This exercise asks you to apply Tauber’s Four Branding Alternatives to Colorado Ricardo Mountain Bikes.
The Scenario: Colorado Ricardo Mountain Bikes
Colorado Ricardo Mountain Bikes was founded by Ricardo Francisco, a keen off-road cyclist who grew frustrated with bikes breaking down under the strain of the Colorado mountains. After years of trial and error, he built a bike tough enough to survive the terrain and named it the “Colorado Ricardo”. Word spread quickly among local riders, and Ricardo gave up his day job to build and sell bikes full-time from a small workshop outside Denver.
Sales of Colorado Ricardo’s one existing product, a hand-built off-road mountain bike, have fallen for three years running. Ricardo is now considering three possible moves: (1) adding a new frame size and colour option to the existing off-road bike; (2) launching an e-mountain bike, powered and electric-assisted, under the trusted Colorado Ricardo name; and (3) launching a separate, cheaper off-road bike range under a brand new name, to compete on price without damaging the premium Colorado Ricardo reputation.
Once you have drafted your own answer, compare it with Marketing Teacher’s suggested answer.
