I've just read this;

"Since the Bularoo has outsold the Waroo this season we have to keep the kite that riders want, so the Bularoo stays. The Bularoo V3 will be the 2011 Waroo in all but name."

Here; www.thekiteboarder.com/2010/08/best-2011-kiteboarding-gear-preview/

Which got me wondering why the 2010 Waroo was selling in low enough units for the Best team to decide to drop the new shape.

As I understand it, correct me if I'm wrong, Best wanted to improve the Waroo with the new shape in 2010, but were compelled to bring back the old style Waroo design as the Bularoo due to the outcry from their loyal customers.

From the reviews I've read about the 2010 Waroo, I've noticed two polarized opinions;
- The all positive performance based review, talking up the features & handling.
- The whining non-performance based review- "it's not like my old Waroo" to paraphrase, type.

So I'm curious as to what you all think, especially those of you that have ridden the 2010 Waroo...

All the reviews where the kite has been tested, have shown very good feedback in terms of the kite's handling etc, so it would seem, name aside, that the 2010 Waroo was a very good kite.

So what do you think?
Did Best make an error in naming the new shape the Waroo?

Should they have just brought out the 2010 Waroo with a different name to begin with and do you think this would have changed people's perceptions of it?

Look at the Taboo; there's a lot of interest in it and people are talking it up because it's different, as opposed to what happened to the 2010 Waroo.

Do you think the sales of the Waroo were hurt due to the design being changed so radically from 2009 to 2010, that people got p*ssed off & wrote it off completely & instead promoted the Bularoo amongst their peers?

Knowing that it is inherent in people to resist change in what they are familiar & comfortable with, it seems to me that Best should have kept the Bularoo as the 2010 Waroo & brought the 2010 Waroo out under a different name & it would have had a much different response from the market.
I'm sure they could have come up with a different name with 'oo' in it

So what do you reckon?
Was it just bad marketing?

oceanfire said...
So what do you reckon?
Was it just bad marketing?

Basically yeah. IMHO, North did the same thing with the Rhino in 2007 by changing from a 'C' to an SLE.

To the brand, each kite represents a type of user:
e.g. Waroo - Freerider
Rhino - Hooked in boosting

To the rider, the kite represents a type of kite with certain characteristics
e.g. Waroo - bridled SLE that feels like 'X'
Rhino - C kite with plenty of lift.

Would have been better to drop the name entirely in my opinion.

it's like saying "introducing the new improved 4'n'twenty pie" and then selling them a pasty when all they wanted was a better pie.

Maybe all the 'roo' words were used up? i dunno

Trant said...

Would have been better to drop the name entirely in my opinion.

Like SS do nearly every year

I think the Waroo(original) has enough followers to justify keeping the name. If they do keep the bularoo name are they just going to keep advertise it like this,

The Bularoo v3 will be the 2011 Waroo in all but name
The Bularoo v4 will be the 2012 Waroo in all but name
The Bularoo V5 will be the 2013 Waroo in all but name
The Bularoo V6 will be the 2014 Waroo in all but name

Come on Best just call a Waroo a Waroo and make your mistake a thing of the past, or it will continue to haunt you every year

sounds like a big cockaroo' to me

2011 Waroo.

HOLLY HELL FISH BATMAN.

@Baz
Hellfish bashing, almost as popular as certain rumours about Cabs...
Certainly they didn't test it enough and still roll out a considerable amount of kites every year.
But I give them credit for at least trying new things, otherwise how should you achieve a "net gain" in kite design?
Everything has its place in the market, proven refined designs, as well as new bells & whistles. Especially the latter is something I expect from big manufacturers to some degree, of course given that they do proper testing in-house.

@StinkyPete:
Judging from your username, avatar and names you suggest for Best, you seem to have a weird fetish for backsides..

Yes just a case of a marketing Boo Boo

If it aint broken - dont fix it just paint it another colour

mirror gold ftw