Advanced Project
Introduction
Dainese is a legendary Italian brand steeped in heritage while concurrently pushing the limits of protective apparel for moto, alpine skiing, mountain biking, equestrian and competitive sailing. From Lino Dainese’s napkin sketch the first ever wearable airbag system, D-Air, was born, now mandatory safety equipment for all MotoGP and American Flat Track racers. There’s simply no brand in the world that makes protective gear like Dainese, all with a style that speaks to the sport and reflects a deep Italian legacy.
Since 2017, ECHOS has represented Dainese in North America, leading all media relations around product, brand stories, brand activations at industry and ECHOS-hosted events, and supporting retail store openings.
Approach
The Dainese name was well known in endemic moto media and more limited for mountain bike protective wear, and the challenge was to shore up the brand as a premium developer of protective apparel in an increasingly competitive marketplace, and also to reconnect with the media after a lengthy period with no PR representation or media relations. Our strategy was to reintroduce the brand across the board, blending the focus on Dainese’s track- and race-oriented products with cafe racer, ADV, touring and lifestyle gear to broaden awareness of the brand’s offerings and create opportunities to talk about the depth of product design, technology and world-class athletes like Valentino Rossi. We also tapped into the growing network of Dainese D-Stores, retail locations based in key markets including NYC, Chicago, Santa Monica, Chicago, Orlando, Las Vegas, giving journalists in-person experiences with the full range of Dainese apparel and special programs such as Custom Works, bespoke racing leathers. We also supported the opening of new D-Stores in multiple markets, featured Dainese at our NYC Media Showrooms, and helped maintain Dainese’s leadership with D-Air in the wearable airbag technology market.
Our focus on reconnecting with the media and on major product launches moved the needle in both the moto and mountain bike verticals, and Dainese experiences a significant increase in brand awareness that translated into sales through its e-comm channels and the brick-and-mortar shops.
