Briefly explains the life of this amazing brand which is celebrating its 110th year of existence. Special thanks to Ms. Atheena Wilson.

1. Life Cycle of
Harley
Davidson
Presentation by Aabha M.
KH.SC.U3VMC11001
Advertising Case Studies

3. Birth
The First Ride

Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company was established
in 1903 by William Harley and Walter, William and Arthur
Davidson, who built their first three motorcycles in a shed
in Milwaukee.

In 1909, the company introduced its trademark bike; a 2
cylinder, v-twin engine the fastest motorcycle at that
time.
During World War I, the demand for United States
motorcycles overseas grew tremendously. As a result,
Harley-Davidson became the largest manufacturer in
the world.


4. Birth

Harley Davidson became a leader in innovative
engineering in the 1920's. With the introduction of the
front brake and "teardrop" gas tanks, Harley was
quickly developing its mystic appearance.

The industry, which was thriving after World War I, was
diminishing quickly as a result of the Great Depression.

5. Bumps in the Road

Poor family management, a decline in quality and the
sudden onslaught of Japanese motorcycles were all
pushing it to the brink of bankruptcy .

Corporate management focused mostly on short term
returns.

Management did not listen to its employees or give
them responsibility for the quality of what they made.

High inventories of parts gobbled up cash and
reduced productivity.

6. Growth
Overcoming the Obstacle
"You are new here,
aren't you?" asked
the machinist. "Let
me buy you a cup
of coffee!"
The first accomplishment was
for management to learn the
importance of relationships.

7. Growth

Harley-Davidson realized that individuals needed to
have a shared vision of the company values: tell the
truth, be fair, keep your promises, respect the individual,

Encourage intellectual curiosity. Management needed
to earn the respect and trust of their employees.

Incorporating all of these high moral values into the
entire company structure and expecting nothing less
from employees, at all levels, helped emphasize the
importance or relationships

8. Sustain
Understand your
Target Audience
Define
Brand
Image
Brand to Sustain
Maintain Brand
Personality
Deliver
Brand
Promise

9. The Target Audience
"They're really different customers. ... The ideals they
reach out for when they buy cars are different from
what they're reaching out for with Harley-Davidson.
We're really not about transportation.
It's not about getting from Point A to Point B. It's about
living life in the way you choose."

10. Brand Promise
The Pursuit of Freedom.

11. Brand Image
 Symbol
of Freedom

12. Brand Essence
We Aren't an Auto Brand”

13. Brand Personality
Harley-Davidson’s Story is about the rule breakers
who choose to make their own paths.
They are aware of limitations in society and they set
out to break the rules and challenge conventions.
They feel the excitement of being just a little bit
“bad.” They stand out because they do not conform
to the normal.

14. The Fierce Personality Traits






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


Rebellion against things that are unjust
•Different
•Innovative
•Fearless in the face of danger
•Brave
•Seeking a better life
•Free spirited
•Wild
•Seeking escape
•Adventurous

15. Advertising History

The company accomplished all this by spending very
little on advertising

Yet for 31 years they worked with Carmichael Lynch
and then shifted to 3 agencies, Starcom, Digitas and
Victors & Spoils.

As far as advertising and marketing, the Milwaukeebased motorcycle manufacturer puts experiential
marketing front-and-center, creating live events and
gatherings that foster community.

16. 
Harley now invites its freedom-loving customers to share
and create their own stories via a "Fan Machine" app on
the company's Facebook page, where it has nearly 4.7
million likes.

It then casts real riders, found among its 133,000 Twitter
followers, in the ads.

"All of our main creative ideas are sourced through our
Facebook page. So we don't have a lead agency
anymore," Mr.Richer said. "We cast for all of the people in
the ads through Twitter. So they're all riders who've
nominated themselves for our advertising through our
Twitter feed.

19. 
It became one of the first major brands to sponsor
the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a league
once derided as "human cockfighting" by U.S.
Now the UFC is fast becoming one of the most
popular sports in the world. The relationship has
paid off with Harley's rebel clientele.

20. Techniques

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
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Back To The Future: stay with its traditional styling
Build A Community: The Harley Owners Group
Extend The Enterprise: Maintain close ties to its
dealers.
Give Them A Reason To Belong: sponsors
hundreds of rallies around the country each year
Add Value: Move owners; bigger & expensive
Extend the Brand : Harley riders in black leather
jackets
Leverage the Brand: tangible evidence is
compelling.

21. Harley Davidson in Kochi

“The roads will never be the same again. Heads will turn;
the narrow, pot-holed, jammed city tracks will open up.”

“The legendary Harley- Davidson (H-D) machines, the very
definition of motorcycles, the bold style statement, a
culture, will hit the roads like never before.”

22.  Harley-Davidson
celebrates its 110th year
of existence in 2013.
 110th
year of existence, freedom, quality
and life.