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hat ht. orile er- ite nd S ook d ear sed ATV www.PowersportsBusiness.com KAWASAKI 26 CONTINUED FROM PAGE us to get the word out. In powersports, we're all fighting for essentially the same customers, so we wanted to naturally differentiate for Teryx." To experience that level of fun, media members got a (dusty) taste of the Teryx4's possibilities during a ride a day earlier in the Caja Del Rio Canyon. The environment was much more staid the following day at Bishop's Lodge during the global press conference for "The Lone Ranger," where Depp entertained media members from places like Singapore and New Zealand, in addition to Yahoo! and the Associated Press. The brand's lineup off-road motorcycles, four-wheel vehicles and street motorcycles are featured in exclusive videos on KawasakiTV's YouTube channel depicting a transition from the film to scenes of modern-day powersports enthusiasts riding to their limits. The "Live the Legend" video can be seen at bit.ly/LiveTheLegend. Those marketing spots might are expected to bring high viewership. "Jerry Bruckheimer himself had to sign off on [the videos]," Brull said. "He said they really appreciated the effort we made on the marketing materials. We worked with director Gore Verbinski and on down to the color correctors. Jerry told me he came up through his craft making TV spots, and he wasn't used to partners taking the time effort like we did. We were very proud. We didn't want to show up and do it. We wanted to stand out in a very cool and authentic way." Powersports Business • August 12, 2013 • 29 "It was easy for dealers to embrace the program," Brull said. "When you can trot out the names Disney and 'The Lone Ranger,' customers can identify with those brands. A partnership with Disney? It just doesn't happen [with other powersports brands]." PROMOTIONAL PUSH Five limited edition Teryx4 750 4x4 LEs were part of a giveaway by Subway, and a Teryx4 and four Shoei off-road helmets were the grand prize for a "Good Morning America" sweepstakes. Kawasaki also provided a custom-designed Lone Ranger Ninja ZX-6R sport bike that was on display at the movie's world premiere. That event was a benefit for the American Indian College Fund, and the film's stars and other celebrities in attendance signed the unique motorcycle. It was then auctioned at a later date with all proceeds going to support the fund. PSB PHOTO BY ALFONSE "FONZIE" PALAIMA m The 2013 Teryx4 took center stage in Kawasaki's partnership with Disney's "The Lone Ranger." The brand also got exposure at Subway restaurants and on "Good Morning America," a Disney property. TIMES SQUARE OFFSHOOT The partnership happened as a residual brought on by the success of Kawasaki's Times Square Takeover in New York City a year ago, when 1.5 million people viewed the brand's products. "As we were dipping our toes into finding out way to get our products in front of people for 2013, our team began talking with other properties," Brull said. "The folks at Disney saw what we did in Times Square, and said 'Wow, that event you did there was really, really cool. We have this great property ["The Lone Ranger"] and a great filmmaker [Bruckheimer]. It wasn't like they needed a great brand in their movie." In fact, Brull got asked often about the role of Kawasaki products in the film. "One of the jokes I was telling is that Subway is another of their partners, and you don't see footlongs in the 1880s either, right?" Brull laughed. "We wanted to widen the net of customers, and use that idea of 'rebel with an attitude.' We want people to come be part of the party. We're very inclusionary, instead of exclusionary. We know we're not for everybody." Dealers who wanted to reach those in search of adventure took advantage of the OEM's promotional reach. Kawasaki's 30 district managers invited select dealers to an advanced screening of the movie in their own markets. Many dealers created showroom events in conjunction with the release. Others had daylong celebrations at their showroom on the movie's July 3 release date. It was another step that allowed dealers to benefit from the brand's staunch marketing power. There's no word on whether Kawasaki dealers are expecting more of the same in years to come. If so, other familiar consumer brands might be battling for a spot at the altar to join Kawasaki. "When you're trying to be brave and push uphill, when you're the first one out as we were in Times Square in the powersports industry, people can be a little skeptical," Brull said. "If we did it right, word would get out. As we make our brand stand out, it will inherently attract other brands — 'Wow, those Kawi guys, they do things a little different. Let's see if we can join them.'" That thought extends to the dealer level. P26x29-PSB10-ATV.indd 29 7/31/13 2:54 PM