Hallo Community,
ich habe zu dem Video heute einem Marketing Manager von kask eine mail geschrieben und meine Sicht dargelegt. Er hat innerhalb weniger Stunden geantwortet. Ursprünglich wollte ich das nicht über ein öffentliches Forum tun. Da er mir sehr respektvoll geantwortet hat, ich seine Sicht interessant finde und insbesondere weil es ein paar Details zum Dreh gab stelle ich hier unseren kleinen Austausch ein. Ich bitte euch, diesen ebenfalls mit Respekt zu behandeln.
Zusammengefasst hatte man also die Strassen zwar nicht gesperrt, aber mit einem direkt vorausfahrenden Fahrzeug die Situation "gesichert".
Meine Mail:
Hello [...],
For the sake of company reputation, I prefer direct communication via email over social media posts to keep the conversation focused.
I came across the video "Trust" by Safa Brian, prominently sponsored by Kask.
In my opinion, videos like this have a very negative impact on the cycling community:
In the video, the protagonist hammers down descents at maximum speed and risk - what is the point of that other than to produce spectacular images? This is not the (desired) behavior of any cyclist.
This is compounded by the fact that the roads were not closed - the rider is putting others in danger, even documented on video.
This type of video is not well received in the cycling community (see for example the comments here:
https://www.rennrad-news.de/forum/threads/safa-brian-%E2%80%9Etrust%E2%80%9C-%E2%80%93-video-rasanter-ritt-durch-die-dolomiten.197050/page-3#post-6375033).
Worse, such videos fuel and reinforce anti-cycling resentment among non-cyclists by documenting and celebrating "bad behavior".
I really wonder: What was Kask's point or intent in supporting this type of content? To show that your equipment can save the lives of even the most stupid and aggressive people? Is it really your intention to position yourself as the brand for the "crass and reckless"? I doubt it.
[...]
Please understand this email as a constructive criticism about your marketing practice reflecting the PoV of a potential customer.
Antwort:
Thank you for your email and your valuable point of view. It’s always good to listen to different opinions even when they are not positive.
As a brand producing safety equipment the safety aspect for us is always paramount. When we get confronted on this topic it’s always worth taking good consideration of such comments.
The project involving Safa Brian was produced making sure risks would be reduced to minimum possible, for the safety of everyone involved.
As explained also in the first part of the video each filmed part required a meticulous preparation even if, due to cinematic reasons, this is not showcased in full.
Roads were pre-checked by the production team with a vehicle completing the descent just couple hundreds meters in front of the film crew. Additionally, the production happened in the early hours or very late in the day to avoid traffic.
Unfortunately cycling, as many other sport activities, does come with a certain risk of mistakes and consequences. There’s never a risk free option but with the right approach this risk can be reduced.
Even racing in a super controlled environment such as a Tour De France mountain stage brings risk for the riders, the event staff and the spectators along the road. The final goal is to minimize this risk.
The entire story behind the project was in fact built exactly around that. The right combination of skills, preparation, planning, trust in the support team and the EQUIPMENT can allow unique people to do things with the proper level of safety and reduced risk.
Lastly, we also believe that anti-cycling resentment are a problem for our society. We hope that the positive message to take from this project is that exploring the world on your bicycle is amazing and that it should inspire more and more people to ride rather than hate people on a bicycle just because they don’t share your same type of vehicle.
Hope this feedback answered some of your doubts.
Best regards
