Born In A Barn.

Trek

1. Brand Overview

Who They Are

Trek is one of the world's most respected Bicycle companies. They design high-performance bikes for every age group and every terrain. Trek was founded in a barn in Wisconsin and has grown into a global powerhouse within the cycling community. Trek has earned its customers' loyalty through better design, rider-focused technology, and one of the most extensive service and retail networks. Trek believes in speed and soul; its messaging blends engineering with emotional resonance. From the Trek Ride Club to Trek Travel, the brand's ecosystem reflects its community-focused identity

Business Objective

This campaign aims to increase sales across all segments of Trek products and the number of Trek users who use Ride Club frequently. It will also increase social media posts from the Ride Club and showcase it as a competitor to Runna and Strava for the biking community. This growth will come from first-time buyers and those who ride competitor bikes. This campaign will both educate future customers and act as a tool to remind people about the Trek community. 

2. The Challenge

Problem

Trek is not struggling with product quality, but with brand awareness and perception. Trek builds the most advanced bikes in the world, but isn’t always seen that way due to status-driven cyclists who chase niche European brands. In the e-bike segment, Trek faces a different issue as customers are flooded with low-cost e-bikes that emphasize speed and price over safety, service, and ride feel. Trek’s Ride Club also lacks visibility without a distinct value proposition, they risk being dismissed as another reward program. 

Why It Matters?

Trek risks losing leadership in the performance segment if it fails to elevate its positioning and increase its brand awareness. Without growth at the top of the funnel, growth cannot protect its long-term positioning against rising competitors who are winning market share in elite circles. On the e-bike front, if they fail to shift perception, they will lose market share to cheaper and noisier brands. Lastly, if Trek Ride Club fails to catch fire, it’ll be written off as a major missed opportunity to engage with its customer base. It's also a lost strategic strategy to own the customer relationship beyond the sale, enabling them to collect more user data, social awareness, and word-of-mouth marketing. 

3. Audience

Who They Are

Trek consumers are aged between all riding ages and are split between performance-driven cyclists, lifestyle-motivated riders, and kids getting around the neighborhood. Many are professionals in high-paying or creative industries, or are just getting their first bike to ride to school. They consume media with purpose and use tools like Urban Trails and Strava, Ride Club to track their rides. They also follow niche creators to research products although word of mouth and peer recommendations still carry significant weight. This group does not make impulse purchases but are committed buyers. 

What They Want

This group wants gear that performs, is reliable, and is designed with strong intentions. They’re not just buying a bike but a product that moves them forward faster, stronger, and enables them to ride at their best level. They support brands that match their standards, but also inspire them to push past them to reach PRs. They commit to a story they can feel like they are a part of, not a discount. 

4. Insight

Core Human Truth

Trek isn’t just selling speed but transformation on two wheels. Users not only want to be faster than others, but faster than they were yesterday. They want to earn their evolution, not download it. Trek promises craftsmanship and performance that resonates with its consumers. This audience values physical motion, a better bike that enables a more focused mind, a stronger body, and a clearer identity. 

Supporting Signals

On social media, riders have shared their weekly rides, not just to showcase their speed or distance but to explain how the ride made them feel. They view cycling as a form of therapy, not just an exercise. Mountain bike riders and e-bike goers post YouTube videos of themselves riding through the roads and forest. Content creators who post reviews champion Trek's strong reputation and durability for users to push it to the limit. From the reassurance of outdoor hobbies, Trek has the chance to lead the wave by positioning riding as the most human form of forward motion. 

5. Strategy

Strategic Platform

This campaign positions Trek as the brand for riders who value effort and are willing to show up every day. The tone will be grounded, honest, and confident, spotlighting moments that happen during the ride. From premium road bikes to first bike rides, Trek will reframe its products as an instrument of identity, not a premium object. By showing up and reframing its products, Trek will win back relevance where it matters most with the high agency riders. 

Strategic Rationale

Trek is underperforming in the high-end and the e-bike segments, not because the products are weak, but because the story behind them isn’t strong enough to break through the noise. The audience doesn’t fully see or understand what makes Trek different. The goal of this campaign is to tie together its product philosophy and community. Reframing perception gaps in their premium, e-bike, and Ride Club segments, showing and educating the audience what they looking for, momentum with meaning. Our goal is to give Trek a voice in a noisy and cluttered space that differentiates them from gimmicky competitors. 

6. Campaign Expression

Tagline or Headline

Craftsmanship. // Be Seen. Be Aware. Be Smart. // Local Service and Support. // Born In A Barn. // Designed For Speed. // Trek Ride Club. // Culture. Innovation. Heritage. // Be The Fastest You. // Road. Gravel. Mountain. City. Electric. // Steel. Carbon. Aluminum. // Victory. // Trek Travel - Adventure. Relaxation. Fitness. Memories. // Checkmate. (bike) // Muscle Power & Battery Power. // Aerodynamics. // Ride Longer. // Go Far. Get Dirty. // Built To Ride. // More Power. Less Effort. (ebike) // Momentum With Meaning. // Progress, Earned. 

Key Message

This isn’t just a cycling ad, the goal is for potential and current Trek customers to feel inspired, recognized, and seen. Whether it's their first after an injury, weekend climb, or your daily commute, Trek knows that motion = progress. Trek isn’t shouting for attention but letting its customers know they are riding beside them, pushing them forward. Leaving riders feeling proud, energized, and motivated to keep going. We want people to download Ride Club, go to Trek’s website or a retail store, and upgrade/try their products. Also, to engage with the Trek community via Trek Ride Club and other social media outlets. 

Creative Executions

• OOH - Cartoon style of a person getting their first bike, second bike, third bike, and then becoming a professional (checkmate). Ride Club Showcasing billboard ads 

• Magazine - love a good magazine ad

• Video: short—and long-form videos that showcase riders, professionals, and new entrants telling their stories. Ride Club onboarding videos. 

• Community partnerships, such as Ride Your Bike to school day, involve partnering with schools and other programs that showcase the Trek product line, similar to how golf brands may show up at clubs and show participants their new offerings. 

• Partnerships with riders outside of your traditional cycling profession, like F1 drivers and other athletes. 

• Ride Club features

7. Success Metrics

How We’ll Measure Impact
Define 10 key performance indicators tied directly to the business objective. These can be quantitative or qualitative, but they must be outcome-focused.

Example prompts:
What proves the campaign worked? What changes in behavior, numbers, or brand sentiment?

• Increase in the usual suspects like sales, in-store visits, ride club activation / social media sharing

• Growth in first-time buyers 

• Improved brand awareness and sentiment.