Posted on October 25, 2007
What's a Logo Worth? In Boulder Cycling Circles - Must Be A Lot
BY JAMES CLARK
Seth Godin asked the the question "What's a Logo Worth?" on his blog today.
He's got a picture of a Mongol pencil and states - "Apparently, it's not not just a pencil, it's a lifestyle."
Seth, you've got to come out to Boulder, Colorado and witness the most amazing logo lifestyle ever - cycling jerseys.
Boulder has a huge road biking community, and what amazes me is that everyone gets all logo'd up to go for their bike rides. Cyclists are a bit of an elitist crowd - okay I called them elitist and maybe that's not nice but they are riding around on $2K bikes. So the funny thing is these cyclist wear the most obnoxious logo cycling jerseys you ever seen. Why is it that logo cycling jerseys are fashionable? Okay, I know that's what the professional teams wear, but I also know they make normal black cycling jerseys, because I've seen them hanging on the racks at the bike store. Strange thing is I rarely see them on people actually riding road bikes.
It's a running joke here in the Room 214 offices. When someone comes back from a walk to get lunch we report back on what companies the cyclists are representing. The other day I saw someone riding in a Fat Tire cycling jersey, followed by someone in a Subway jersey, followed by someone in a Frasca (local restaurant) jersey.
So in Boulder road cycling circles the logo must be worth being taken seriously. God forbid you show up in plain black cycling jersey and shorts. The guy in the full-blown Subway bib-shorts and jersey will laugh his ass off at you.
Most of these guys probably ride on teams and wear the logo of their team sponsor for the practical reason that the sponsor provides free stuff.
At $120 a whack for the bib shorts, $85 per jersey, and $250 for a cold-and-rain-resistant jacket, I imagine most hardcore riders probably don't care what the free gear looks like or suggests.
The other day, I was thinking how paid links were kind of like getting temporary tattoos with corporate logos on them – for cash. People don't want to put schlock on their precious web page without some compensation. Webmasters and race car drivers get paid for the logos, but local cyclists do it for free threads.
On that note, where are our Room 214 Jerseys?