eware early success. That is a warning any marketer could heed and especially one handling a lifestyle brand. A buzz that is quickly created around a lifestyle brand can disappear just as rapidly. Witness what happened in less than two years to the Yamaha Enticer. From being the darling of the parking lot at the mall, it is barely visible now.

Launched in July 2002, the Enticer was a runaway success. It was sprung on a nation of frustrated 100-cc bikers lusting for a cruiser, that low-slung American invention with a menacing rumble that often comes with Arnold Schwarzenegger attached. The TV advertising came later. It was the styling, the pricing and the idea alone that brought in more orders for the Enticer than Yamaha could produce. In the first four months, Yamaha delivered 8,000 units - and still left 4,000 buyers on the waiting list.
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