KIWI RIDER 04 2020 VOL1 | Page 33

INTERVIEW “ THE BEST WAY TO CONVINCE SOMEBODY TO BUY A DUCATI IS FOR THEM TO TRY IT It is something I’ve seen here since I have arrived. The Monster has been a very successful model, and also we see the customers of the Monster often jump to the next model up after a few years. That is a good learning experience for us, and it is something I am also discussing with Italy, to try and explore the possibility to bring new models into the Learner segment. Boris: Do you think customer loyalty to a brand is as strong as it once was, or are people now more likely to listen to their wallet instead of their heart? Sergi: I think it is even more important today. In our case we know the best way to convince somebody to buy a Ducati is for them to try it. The experience and the feelings you get with that, from our perspective, no other brand can provide. The important thing for us, as our CEO [Claudio Domenicalli] said not long ago, we do not sell transportation, we sell entertainment. In-line with this we will be providing a lot of experiences to our customers. Like reasons to ride a Ducati. That is something, from a marketing perspective, we want to implement here and provide all kinds of experiences for customers who want to try our bikes in the correct environment. Boris: Australia is a country of vast distances. And while most of the population is in the cities, there are lots of motorcyclists who live some distance from the centres. Does Ducati plan on expanding its dealer network in any way to deal with these people? Sergi: Australia is indeed very big. In fact, when I checked it on the map just to have some reference from my side, if I compare for example the distance from Perth to Sydney, it is like going from the Spanish Canary Islands to St Petersburg in Russia. It is a big market, but it is also very concentrated. So, in terms of coverage, we are OK. Because at the end you need to make sure that any investor or partner will make a return. You cannot compromise the experience of a customer if there is not enough potential in one area. So I don’t see is a big issue in Australia, because the market is concentrated, KIWI RIDER 33