The gonzo motorcycle masters at Ducati -- quite possibly the stewards of the world's greatest brand -- have started blogging, and it just makes perfect sense from every angle. Ducati goes to market using something called "tribal marketing", which is shorthand for applying the majority of their marketing spend not on silly pieces of advertising in order to lure in people who come from an unfriendly world view, but on things and activities which amplify the natural world-of-mouth tendencies of the tribe of desmo, the Ducatisti. It works.
Federico Minoli is a dream blogger for a passion-driven company like Ducati. He is to Ducati as Bob Lutz is to GM (and you know that Lutz is the heart and soul of GM's Fastlane blog), except that, unlike Lutz, Minoli's setup at Ducati also gives him the power to call the shots that bring to market the essential product goodness which he knows so well. They're both great marketing and product minds, and it's a delight to live in a time where it's so easy to hear them thinking out loud.
Blogging is an essential part of the modern marketing mix. B2C, B2B -- I think it's critical to both. If your marketing site doesn't have some sort of RSS feed, fire your CMO. Or at least accelerate their firing process.
And.... so as not end on a down note... Forza Ducati!
photo via Flickr
