1. Situation Analysis
Company: Harley-Davidson
Marketing Line: Women and Motorcycling
SWOT
Harley Davidson is already a well known brand, which gives it one advantage
over others. A strength that goes along with that is the demographic of these women
buyers is steadily increasing. Harley has defined and regained status among bike
manufacturers not just in America but in the whole world. This strong status among
bikers gives the brand a loyalty and recognition that can and will help in the gain of the
women’s market. We have the opportunity to gain at biker promotional events, and we
should definitely take advantage of that. The biggest weakness that we see in Harley is
that this brand is relatively new to the women. The Japanese and Europeans have
actively targeted women in the last 20 years through promotions and marketing. In
America we want to do the same thing. We need to set ourselves apart from the
competition with our advertising and find a unique idea and run with it. The competing
brands are the biggest threats and we must find a way to keep up with the constant
changing trends and features. Getting involved with more events would put us out there.
We want to be compared with the other brands, but when we are, we want to be the first
choice brand always.
Market Overview
The American motorcycle market contains roughly 7,000,000 women who are
active riders, either as a primary or secondary rider. The average woman rider is college
educated, considered to be middle-class, in her thirties, and married or currently in an
active relationship. As a growing and financially secure demographic, the female
motorcyclists seem to be an ideal consumer segment that has been neglected over the last
half century or so.
In the past, advertisements towards women did not specifically target women as
much as they did men. In 2004 the motorcycle industry put most of their advertising in
the mediums of consumer magazines and cable television spots. Not until recently has
the industry worked hard to displace the fears that they are a sexist product, only worried
about a male consumer base.
During the 1970s the industry began to introduce pin-up girls to the covers of
their trade and consumer magazines(Hostetler, 2002). This obviously did little to gain
traction with female bike riders and buyers. At the time this was seen as a way to gather

2. attention to the product as sexy and masculine, oblivious to the needs and wants of
women.
In 2002, Honda actively worked to clean up their image on their website of
anything that could be construed as sexist (Hostetler, 2002). Honda changed its image of
women from mere objects used to accent the benefits of the bike into individuals who
actually ride and purchase the bikes. Although women are beginning to be shown in
Honda’s marketing campaign as more than objects, they are still not shown as total
equals to men. For instance, the usage of women riders is appropriated solely to their
small line of bikes.
Suzuki has been one of the most active brands in motorcycling to endorse women
as riders and customers. In 1996 they sponsored professional motorcyclist Angelle
Savoie, who became the second woman to become a NHRA motorcycle division
champion. Beyond this sponsorship Suzuki has also shown both women and men in
riding gear on their website, however they do not offer clothes in women sizes (Hostetler,
2002).
In 1998 Kawasaki specifically targeted women in a campaign that ran in women’s
magazines and was sent as direct mail pieces. The tag line for their campaign was “The
show’s much better when you’re sitting up front.” The reasoning behind the tag line was
to get women to become drivers instead of passengers. This campaign was so successful
that they saw their sales jump from 32% to 45% in just one year(Hostetler, 2002).
Kawasaki made sure to inform their female customers of the safety and comfort
features on their bikes. While most of the other competitors have just sent courtesy calls
to women, Kawasaki has been able to go one step further and it has helped them achieve
a big boost in sales from women.
BMW has always prided itself on its quality above anything else, which is why
they have always been the leaders in price. With this feeling of superior quality, BMW
has always felt it to be necessary to show real BMW riders in their ads. They too have
had advertising campaigns that have sought out women solely. In 1997, the tag line
“Motorcycling is far too great a pleasure to be left to men alone”, was used to increase
women sales (Hostetler, 2002).
While sales to women did not jump as far for BMW as they did for
Kawasaki, they did increase a modest amount. It should be noted that BMW is helped by
the fact that some of their bikes contain a kit that can lower their riding height making it
easier for women to ride. Plus, there is an added prestige to owning a BMW, even if it is
a motorcycle.
Italian manufacture Ducati, while not a huge player in the United States market,
has used various techniques to gain the trust of women bike riders. One way Ducati
thought to increase female awareness was to open driving schools. They opened two
different kinds of schools; one for beginners (Women’s Driving School), and one for

