Friday, March 14, 2014

Wow them with "Special Effects": A Startup Strategy
Friday, March 14, 2014

Wow them with "Special Effects": A Startup Strategy

This year's March 2014 Taipei Bicycle Show was a far cry from last year's show as Patisco made the rounds discussing their Pedaling Forward Program.

In 2013, only a year earlier, despite the team having worked extremely hard for the previous 12 months, the team lacked demonstrable success.  Fortunately, their clients (Taiwan's suppliers) were understanding and its likely that the four showgirls that Patisco team hired to distribute "Pedaling Forward" bags didn't hurt either.

Photo by Xinosys Blog.  Show girls and the Patisco team at last year's Taipei Bike Show.
Fast forward a year later, and the success is pouring in, with over 30 suppliers on the system connecting with hundreds of dealers from nearly a dozen countries - the business communication and feedback loop is a fly-wheel that is spinning faster and faster.  Patisco's Pedaling Forward program also boasts nearly 10 "brand ambassadors" in the form of semi-pro and pro bicycle riders from multiple continents.  Each testing new and innovative parts (some featured at this year's show) and providing feedback directly to Taiwan manufacturers in order to improve these components as well as meet market needs.  Certainly a win-win for everyone involved.

So with these "brand ambassadors" in the mix, I suppose we'll have to say good-bye to Patisco's show girls, as none were hired for this year's show.  Before we bid a final adieu, we take one last long look at the Patisco show girls (see photo above) who had been a fixture of Patisco's marketing effort at the Taipei Bicycle Show in years past, but are "special effects" that are no longer needed as the story of Patisco continues to grow deeper and more meaningful.