Yet there may be hope as bike sales have skyrocketed as consumers flock to one of the more traditional modes of transportation. All categories of bicycle sales have jumped, with electric bikes zooming up a whopping 85% in March. While it’s a coincidence, the timing couldn’t have been better for global bike brand Specialized to promote its electric bike line.

A new ad touting the brand’s Turbo ebike line from long-standing agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners (the relationship began 30 years ago) is equal parts hopeful and mischievous. In typical Goodby Silverstein style, there is an unignorable whimsy and gravity at the same time, with striking visuals, anchored with immersive sound.

While a majority of the message focuses on a playful yet serious environmental message, part of the montage-led creative includes a well-placed jab at Donald Trump.

“It’s my favorite part of the ad because it’s true, and you can’t ignore the problem,” said Rich Silverstein, Goodby Silverstein co-founder who, with Jeff Goodby, has a track record of going after Trump. “I think it will play very well around the world because he is not the most loving person on the planet.”

“I know that our European friends especially will love that,” added Specialized founder and CEO Mike Sinyard.

All joking aside, the creative narrative is done purposefully and leans into the brand’s ethos. All of the animation, editing and music for the 60-second spot was made in-house at Goodby Silverstein and incorporated film Specialized shot in the past. According to Silverstein, it was built with three mini-acts that were fused together.

“The first chapter was remembering [what it was like to ride a bike]. Chapter two focuses on electricity being alive. And the last chapter tied it up with ‘hey, this could be a hell of a lot of fun,’” he said.

The product itself has evolved and become more sophisticated (Specialized created its first ebike in 2013). The brand sees the line as something that could be an important part of the brand’s present and future, even though Sinyard was initially skeptical.

“At first, I thought electric bikes were very pedestrian and didn’t want to have anything to do with it,” he said. “And then when I learned more, I said, ‘this is incredibly exhilarating.’ And it changes the whole perspective about where you can go and how quick it is.”

The “fun” aspect can’t be underscored enough. According to Ian Kenny, Specialized Turbo brand leader, studies from the U.S. and Europe show that people who ride ebikes are getting more exercise on average than someone who rides a regular bike.

“They’re riding further and more often and, generally speaking, the last experience they have on any bike is a positive one. So they’re more likely to get back on it again,” he said. “They’re less likely to leave it sitting in the garage collecting dust.”

Behaviorally, according to Silverstein, the idea of getting on a bus or subway—or even in an Uber or Lyft—is not necessarily appealing to most people. An April survey lends credence to that, with more than 80% of Americans seeing cycling as safer than taking public transportation.

But the Specialized campaign process began well before Covid-19—around seven months ago—and Kenny noted that the brand paused before introducing the message into the world.

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