Cycling under palm trees - Max Hürzeler, the king of bicycle marketing on Mallorca

During the vacation season, it is usually the Bild newspaper that proclaims Mallorca the 17th German state. Anyone landing on the Mediterranean island now has more the impression of the 27th Swiss canton. Because thousands of cyclists are circling under the palm trees - almost all with a Swiss logo on their jersey, almost all customers of Bicycle Holidays Max Hürzeler.

The former Swiss track cycling world champion is the bike king of Mallorca. With Max as a testimonial, the brand has become Europe's largest bicycle tour operator. In 2013, it had almost 35,000 customers - bicycle marketing perfection, all Swiss-made. The success story of the native of Dübendorf is the dream of every former professional athlete: the career after the career. It is the story of the gardener's son who became a multi-millionaire. Hürzeler founded his own travel company in 1989 as a former European and world champion steeplechaser. He says, "Because of my training, I knew my way around Mallorca, so I simply took my friends and acquaintances with me. " The group training sessions turned into an insider tip. After five years, Max Hürzeler already offers rental bikes on the island. "The transport costs for the bikes on the plane were simply too high. So I bought eight bikes for my station on the island," recalls the now 60-year-old. What's more, the bicycle travel provider appeared for the first time with its now famous logo. It shows a stylized racing bike with a red saddle, red handlebars and the Swiss cross as pedals.

Hürzeler's bicycle, which is oriented to the right, does not come from the studio of a design agency. The former world champion had no money for that. The logo is the gift of an art student who was allowed to ride her bike on Mallorca at a discount. In general, there is no room for advertising agencies in Max Hürzeler's new world of experience. He prefers to concentrate fully on his guests, reveals the best nutrition tips, provides training plans and hires masseurs for his hobby cyclists. Marketing is storytelling. And in Hürzeler's case, it's the guests who do the telling. They rave about the island after their cycling vacation and bring their friends along the following year. The first articles appear in trade journals. In addition, there is the luck of the brave: Road cycling has become a trend. In the 1990s, the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, the Vuelta and the Tour de Suisse are TV ratings hits in German-speaking countries. Suddenly it's chic to cruise on a racing bike. True to the motto "a touch of Tour de France on Mallorca", more and more tourists are booking with Bicycle Holidays Max Hürzeler. In ever more hotels in Playa de Muro it occupies bed contingents. The north of the popular vacation island becomes the Dorado for cyclists. And Max, the tour operator, even takes care of road construction. "Some of the roads here were catastrophic," he says, "what good is the best catering if you fall on your nose because of the potholes." So the police chief is put in charge, and just a few weeks later the damage is repaired. Today, Mallorca's wide main roads have a bike lane, and the smaller connecting roads are perfectly asphalted - thanks in part to Max Hürzeler.
 
The Majorcan tourism association honors the agile Swiss with an honorary award for his services. More and more come from the mainland to explore the island on a bike rented by Hürzeler. An idea becomes a bestseller. His marketing philosophy does not change: Hürzeler relies on word-of-mouth, referral marketing, the regular guest policy. The former world champion says: "Our marketing is and remains the delivery of quality." There was and is no money for big advertising campaigns. At the turn of the millennium, there are already over 10,000 paying and sweating guests. Max Hürzeler becomes an island celebrity, continues to look after his guests, the hotel contingents, the bicycles. But he and his organization are overloaded. That's where Walter Güntensperger comes in. The tourism professional and former CEO of the Migros subsidiary Hotelplan buys the Max Hürzeler company in 2005 and positions it as an international brand. Max Hürzeler remains with the company as a friend and advisor.

Güntensperger expands sales, acquires the German Rewe, Neckermann and TUI as partners. Likewise, 16 hotels become partners. Today, the bike brand operates ten service and rental stations on Mallorca, offering 8,000 rental bikes, from carbon racers to city bikes and electric bikes. Walter Güntensperger: "We have doubled the number of guests and tripled the number of rental bikes. Our USP is the positive amazement factor." With almost 35,000 guests in 2013, Bicycle Holidays Max Hürzeler is now considered Europe's largest bicycle tour operator. The brand's most important advertising figure is still Max Hürzeler. He is the bicycle king of Mallorca. He is the testimonial of a success story. In terms of marketing strategy, hardly anything has changed. What used to be the flyer is now the Internet presence. 90 percent of bookings are now received online. Media partnerships with the Roadbike and Tour trade magazines and trips for journalists have also been added.

Who is on Mallorca, however, can not escape the brand. From Muro to Llucmajor, from Andratx to Cala Millor - in every place of Mallorca flutter the banners of Bicycle Holidays Max Hürzeler. At intersections of various bicycle tours, such as in Petra, hundreds of cyclists take a break every day - many of them in Hürzeler jerseys. Also very often in the picture: dresses of the Swiss luxury brand Assos. Assos cooperates, how could it be otherwise, with Hürzeler. "I'm responsible for our bike collections," says Max Hürzeler, "and I'm proud that people are satisfied." The merchandising business of the "Velo-King" has also become a bestseller. Those who haven't booked a full-service package (including jersey and shorts) shop at one of the ten Hürzeler boutiques. According to a survey, each Velo guest invests another 60 euros for additional equipment. Today, the Hürzeler brand is also a sought-after business partner. For example, with the island's hotels. Walter Güntensperger: "Every year, 30 hotels apply to us. We can choose from the best offers." And bike manufacturers are also lining up at Hürzeler. No wonder: the travel provider buys 1000 to 1500 new bikes for its clientele every year. Currently, the German brands Cube and Centurion are supplying.

Hürzeler has two seasons in Mallorca. Once from the end of January to the end of May and then from November to January. In winter, the professional teams arrive to prepare for the season. Then the hobby cyclists storm the island. According to Walter Güntensperger, around 25 percent of the guests come from Switzerland, 65 percent from Germany. The range is now to be systematically expanded in the coming years. Güntensperger: "We see great potential in Great Britain. Due to the medals at the Olympics and the successes of the British team Sky, the topic of cycling vacations is very big there." The market leader also sees new potential in Scandinavia.

And Max Hürzeler, the inventor of modern bicycle marketing, is still involved in his former company. Now he has more time for his extra tours, which take him to Thailand, Las Vegas and Australia. On the side, he has revived the Zurich 6-Day Race. With money and commitment. Everything Swiss made. And always with the same philosophy: "For me, marketing is about delivering quality.

Peter Ehm

The bicycle market in Switzerland

Lack of parking spaces, fuel prices and the new desire for health - these are all reasons why the bicycle has also become the new status symbol in Switzerland. "Sales figures have been at a high level for years," says Roland Fuchs of Velosuisse, the association of Swiss bicycle suppliers. Satisfied faces both in the Swiss specialized trade and in the specialized markets. According to the sales statistics just published by Velosuisse, 330,313 new bicycles were sold in Switzerland in 2013. Six years earlier, the figure was 325 963. The bestseller in 2013 was the mountain bike (MTB) 26' with 98 889 units. 16 121 new road bikes are on the Swiss roads (2008: 13 895). Often ridiculed in the past, now a box-office hit: the electric bicycle. "I have to honestly admit that I was against the e-bike," says bike travel guru Max Hürzeler, "but the thing has caught on in the market. We offer it in Mallorca, and the booking numbers are very good." In Switzerland, 49,362 e-bikes found new buyers last year. In 2012, the figure was as high as 52,941. Velosuisse expects the bike boom to continue. Following the motto "carbon instead of horsepower," retailers and manufacturers can continue to expect good business.