Forum for kitesurfers
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RustyChain
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Postby RustyChain » Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:25 pm
Liquidleisure wrote: ↑Sat Jun 16, 2018 4:01 pm
exuma kitesurfing wrote: ↑Fri Jun 15, 2018 7:29 am
at the end of the day does it really make a difference? as long as the core design team remains.
yeah, the north brand is strong, but if they have a clever marketing team leading the rebranding, should not be a problem... except for those with a cult mentality.
as someone mentioned earlier, for someone new to the sport, makes no difference.
it's like red bull TAG f1, everyone knows the engine is renault...
so based on that, if rolex changes name tomorrow in xelor, will be the same thing? I have my doubts. despite knowing that the product has not technically changed.
Come on...
NKb is HISTORY
Apples and oranges. Nobody buys a Rolex because it keeps the best time. A quartz movement is more accurate and reliable.
Everyone just wants the best kite, no one cares what it's called, or what they even look like (they are all pretty ridiculous).
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Liquidleisure
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Postby Liquidleisure » Sun Jun 17, 2018 12:01 am
RustyChain wrote: ↑Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:25 pm
Liquidleisure wrote: ↑Sat Jun 16, 2018 4:01 pm
exuma kitesurfing wrote: ↑Fri Jun 15, 2018 7:29 am
at the end of the day does it really make a difference? as long as the core design team remains.
yeah, the north brand is strong, but if they have a clever marketing team leading the rebranding, should not be a problem... except for those with a cult mentality.
as someone mentioned earlier, for someone new to the sport, makes no difference.
it's like red bull TAG f1, everyone knows the engine is renault...
so based on that, if rolex changes name tomorrow in xelor, will be the same thing? I have my doubts. despite knowing that the product has not technically changed.
Come on...
NKb is HISTORY
Apples and oranges. Nobody buys a Rolex because it keeps the best time. A quartz movement is more accurate and reliable.
Everyone just wants the best kite, no one cares what it's called, or what they even look like (they are all pretty ridiculous).
I agree.
DUOTONE FOR EVER
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dlangpap
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Postby dlangpap » Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:26 pm
RustyChain wrote: ↑Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:25 pm
Liquidleisure wrote: ↑Sat Jun 16, 2018 4:01 pm
exuma kitesurfing wrote: ↑Fri Jun 15, 2018 7:29 am
at the end of the day does it really make a difference? as long as the core design team remains.
yeah, the north brand is strong, but if they have a clever marketing team leading the rebranding, should not be a problem... except for those with a cult mentality.
as someone mentioned earlier, for someone new to the sport, makes no difference.
it's like red bull TAG f1, everyone knows the engine is renault...
so based on that, if rolex changes name tomorrow in xelor, will be the same thing? I have my doubts. despite knowing that the product has not technically changed.
Come on...
NKb is HISTORY
Apples and oranges. Nobody buys a Rolex because it keeps the best time. A quartz movement is more accurate and reliable.
Everyone just wants the best kite, no one cares what it's called, or what they even look like (they are all pretty ridiculous).
Since it's not always clear, at least for the majority of kite customers, what kite is better (have you seen how kite reviews are?), they base their purchasing decisions on a lot of other factors, many emotional such as how cool the kite looks, the colors, if they like the shape or even the logo of the brand, the recommendation of a friend, etc. Brand design, meaning everything related to the brand, including logo and brand name, plays a big role, especially in businesses where image is so important.
Even though using a bad brand name, apparently only because you have it registered (can't find another reason why they are using it), may not seem to be a big deal in the great scheme of things, to do so after having one of the most recognized brand names in the industry is unexplainable at best, irresponsible at worst.
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GraemeF
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Postby GraemeF » Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:29 pm
dlangpap wrote: ↑Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:26 pm
RustyChain wrote: ↑Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:25 pm
Liquidleisure wrote: ↑Sat Jun 16, 2018 4:01 pm
so based on that, if rolex changes name tomorrow in xelor, will be the same thing? I have my doubts. despite knowing that the product has not technically changed.
