New Products And New Marketing For Kawasaki Kawasaki is bringing new models into the U.S. and updating its marketing strategy in the U.S. to help consolidate its leading position in the national motorcycle sales market, which is showing signs of moving past the dramatic drops in sales of the past two years. That’s what Kawasaki officials told hundreds of Kawasaki dealers and employees who gathered in Orlando earlier this week for the company’s annual dealer meeting. Opening the conference was Kawasaki Heavy Industries Senior Vice President Hiroshi Takata, president of KHI’s motorcycle and engine division. “Since last year’s meeting, we have faced a number of challenges,” said Takata, citing the soft economy and the earthquake that devastated Japan, adding, “Your care and concern for our nation and our people will never be forgotten” Takata then praised the Kawasaki sales staff for making the brand No. 1 in motorcycle sales in the United States for the second year in a row, and assured the dealers in attendance that “for Kawasaki, the U.S. remains our most important market.” According to statistics presented by Kawasaki during the dealer introduction, motorcycle sales are approximately flat for the first eight months of 2011, with 315,748 units sold in the first eight months industry-wide in the United States. This compares to a 40.8 percent drop in sales between 2008 and 2009 and another 15.8 percent hit from 2009 to 2010. Internally, Kawasaki has formed a new business unit allowing its dealers to cut liability insurance and health care costs, joining existing business partnerships that save the dealerships money on shipping, communications, etc. In addition, in some circumstances, Kawasaki will be allowing dealers to put certain models on their showroom floors interest-free through 2012 allowing the dealerships to offer customers new models for immediate purchase. Motorcycles are emotional purchases, and a customer who has to wait for the unit to be shipped has more time to think about the sale. Not only have economic difficulties affected the industry, but the technology of commercial media has changed the sales environment. With fewer customers and more model choices than ever before, the competition for each customer is more intense. Customers also have more information available to them than ever before, and they are willing and able to share their personal experiences with a dealership or product, good or bad, with thousands and thousands of potential customers virtually instantaneously via blogs, Facebook, and YouTube. Kawasaki’s advertising efforts will focus in the future on not only traditional media platforms, but also on social media, targeted specialty media, and with interactive sales tools such as the in-store iPad information centers “more than just a brochure on steroids,” one Kawasaki rep promised. In addition, the company will continue its series of product demos, and introduce some new contests designed to engage potential customers in a narrative that happens to include new Kawasaki models. For example, in its “Zero To Hero” promotion, Kawasaki will be giving away a brand new ZX-14R to a customer who can beat world-famous drag racer Ricky Gadsen in a head-to-head contest. The contest will be a shootout-type production, limited to 14 riders with the skills to launch the beast reputed to make 195 bhp at the rear wheel on pump gas down the drag strip without incident. The bad news is that when Kawasaki introduced its racing team members, there were off-road riders and drivers, drag racers and stunters, but not a single road racer. Kawasaki spokespersons reiterated that the company had no current plans to go AMA Pro road racing in 2012.