hey, it works for me!


3 comments:

Eric said...

Ha-ha! I said the same thing to my father-in-law when the grizzled biker gave the nod of appreciation.

Yeah, right.

Anonymous said...

I wonder where that aluminum and plastic 3 wheeler will be in 36 years? Certainly not on the road like my '76 Shovelhead...

Terry_Jim said...

Their previous ad used sexuality instead of 'two wheeler envy'.

The voiceover line, "Of all the things you've ever ridden..." was accompanied by an appealing camera shot of spyder-biker-dude's smiling, lovely riding, er, partner.