Come on...
NKb is HISTORY
Apples and oranges. Nobody buys a Rolex because it keeps the best time. A quartz movement is more accurate and reliable.
Everyone just wants the best kite, no one cares what it's called, or what they even look like (they are all pretty ridiculous).
Since it's not always clear, at least for the majority of kite customers, what kite is better (have you seen how kite reviews are?), they base their purchasing decisions on a lot of other factors, many emotional such as how cool the kite looks, the colors, if they like the shape or even the logo of the brand, the recommendation of a friend, etc. Brand design, meaning everything related to the brand, including logo and brand name, plays a big role, especially in businesses where image is so important.
Even though using a bad brand name, apparently only because you have it registered (can't find another reason why they are using it), may not seem to be a big deal in the great scheme of things, to do so after having one of the most recognized brand names in the industry is unexplainable at best, irresponsible at worst.
Here here and what is worse and the thing that is never considered in these corporate wrangles is the fact that there are dealers, some big some not so, to quote the US expression Mom & Pop stores, that have relied on the North brand name pretty much exclusively for a living, for a dozen years or more, have done their bit to help build the brand name and here they are without a thought being dumped into no brandname land all because of a spat between venture capital companies.
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iriejohn
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Postby iriejohn » Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:42 pm
Well at least they're Duotone rather than Monochrome.
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wjb
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Postby wjb » Thu Jun 21, 2018 5:37 am
Loyal North customer since 06. Duotone!!!! Seriously!!!! This is a case of bean counters not understanding the culture (or disregarding it) and convincing themselves this is a good idea. Doutone does not sound like it should be a kite company. It sounds more like...
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wjb
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Postby wjb » Thu Jun 21, 2018 5:50 am
TommyDuotone wrote: ↑Sat Jun 16, 2018 8:08 pm
And......at the end of day, it comes down to performance, quality, and value(not necessarily in that order). IMO, riders buy kites that fit their riding style, helps them accomplish their goals/tricks the easiest, and that are the most enjoyable to ride. And, to keep the rider, it comes down to good customer service. North seems to have done that well over the last 17 years. So, I don't think a name or logo change is that big of a deal, as long as the customers are kept informed. Which seems to be happening thanks to the most talked about topic on this forum.
This may be true when you buy a vacuum cleaner or a blender. Buying kitesurfing kites involves a lot more passion. You have a greater connection to the product and you are proud to wear their logos on hats shirts etc. Saying the name is not that important is naive.
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apollo4000
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Postby apollo4000 » Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:45 am
If the consequence of this, for fans of North kites, is a set of Duotone products which are consistent with the previous line up in terms of quality and characteristics (every indication this will be the case) and are priced without North Sails cut, we should see a benefit. Hopefully priced to capture market attention from the get go with the only difference being a ‘D’ and not a ‘ZZ Top’ logo...
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nothing2seehere
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Postby nothing2seehere » Thu Jun 21, 2018 9:14 am
apollo4000 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:45 am
If the consequence of this, for fans of North kites, is a set of Duotone products which are consistent with the previous line up in terms of quality and characteristics (every indication this will be the case) and are priced without North Sails cut, we should see a benefit. Hopefully priced to capture market attention from the get go with the only difference being a ‘D’ and not a ‘ZZ Top’ logo...
First kite pictures are out in the wild. They have used the full 'Duotone' brand on the canopy of the kites. Board looked like it just had a 'D' and not the full name.
I'm worried enough to have off loaded my old North kites rather than keep them as spares before the name change turns up at the dealers. Can't be bothered trying to deal with explaining the rebrand when trying to sell in a couple of years time. Might be a non-issue but the interview with Till from Boards and More suggested that the North Kites brand is available for anyone to go in and take over the brand. Not sure I can see it actually happening as I can't see how you could actually make it work (presumerably the North websites will forward to duotone, no dealer network etc)
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