3. expert or near expert level drivers (Ducati Donne). The purpose of opening Ducati
Donne is mainly to get women into the professional motorbike racing leagues, which
Harley-Davidson is not involved in. Beyond training schools, Ducati has tried to connect
branding with high fashion. They have hired out famous designer Donna Karan and
clothing line DKNY to design sportswear for the company. Now the women are able to
buy something other than a t-shirt or simple jacket (Hostetler, 2002).
Geographic Breakdowns
The United States geographical centers contain five different regions: Pacific, South
West, South East, West Central, East Central, Middle Atlantic, and New England. Of the
seven regions five have CDI and BDI numbers that show potential for growth and/or
constant high sales (Pacific Coast, Southwest, West Central, East Central, and New
England).
The Pacific region breaks down to a CDI of 100, BDI of 79, and a population that
accounts for 1,298,000 of our target demo. Spot markets in the region are San Francisco,
Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Diego. The South West region breaks down to a CDI of
100, BDI of 75, and a population that accounts for 826,000 of our target demo. Spot
markets in the region are Phoenix, Dallas, and Houston. The West Central region breaks
down to a CDI of 106, BDI of 126, and a population that accounts for 1,134,000 of our
target demo. Spot markets in the region are Minneapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver,
and Oklahoma City. The East Central region breaks down to a CDI of 108, BDI of 115,
and a population that accounts for 981,000 of our target demo. Spot markets in the
region are Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Louisville. The
New England region breaks down to a CDI of 120, BDI of 100, and a population tat
accounts for 442,000 of our target demo. The spot markets in the region are Boston,
Providence, Hartford, and Portland/Auburn.
Competitive Considerations
The American motorcycle market consists mainly of eight major corporations:
Harley-Davidson, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, BMW, Triumph, and Polaris.
During the 1950s, the market saw an influx of Asian motorcycle companies, who almost
exclusively manufactured smaller bikes in the range of 800cc and smaller when they
arrived in America. In recent years they have delved into larger bikes. European
manufactures, such as BMW, began with larger bikes such as what Harley-Davidson
provides. In fact, both manufactures produced motorcycles for the war effort during
WWII, although on opposite sides of the front.
In the next section, the sales figures and media expenditures from the top seven
competitors for Harley-Davidson will be provided. A fact that should be noted is that the
sales figures come from the Market Data Book 2007, meaning these figures are
somewhat outdated because we were unable to obtain newer figures. The figures for the

4. media expenditures come from a study done by Competitive Media Reporting and
Publishers Information Bureau in 2004.
Honda sales totals for motorcycles hit the 200,000 target, almost making it to
250,000, but fell 5,000 short of the target(2007, 2007). Honda’s expenditures in the
media market of the United States totaled over $9,000,000; the largest amount of dollars
went to cable television with a reported $6,718,300. The other areas hit by Honda in
order of amount spent were as follows; consumer magazines, network television, spot
television, national newspapers, and syndication.
Suzuki sales totals for motorcycles exceeded the 100,000 mark, finally reaching
130,000(2007, 2007). Suzuki’s expenditures in the media market of the United States
came to nearly $3,500,000. The core amount of the money was focused on cable
advertisements with just a bit under $1,800,000 being spent. The other areas hit by
Suzuki in order of amount spent were as follows: consumer magazines, network
television, spot television, local newspapers, national spot radio, and outdoor.
Yamaha sales totals for motorcycles came to over 150,000 with a final tally of
164,000(2007, 2007). Yamaha advertised for motorcycles in two different categories.
First they did it singularly and secondly they did a combined effort with their ATV line.
Singularly, Yamaha spent a little over $8,700,000; the core amount of the money focused
on network television, which garnered $3,495,600. The other areas hit by Yamaha in
order of amount spent were as follows: network television, cable television, local
newspaper, spot television, outdoor.
Kawasaki sales totals for motorcycles also hit the 100,000 mark, although they
were only able to reach a final number of 104,000(2007, 2007). Kawasaki’s expenditures
in the media market of the United States came just shy of $9,000,000. The core amount
of their money went towards consumer magazines with over $6,700,000 being spent.
The other areas hit by Yamaha in order of amount spent were as follows: cable television,
national newspaper, network television, outdoor, local newspaper, and spot television.
BMW had a sales tally of only 12,800 for the year. While sales levels were low
for BMW they did spend over $4,000,000 on advertisements for the year(2007, 2007).
However, the way they spent their dollars was different from the other major brands,
because they spent well over $1,000,000 on network radio, something no other brand
even attempted to go with. The other areas hit by BMW in order of amount spent were as
follows: consumer magazines, national spot radio, national newspaper, outdoor, spot
television.
It should be noted that Triumph, as a brand name with historical backing, is a
reconfiguration that was built during the time that the original company was going
bankrupt in the 1980s (2007, 2007). The company as it is known today, was started up in
1991 (Hostetler, 2002). Being a smaller motorcycle company, Triumph was not able to
spend as much as their competitors, only spending a little over $1,300,000 and all of it
going towards consumer magazines.

