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« on: March 31, 2016, 07:40:19 PM »
Well, let me come at this as a probable future customer of Zero...
They sell, what, a couple thousand bikes a year right now. Having only followed this site for only a few weeks, I see various problems folks are having both with their bikes as well as dealers (and deserved applause for Hollywood Electrics). A larger awareness campaign would likely bring in more customers, but if they were less informed about technical issues, then the problems being dealt with right now would also likely generate a LOT more negative press.
Zero's current targeting of more informed buyers (online ads, geared to the technology inclined) is probably spot on because those folks are going to be more patient with the shakeout processes with the product and dealerships. Could they target towards the general motorcycle market than they are now? Perhaps. Certainly the folks who are willing to plunk down serious money are tempting targets, but the reality is that a lot of those people are into buying style (big cruiser types) or insane performance. They still see this as mostly an experiment, and they have solid dealerships they can turn to that aren't far enough away to have to worry about getting the ride hauled there. Of course they have bad or unsupportive dealerships too, but they are still able to find better.
Zero doesn't have the resources yet to solidify that kind of support. They don't have millions to invest in that angle when they are working hard to improve their product. So, choosing to stay smaller in marketing presence makes sense as they try to grow organically. There isn't an Elon Musk here to make the big splash. And the bike styles they've chosen to build are basically the easiest point of entry in the motorcycle market. They have generally done the right things, as can be evidenced simply by the fact they are the most successful independent manufacturer of electric motorcycles.
That said, as awareness is increasing in the electric motive power solutions (Tesla, Nissan, Harley's LiveWire), Zero has got to grow up. Dealership support (and vetting) will have to become a focus at some point, and with battery technology gains continuing to become more and more expensive, there will be an inflection point where the product really is good enough for the general motorcycle market to be considered regularly, and that point is where Zero will fail if they don't have some committed partners in the dealerships. Especially if the competition in electric is coming from HD and Polaris, because they have those for their ICE equipment now. Don't get me wrong, Zero can't suddenly be like that, but being better than they have been is going to be a must.
A big marketing push (or even just a little more) is going to sap cash away from those things we would like to see in the future in these machines. It will sap resources away from making better ordering systems for dealerships (hint hint, Zero).
We are by far the best advocates, we know the strengths and weaknesses and aren't as willing to hide the bad (the Harley can do no wrong crowd). We know the things these machines can do, and continue to push them further. Targeting people like us, the technologically and/or eco-minded is exactly the right strategy (for now), to make sure the newcomers have people they can go to for help with ordering alternative parts and keeping things in check with reality.
it will have to change, but I don't think we are there yet, nor are we ready to deal with that influx of unmet expectations (Tesla's Model 3 may be very instructive here).
