The Buell brand lives and breathes racing. But Buell manufactured one model that was anything but a race bike. The Buell Blast. So in 2009, Buell was determined to return to its racing roots, and separate itself from errors of the past. And while few companies will admit when they make a mistake, fewer still are willing to crush that mistake into a small metal cube and make it the foundation of a full fledged marketing effort. But that’s exactly what Buell did.

Crushing the Blast was turned into a :30 web film. But Buell didn’t stop there. The crushed blast was included as an available model in a 2010 product catalogue, and featured along side other 2010 models at Buell.com; where visitors could spin the crushed cube 360 degrees and choose from 2 color options. And there was plenty of free media with the crushed Blast showing up in editorials and across the blogosphere.

With a push of a button, Buell disarmed its biggest detractors, won back many of its former fans, and earned instant legitimacy with a new generation of sport bike enthusiasts.