GT

GT has a heritage of making fast bikes. Founded in 1974, the brand first made an impact with BMX, then mountain and road bikes. As gear went, innovative frames and cutting-edge technology in the category paved the way for GT's speed machines. But when mass market retailers diluted the playing field, GT started slipping off grid. We set out to help distinguish the brand, appealing to an overlooked contingent of cyclists we dubbed privateers. We created the GT Golden Bike race series-a series of seven cross-country races, complete with its own cheerleaders-to help celebrate riders' spirit of everyday competition and to re-engage the brand with specialty retailers. We also developed a tongue-in-cheek integrated campaign that declared an Open Season on Slow, with web films anthropomorphizing GT's speed and cunning. There were also Catch & Release games and events all over the country and a social following on Facebook. Both campaigns were embraced by cycling magazines, and as a direct result 50 independent bike retailers started carrying GT again. GT Mountain bike sales experienced a year-over-year increase of 38 percent. Have a look!