What is it about motorcycle brands?
Harley Davidson has long been held-up as an example of branding at its finest. There’s something about the emotional connection between people who love to ride motorbikes and the brands who effectively tap into that emotion that adds a rich dimension to the brand mix.
Australian born but globally inspired motorcyle brand Dues Ex Machina take that mantle and re-engineer it into a completely different beast, with a dazzling array of arms and legs that take their business and brand to another level.
As with every great brand there is a powerful belief system at its heart. Deus Ex Machina’s philosophy – ‘building bikes for a purpose’ – is a powerful expression of individualism, the same emotion Harley have tapped-into for decades. But Deus Ex’s passionate belief of individualism is borne-out in everything they do, starting with their range of motorbikes.
The bikes are literally built for purpose, segmenting the road bike customer into a dozen smaller categories with a bike custom designed for each of those sub-tribes. There’s a bike for the surfer, a bike for the cyclist, a bike for the urban gentleman racer and so-on. Such is the intuitive understanding of their customers, their lives and how the brand intersects, that segmenting by purpose is a natural approach.
As the guys say; “Today Deus Ex Machina is a step bigger than a brand: it’s a culture. Deus Ex Machina says simply there’s no ‘right way’ to do individualism, it’s all the same juice.”
The latest motorbike from the Deus Ex, The Seasider shows these guys are equally as good at building bikes as they are at building brands.
The Seasider
Designed by their Indonesian shop – yep, Deus Ex has a couple of shops in Bali. Starting with a 1974 Honda C70 scooter, Deus Ex threw out the 70cc motor for a more modern and reliable unit from a 1995 Honda Astra. Some choice bicycle styling touches round out the retro look, and the custom-made surfboard carrier makes it obvious what this machine is all about.
The Firefly
A modern interpretation of the raw functional beauty of small capacity GP and TT steeds of the 1950’s and ’60’s designed by Deus Ex’s Japanese Shop. The Firefly’s long, low lines, run uninterrupted from headlight to tail but for the riders perch – a spartan tuck-roll offering in Oxblood red, stitched by local moto upholstery master Miauchi-san. The original C105 speedometer is a nod to the machine’s heritage I, its execution so harmonious as to have historians running to the archives in search of reference to a long lost racing prototype.
The Derny
In Gaiole we saw such a lovely old Vespas modified in order to carry wheels and parts for old road bikes to deliver racing road assistance, and all of them was absolutely stunning! We wanted a motorbike that could carry directly a bicycle, to do it, we passed through our friends of Peugeot Motorcycles Italia, that after some brainstorming gave us the possibility to work on the retro style scooter Django, that give us the perfect way to match old and new (as usual) styles, but also to go in a never explored before direction!
More than a Motorcycle Brand
There is so much more to Dues Ex Machina than motorbikes. The product range extends to bicycles, surf, apparel and cafe’s – all tapping into a way of living, an attitude of individualism that means so much more than the functional product ever could.
With an ever evolving brand visual language including multiple refreshed brand marks, the signature of the Deus Ex brand identity is its attitude over it’s consistency – another reflection of the philosophy of individualism.
The 7 Rules of Branding 2.0 at Play
In many ways this brand represents the template for branding to the current generation of consumers:
01. Centered around a strong, simple belief;
02. Driven by truly passionate people from founders to product developers and front line staff;
03. The brand reflects their passion in all it does;
04. The brand also reflects a strong and unique personality shared by founders and customers alike;
05. The visual language of the brand reflects the philosophy and personality;
06. Design and creativity are at the heart of everything they say and do;
07. Brand extensions flow freely from the same central belief system and design philosophy
Dave Ansett
David is the founder of Truly Deeply, a brand agency with 25 years experience working with brands to position them for growth. His deep expertise is in the creation of high engagement brands that attract the attention of their audience and stand out from their competitors. David has extensive experience working with corporate, retail, food & beverage and entrepreneurial clients. Find out more here
For monthly updates of our thinking, click here to receive our free Brand Newsletter
Pics from www.deuscustoms.com
Great article Dave. The classics are that for a reason. They inspire and connect on many levels with those that feel connected with the core values and tap into your heart and mind.