Influence, Virality, and Brand Building: Q&A with Super73’s Michael Cannavo
Jordan Kelley, Content Director, BrandStorytelling.tv
Building a brand is no easy feat. Entering a competitive space with an idea or product of great quality isn’t enough. In today’s market, establishing the brand as a popular option requires a command of a brand’s voice, values, and presence. With growing popularity comes even more competition between similar brands to proliferate. In the world of e-bikes, there are many brands working hard to take the top spot in the hearts and minds of the industry’s target consumer - but none are doing it with the authenticity, tact, and success of Super73.
Super73 recognizes itself as more than just an e-bike company - they’re an American lifestyle adventure brand fusing motorcycle heritage and youth culture. In just four years, Super73 has come to lead the charge in pioneering a new approach to the electric bike industry. The brand’s ability to speak directly to its audience is demonstrated by their knack for achieving virality across multiple social media platforms, attracting the attention of celebrities, influencers, musicians, and athletes. Most importantly, they’ve cultivated a die-hard group of brand-loyal riders who connect with one another via social and in person, gathering en masse for Super73 group rides.
Brand Storytelling caught up with Super73 CMO and Co-Founder Michael Cannavo to learn more about his journey building Super73 and what it takes to find your voice and leverage it into a socially successful and popular brand:
Thanks for taking the time to Chat Michael. Let's jump right in - when and why did you found Super73?
We founded Super73 in May of 2016. The first Super73 bike was born from our desire to build a product that met our transportation and adventure needs while feeling like something truly unique and important. We wanted to marry motorcycle heritage with youth culture and give ourselves an easy way to explore Southern California in style while being environmentally conscious.
Did you have a clear vision for how to market the brand when you started out, or was it something you had to find along the way?
None of us came from a traditional marketing background. I had found some success on social media apps like Vine and Instagram but had no formal education which ended up being to our advantage. Super73 was marketed to everyday adventurers and creators by everyday adventurers and creators. This meant that we needed to be authentic, honest, humble, and front facing. We never initially worried about buying ads or building marketing campaigns. Instead we reached out to our creator friends and put tons of content online. We were proud of what we made and wanted to show people. Wherever we could post for free, we posted and wherever we saw an opportunity to share our story, we took it. The product did the work, all we needed to do was open the door. Our first video cleared 1.5 million views and the following videos did a great job of keeping up to that standard. We never could have guessed that Super73 was going to be the hit it became but we knew we had something special and we did our best to make sure the world saw it as we did.