A pain point for users was not knowing the difference between a Honda Civic Type-R OE Brembo brake system from Brembo Sport, Brembo Performance, to Brembo Racing, and the vast majority would struggle with how they differ.
That is an issue if you are seeking a service-related Brembo inquiry and an issue for UX to get site visitors to the right content when they are also unaware of what product they have.
One of the most common inquiries Race Technologies (RT) would get were inquiries for Brembo OE which RT does not support.
Brembo OE is supported through dealerships
Brembo OE(M) replacement
If you purchased a Cadillac CTS, Lamborghini Aventador, Mercedes AMG GT coupe, or a Honda Civic Type-R (to name a few), they are all equipped with Brembo original equipment. Those vehicles come equipped with brake systems designed within the performance/design parameters set by the manufacturer.
BEYOND BREMBO ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT
Beyond Brembo OE at the time, it was three additional categories that covered the other users:
Many Brembo OE brake systems are a significant leap in performance over your sliding brake caliper, but the extent of the performance are typically optimized for the street.
Yes, even Ferrari optimizes their vehicles as a daily driver’s for the street.
- Brembo OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), primarily street applications.
- Brembo Sport (Aftermarket), aggressive street use.
- Brembo Performance (Aftermarket), street to track use.
- Brembo Racing (Aftermarket), track and racing only.
Brembo Racing, 2-piece, type-3 disc, and hard anodized caliper.
the product line differentiators
Initially, I thought we would be able to break things down visually from one product line to another, although the products differed within each segment,
- Brembo OEM: 1-piece rotors, 2-piece discs (iron and CCM), pads, calipers
- Brembo Sport: 1-piece rotors and pads.
- Brembo Performance: 1-piece rotors, 2-piece discs (iron: varying vane, annulus, diameter, air gaps, disc: cross-drilled, slotted, and CCM), pads, calipers (2-piece, monoblock, billet CNC’d monoblock, forged).
- Brembo Racing: 2-piece discs (iron: varying vane, annulus, diameter, air gaps, disc: cross-drilled, slotted, and CCM-R), pads, calipers (2-piece, monoblock, billet CNC’d monoblock, forged).
Novice to intermediate users would be unable to visually discern one product line from another, and branded product imagery usage is an issue because of licensing.
The eventual solution
Eventually, the solution was not to differentiate the product segments via the aesthetics, but by the intended use. This was a game changer because you got down to the quintessential essence of how users interact with the product.
I got my graph!! Not as cool as yelling “I got my fire,” but I am just as proud as Tom Hanks of it.
These horizontal lines were one the only overlapping brand elements between RT and Brembo
The look and feel of the graph mimics the Kilometro Rosso, the Brembo HQ.
One massive product differentiator for Brembo over any marketing brand, such as StopTech, Baer, or Wilwood, was the extensive product range. None of these brands could offer the tuning capability Brembo offers.
The Kilometro Rosso in Bergamo, Italy
Example of Brembo’s 2-piece disc range:
- Disc type: plain, cross-drilled, type-1, type-3 (increased bite), type-V
- Disc vane type: pillar to a range of multi-vane.
- Disc air gap: from narrow to a “Mississippi riverboat paddle” (used in NASCAR).
- Disc diameter: 330, 332, 345, 350, 355, 365, 370, 380, 405, just to name a few.
- Disc annulus: a standard to a wide annulus.
- Disc material: iron, CCM, CCM-R
The product line differentiator were carried on over through the Brembo event marketing for people just walking by the booth SEMA (passive).
SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) is the annual trade show held in Las Vegas the end of Oct, early November.
The disc and the pads (friction materials) are used to fine-tune the vehicle’s braking characteristics.
Up on the tables were tablets showing the real-time manufacturing of Brembo products to some raw materials (Brembo or CF had her hand in implementing that which was a fantastic addition to the booth).
The Team
- Greg Taniguchi, Marketing Director, UX, branding, graphic design, photography
- Jaime Trimble, RT Founder
- Ganesh Krishnan, Friction Specialist
