For GT Bicycles, we wanted to make a winner's trophy that was something more than a hunk of metal sitting in a trophy case. Something that the rider could take out in the world to taunt his friends and, most importantly, to get the industry buzzing. Introducing the Golden Bike. It's light. It's fast. It has the best frame and components - and it's completely gold.
The best part of this for me was breaking up all the mundane ads in cycling magazines. In between all the ads with the same photography style and product messaging, here we come in with a bright gold ad advertising this epic event. An epic event that's showcasing and celebrating a GT product at the core, only available to the best of the best.
Yes, we even made a gold site. Here we showcased the latest golden bike winner, an interactive Gold Digger taunt cheer section, upcoming golden bike schedule and product information.
First, you're biking around on a bright, shiny golden bike that screams, come steal it from me. So, naturally, we put a target on the back of the winner's jersey. It was sort of mean of us. Oh well.
It was late and we had to name this idea we had of cheerleaders that would go around and taunt other players but cater and pamper only the winner of the golden bike. "Man, I don't know, The Gold Diggers?" says the tired art director. And thus, they were born.
It went both ways. Whoever was the current holder of the GT Golden Bike got the golden treatment. And all the other riders got the golden treatment too. They were taunted and teased by The Gold Diggers for not being good enough for the GT Golden Bike.