5. Polaris sales totals for motorcycles hit a minuscule 6,400, this number should not
be trusted because this was before the company purchased Indian and before a major
push was made to market their Victory line(2007, 2007). Since at the time of the release
date of the data Polaris did not yet own Indian, its numbers are skewed. It should be
noted that Polaris does not list its media numbers as being paid by Polaris, but instead by
Victory. Victory spent a total of $468,000 with an equal amount going towards cable
television and consumer magazines ($205,000.) The other areas hit by Polaris/Victory in
order of amount spent were as follows: spot television and outdoor.
Creative History of Harley-Davidson
Now that the major competitors of Harley-Davidson have been identified and
dissected as far as their sales and media expenses are concerned, let’s look into Harley-
Davidson. First of all, Harley-Davidson had 268,000 sales in 2006, meaning they were
able to take a commanding lead over Honda for the top share in the market. As far as
media expenses, Harley-Davidson spent the most by far, although it should be noted that
Harley-Davidson is primarily a motorcycle company, meaning it is more important to
have a high amount of sales in motorcycles, compared to companies like Honda and
Suzuki who have other outlets to find revenue. That being said, Harley-Davidson spent
$23,759,600, outspending their nearest competitor by over $13,000,000. Expenditures
per medium are as follows: consumer magazines $9,356,300, cable television $7,632,100,
network television $5,807,000, outdoor $531,300, spot television $320,900, local
newspaper $81,900, and national spot radio $30,100.
Target Audience
The documents that Harley-Davidson have provided us show that the average
female rider is between the ages 25-44, has attended at least some college, is actively
employed (over 50% are full-time), has a household income over $50,000, is married
(split between having kids and not having kids), Caucasian, and owns her place of
residence. Where they live is kind of a tricky matter, because the indexes show that they
mainly live in the New England, East Central, West Central, South East, and South West
regions, but the Pacific region is teetering on 100, which should be acceptable.
Further research shows that the female riders are somewhat different than the
average female consumer. For consideration, studies have shown that well over 50% of
women prefer to listen to the advice of another female that has knowledge of a product
before they are willing to make the purchase. However, when it comes to female riders
only 10% have mentioned that they were influenced by the advice of another female
before purchasing a bike(Hostetler, 2002). This information concludes that the excepted
view of female consumers is vastly different when it comes to motorcycles, versus say

6. clothing or appliances. So to change this, an attempt at word of mouth marketing must be
thought of in a different light.
Another note that should be mentioned is that these women are not the rebel risers
that came from the 50s and 60s, but just want to find an escape from the mundane life
they live Monday through Friday. They want to have the freedom of the world under
their feet, but it is not a 365 day a year deal, but a weekend thing. So it is always
important to show the thrill of the bike, without showing the counterculture stigmas that
have plagued the bike scene for the last half-century.
A physical element that should be considered is that the average woman is of a
height that is less than their male counterpart. It is important for them on a safety and
comfort aspect that their bikes are of a shorter height, allowing for their feet to be able to
touch the ground when coming to a stop or when backing up(Hostetler, 2002). While this
is a manufacturing condition of the bike, it should be mentioned to the consumer that the
bikes offered can meet a height standard that can negotiate their lack of footage. This is
why the Sportster is the ideal bike to promote towards women.
Where do these consumers go for their media fixes? Magazines are a heavy
outlet, with Quintile I gaining an index number of 111, and Quintile II an index of 112.
Radio is another outlet that shows some promise gaining a 110 for Quintile I, and a 103
for Quintile II. Internet comes up very heavy with Quintile I getting a 130 and Quintile II
an index of 134. Outdoor rounds out the list with Quintile I achieving a 133, and Quintile
II a 127.
A surprise that should be noted from this list is that television did not come up,
that is because it scored low index numbers. Television was not able to garner an index
of 100 with Quintile IV, which is not a good sign for a television campaign. Internet and
outdoor proved to be potentially solid outlets, with magazines following close behind.
Timing and Purchase Cycle
With the seasonal nature of motorcycle sales it is important that we do not
waste part of the budget hitting the winter months when sales are low. We suggest
hitting the warmer months the hardest, those being from late March to the middle of
October. During these peak months of sales the amount of advertisements should stay at
a medium rate, never too low and never too high.
During the beginning and the end of the season, the amount of advertisements
should be higher than what is being put out by the competition. Furthermore, it makes
sense that during early spring and late fall that most of the promotions should be running
in order to capitalize the beginning of the new sales season and hit before the end of the
season.

7. One promotional event that should be heavily marketed to is the Sturgis, SD Bike
Rally in August. The event is the largest biker rally in the world and is an excellent event
to show our consumers the products that Harley-Davidson has available geared towards
women. One holiday that shows promise for high sales is Memorial Day. The
automobile has always targeted this holiday as a time for great sales because it is seen by
many as the start of summer.
Questions of the Media Mix
The key media vehicles that the target audience relies on most are the internet,
outdoor, and magazines. Harley-Davidson’s share of voice for each is as follows:
internet inconclusive (no data was found about expenditures in this medium), outdoor
58%, and magazines 28%. As the share of voice proves, Harley-Davidson has a great
edge when it comes to outdoor media controlling a 58% share.
Works Cited
2007, H. M. (2007). Honda maintains top position. Retrieved November 2, 2011, from
PowerSports Business:
www.powersportsbusiness.com/output.cfm?id=1286857
Hostetler, J. S. (2002). Women and Motorcycles: A Study of the Social and Ergonomic
Characteristics of the Female Motorcyclist and the Relationship with Company
and Market Performance. Boulder, Colorado: University of Colorado, Boulder.