Harley Davidson Case Study Building Brand Communities

CASE STUDY
Building Brand Community on the Harley-Davidson Posse Ride

What are the benefits of long rides as Posse, for customers of Harley Davidson (HD)? Evaluate the relational effects based on Exhibits 7 and 10, which refer to pre and post evaluations.
Question 1
Group 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

Question 1
Benefits of long rides such as Posse for customers?
Discover landscape  broadening the horizon
People with the same interests  social satisfaction
Thrills and excitement
Memorials (t-shirt, tattoo’s, etc.)
Get away from their stressed lives
‘Feel free’

Question 1

Question 1
Very satisfied with the Harley
The ride was tremendous
However, augmented product evaluated less
Customers feel not that ‘heard’

Can the Harley Owners Group’s (HOG) Posse be characterized as a community?
Question 2

Question 2
Community?
YES:
People want to be included
Exclusiveness, pride
Shared interests
Focus on the customer experience

If so, is the community static or dynamic? Support your answers with data from the Posse event, referring, for example, to day-to-day changes!
Question 3

Question 3
Dynamic
Varied structure
Geographic concentration
Social context
Temporality
Spontaneity, dynamism

How would you evaluate the interaction between HOG managers and customers?
Question 4

Question 4
a ‘close-to-the-customer’ philosophy
as a ‘togetherness’-way
come closer due to complaints and feedback
business-related; learning experience, user-experience, feelings towards the brand

Question 4
current customer-management interaction in line with the stated goals of HOG
positive influence on the places which they visit
improves the Harley Davidson lifestyle experience
brings the company close to its customers

Question 4
The HOG has an essential role of developing the community
Initiator and organizer
HOG should continue
learn about their customers in a way which is really valuable
members are spending significantly more money
community fulfills the goals which are stated for HOG
However; community with hundreds of bikers cannot be completely influenced

How would the Posse ride contribute to HD’s corporate goals? How would it contribute to its financial objectives? Should the company work harder to improve Return On Investment (ROI) of the Posse ride?
Question 5

Question 5
Mission: “fulfill dreams”
Customer – centric model
Know the consumer
Learn about how the consumer interacts with the product
Establish a tradition – consistency
$474,000 extra in revenues
Evaluate dealers
Identify dissatisfaction

Should HD continue with Posse and other rides? What role should HOG play in the marketing mix?
Question 6

Question 6
Should HD continue with Posse and other rides?
1. Hard-core customers -> valuable firm asset
Connectedness, limited registration -> A culture
Artifacts/symbols: T-shirts, tattoos
Rituals: Story night, The Posse Oath
They become an important spokesperson
2. Checkpoints in the form of dealerships
Tourists & neighborhood get attracted by commotion (riders and non-riders)
Merchandise opportunity for dealer
Management sees how dealerships are run

Question 6
What role should H.O.G play in the marketing mix?
Large WOM function
Free one-year membership gives a direct feeling of belonging to the Harley community (culture with symbols and rituals)
Makes it a very strong promotional tool
Members will spread the word as will the events
Promotion

Evelien, Carmen, Danny, Luc and Stijn (aka Group 4) thank you for your undivided attention !!

Harley Davidson Case Study Building Brand Communities

by Digiword Ha Noi on Dec 25, 2009

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