Benfield’s latest venture ‘a dream experience’
New Acorn Woods owner lifting aftermarket branding
You could say Ron Benfield has come full circle as owner of Acorn Woods Communications. A decade ago, Benfield was the accessory marketing manager at American Suzuki Motor Corp., where he worked on several big projects with Yoshimura R&D, specifically with Brant Russell, vice president of sales.
“We developed a great friendship, and he became my mentor in the industry,” Benfield told Powersports Business.
Russell went on to Acorn Woods, the full service motorsports marketing agency founded by Owen Provence. Benfield, meanwhile, spent many years at Suzuki and then in the motorcycle aftermarket industry honing his sales and marketing skills.
“Fast forward to today, Brant has passed away and is deeply missed, Owen is our creative director, and I have embraced this new opportunity. I can’t express how exciting it is to own and run Acorn Woods Communications, a company with a rich motorsport history.”
Benfield shares some further insight with editor in chief Dave McMahon
PSB: How or why was becoming the owner of Acorn Woods a good fit for you?
RB: This is my dream experience. It was my goal from very early on to be an entrepreneur and a leader. I have a great creative team that is young and aggressive and challenges traditional marketing approaches. While I had great experiences working at the corporate level and in the aftermarket, there is nothing like being able to be free to change the norm! We are focused on building the best brands in the motorcycle and off-road industries.
PSB: What are some new things that you’re doing that are getting attention?
RB: The motorcycle industry is slowly evolving, just now catching up to new developments, especially in the way public relations, PR and advertising are concerned. There are other industries with a passion filled consumer base similar to the motorcycle industry that are sources for inspiration. We are not hesitant to create content and activate our clients’ resources for maximum marketing impact.
PSB: Where do you see the biggest growth potential?
RB: Our greatest potential is the growth of new media techniques to engage consumers and create sales. We’ve seen positive results with some of our clients who have utilized this human-to-human approach to create a community. It’s always been my philosophy that people will buy from people they know and trust. This is not an easy task for most companies as their marketing departments typically have their hands full with events, and traditional projects. The execution of effectively engaging your brand across multiple new platforms (that are constantly changing) should be at the top of any company’s marketing strategy.