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A Business History of the Bicycle Industry: Shaping Marketing Practices by Carlo Mari

2021; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 62; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/tech.2021.0144

1097-3729

Bernhard Wieser,

Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis

Reviewed by: A Business History of the Bicycle Industry: Shaping Marketing Practices by Carlo Mari Bernhard Wieser (bio) A Business History of the Bicycle Industry: Shaping Marketing Practices By Carlo Mari. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021. Pp. 137. A Business History of the Bicycle Industry: Shaping Marketing Practices By Carlo Mari. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021. Pp. 137. Carlo Mari's attempt to break new ground in bicycle historiography is welcome. In his book he addresses two broad research questions: "What did marketing mean for the bicycle industry?" and "How did the bicycle industry carry out its marketing activity?" (p. vi). The author addresses these questions in four chapters, each of which can be read independently. Methodologically, Mari bases his analysis on quantitative data. He uses census data of industrial activities and statistics from customs departments and trade organizations. Notably, Mari warns his readers that available statistical data are often unreliable, incomplete, incomparable, and often inaccessible. Consequently, Mari mainly draws on catalogs and price lists of bicycle [End Page 969] companies for his analysis of bicycle industry marketing activities. He complements these data with international bicycle history literature. Explaining the bicycle as a product, Mari highlights the deployment of the "principle of interchangeable parts" (p. 7). Companies that produced all parts in-house were vertically integrated. For the larger part of the twentieth century, bicycle manufacturers strived for vertical integration—with Raleigh in the United Kingdom, Bianchi in Italy, and Pope Manufacturing Company in the United States as paradigmatic examples. This changed, however, with the growing significance of firms that specialized as part suppliers. This global development of disintegration resulted in a situation in which most bicycle companies have become "assemblers" that rely on third-party suppliers (p. 23). Against this backdrop, Mari inquires into bicycle marketing. Recombining interchangeable parts in a variety of ways allows companies to offer a diversified product portfolio. Through such diversification they target a broad scope of customers. Mari found that this marketing strategy emerged in the late nineteenth century and adds that, ever since, "nothing has changed" (p. 81). The three essential elements of bicycle marketing are (1) segmentation of the market, (2) development of a tailored product assortment, and (3) engagement with professional sports. Mari argues that market segmentation not only increased sales but also enhanced the companies' understanding of the market. Concluding his book, Mari applies his analytical framework to a case study of Cannondale's marketing practices in Italy during the years 1998–2017. He critically notes that Cannondale's strategy was not rooted in a sound market analysis but "simply resulted from a contingency approach," deploying market segmentation and product assortment as its main strategies (p. 110). Mari therefore asserts that Cannondale simply continued a marketing practice the industry had been applying for a very long time. With his book, Mari aims at filling a gap in bicycle history by adding the neglected marketing perspective, while at the same time seeking to inform future marketing decisions (p. 127). His study does not fully live up to its ambitious goal. The author uses a largely descriptive approach. Also, the choice of the case study in chapter 4 is a missed opportunity. Readers would have enjoyed the author's insight into the Italian bicycle industry more than learning about Cannondale's uninspired marketing strategy. The author's access to the rich history of Italian bicycle manufacturing leaves the reader waiting for more of his work to come. The potential is certainly there, as Mari's short summary of the history of the Italian bicycle industry suggests (pp. 26–32). Nevertheless, Mari adds to a body of literature that seeks to understand innovation and sociotechnical change. Market segmentation and corresponding product offerings as a marketing strategy puts ideas of a "one [End Page 970] best way" or a "dominant design" (Bijker, Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs, 1995) into perspective, since the author convincingly demonstrates that companies have attempted to market more than one model since the early days of the industry. Addressing the limitations of statistical data is a strength of the book. It would have been equally rewarding for Mari to critically reflect on the data he used for his case study...