{"id":5998,"date":"2025-08-04T12:36:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T12:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prelaunch.com\/blog\/?p=5998"},"modified":"2025-10-06T07:45:38","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T07:45:38","slug":"how-ducati-used-prelaunch-to-validate-off-road-bike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prelaunch.com\/blog\/how-ducati-used-prelaunch-to-validate-off-road-bike","title":{"rendered":"Skin in the Game: How Ducati Used Prelaunch to Validate a $12K Off-Road Bike"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I was at CES 2024, when somewhere between two meetings I ran into Jason Chinnock<\/a>, CEO of Ducati North America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019d never met. I gave him the two\u2011minute version of what we do at Prelaunch: real product validation based on behavior, not just what people say on a survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jason listened. Really listened. Barely interrupted. When I finished, he just said: “I think I have an idea where this could be useful.” Then he headed to his next meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No follow\u2011up. No NDA. No long sales cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A year later, my inbox lit up. Ducati wanted to explore something big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were preparing to enter off\u2011road, for the first time in brand history, with what would become the Desmo450 MX. And they didn\u2019t want just feedback. They wanted practical, defensible insight they could take into product, pricing, and launch planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They needed to be confident about the data to make smart decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That quiet moment at CES turned into one of my favorite collaborations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why This Was Interesting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ducati is shorthand for speed, precision, and Italian engineering beauty. Asphalt. Racing. Road performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Off\u2011road? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a whole different culture. Different riders. Different expectations. Different purchase criteria. Even different media channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Ducati\u2019s real question wasn\u2019t just \u201cCan we build a dirt bike?\u201d They already knew how to engineer great motorcycles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question was: Who is the off\u2011road Ducati rider, and what would make them put money down before a single bike ships?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Ducati Needed with Prelaunch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

They asked us to help them with a couple of things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Confirm there\u2019s a real segment for a Ducati off\u2011road bike.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Figure out who those buyers actually are (not who we think they are).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Learn how riders evaluate off\u2011road bikes\u2014what matters, what doesn\u2019t.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Surface objections and hesitation points early.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Gather actionable inputs to guide product decisions, pricing, messaging, and launch.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    In short: Proof. Not hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How Prelaunch Works (and Why Ducati Chose It)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Traditional research asks: \u201cWould you buy this?\u201d And people say nice things, click a few buttons, collect reward points, and move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We flip that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step 1: Ask for a small, fully refundable deposit.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re actually interested, you\u2019ll put down money even if it\u2019s refundable. That moment changes everything. It moves people from opinion mode to decision mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step 2: Talk to the people who put money down.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    These are not random panel respondents. They\u2019re self\u2011selecting, motivated, and emotionally engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step 3: Layer behavioral signals + qualitative interviews + AI synthesis.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s where the real picture of demand forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This approach has been used by teams at P&G, Bosch, 3M, Philips and others\u2014but Ducati pushed us into new territory: a premium performance brand moving into a totally new category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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