HARLEY DAVIDSON
You can tell a Harley Davidson motorcycle from a mile away simply by the earth-shattering sound it makes.
Spotting a Harley rider is not too hard either. Often, the brand logo tattooed on the arm is a dead giveaway.
The legendary American motorcycle company has been inspiring zealot-like allegiance for over a century now. A quest for prouder owners than people who own a Harley would probably reveal this: there are none.
Self-confessed Harley lovers know where their big, heavyweight, cruise motorcycles really belong. It’s not in their garages, nor in chock-o-block cities, but out there in the open. Under the blue skies and endless highways.
It’s second nature, since they all share Harley’s ‘ride to live, live to ride’ philosophy.
Not everyone gets it. Least of all society, with its standard conventions.
These road-hardened riders, of course, couldn’t care less. The Harley Davidson is for that tiny fraction of people whose idea of freedom is antipodal to everyone else’s. It is to get on their motorcycle and hit the freeways, where man, machine and solitude can exist as one.
More than a bike, it’s an alternative way to live. All they want is to ride hundreds of miles and take in the sights the beautiful country has to offer. To a Harley rider, the scenic landscapes and the ride itself, are the point of a road trip. Little else matters.
Harley Davidson, the American motorcycle icon known for its loyal following, was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Best friends, William Harley and Arthur Davidson decided they wanted to make their bicycles go faster with less effort. Ingeniously, they came up with the idea of using a motor.
Between 1903 and 1904, the duo built and sold their first three motorcycles. Within a few years they were producing around 150 annually. Soon, dealers were being recruited from all over the country.
The company showed business acumen from the beginning. It became an early proponent of purchase on an instalment plan and also realized the need for specialist bike mechanics. This led to the development of the Harley Davidson Training School.
In 1908, Harley won a major motorcycle endurance contest. It was a 175-mile ride through New York’s Catskill Mountains, organized by the Federation of American Motorcyclists.
The feat didn’t go unnoticed.
Thanks to its growing reputation for consistent quality, Harley sold its first motorcycles to law enforcement. The company welcomed the opportunity to be in the public eye.
Then came a slew of inventions such as the first clutch, three-speed transmission, carburetor choke and step-starter. Harley Davidson increasingly came to be viewed as the industry’s leading innovator.
When the US entered World War I in 1917, Harley Davidson modified its motorcycles for military use, producing 15,000 units for the Allies.
By 1920, they had become the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. 28,000 bikes were being shipped to dealers in 67 countries. World War II brought in demand for over 70,000 of the H-D military model.
In the decades that followed, Harley Davidson continued to build on its legendary reputation and fan following. Unorthodox marketing and outstanding advertising gave it a near-mythic status, worldwide.
That isn’t to say that the company hasn’t had its share of ups and downs. Harley Davidson has survived the great depression, not to mention, bankruptcy.
It has withstood the test of time and will soon celebrate, what will be its 115th anniversary. A global icon so proud of its American history, heritage and culture that it even has its own museum.
Today, the Harley Davidson remains the number one cruise bike in America.
The motorcycle’s unique styling, finish and the myriad options to customize it, along with the promise of the open roads continue to attract enthusiasts.
The hard leather-wearing, tough-as-nails, bad-to-the-bone imagery surrounding Harley riders is not without its allure either.
The huge impact of Harley’s product placement in cult movies like The Wild One (1953) and Easy Rider (1969) last to this day.
If Harleys have a certain rebellious, counterculture and recalcitrant aura in the world’s motorcycling scene, it’s not without reason.
When someone buys a Harley Davidson, they’re buying the name as much as they are, the steel, chrome and iron.
The one-of-a-kind, cult-like following of the Harley Davidson finds mention in almost every global marketing study regarding customer allegiance.
Harley Davidson owes a lot to its utterly loyal community. Harley riders are its biggest advocates and its fiercest defenders when the occasion calls for it.
More than 45% of its customer base previously owned a Harley Davidson. They ride it because it looks great, sounds great, handles great and feels great.
In fact, the Harley Owners Group or H.O.G was established in 1983 to build on the loyalty of Harley enthusiasts. Now, more than a million members and 1400 chapters in over 25 countries make H.O.G the largest factory-sponsored motorcycle organization in the world.
So, what’s behind the Harley’s mystique? Why do some riders swear by it? Who knows. Here's one possible answer though. Perhaps, it’s the only motorbike that stood out and spoke to their soul.
They say that if you stand for something, there will always be people for you and people against you. If you stand for nothing, there will be no one for you and no one against you.
When it comes to communication, Harley Davidson makes no bones about the fact that it talks to its core customers. It is one of those rare instances when a brand doesn’t try to be everything to everybody.
Harley has effectively used advertising to invoke a deeper connection with bikers. Over the century, an almost mythical and transcendent imagery has been created around the motorcycle.
It should come as no surprise that Harley Davidson’s marketing department is envied and respected by almost every motorcycle company in the world.
Here is some of their work:
A print ad shows two Harley bikers cruising on an open road.
The headline:
The road is eternal. The wind is constant. What else comes with a guarantee like that.
A print ad has a shot of a lone Harley Davidson parked on the outskirt of a town.
The headline perpetuates a myth associated with Harley riders:
May all your encounters with the law begin with the words, “Nice Harley”.
On the page, is a beautiful picture of a Harley parked under the open skies in a faraway, scenic place. Close by, thick smoke rises from a campfire.
The headline echoes wishful thinking:
Is it officially possible to quit a job via smoke signals?
In a photograph, a shiny, stylish Harley is parked on the side of a winding road. Below, is a beautiful valley.
The headline:
Upstaging scenic overlooks since 1903.
A picture shows a majestic looking Harley parked in a quiet suburban neighborhood.
The headline:
Ride. Because kids need heroes.
A low angle, close-up shot captures the looming presence of a big, gleaming Harley.
The headline ribs owners:
While scrubbing the cooling fins with a toothbrush, you realize how appropriate it is that you are kneeling.
One print ad has a photograph of two Harley riders crossing each other on an open road.
The headline evokes the sense of camaraderie almost all Harley riders are known to feel instinctively:
When was the last time you met a stranger and knew he was a brother?
A surreal image of a new, resplendent Harley parked inside what looks like a church, dominates an ad.
The headline cautions:
You commit 4 of the 7 deadly sins just looking at it.
An ad has a shiny Harley parked on the side of a narrow road leading to a village.
The headline:
Why farmers with daughters own shotguns.
An old print ad offers a rather convincing explanation for the high price of a Harley.
The headline:
Regrets cost a lot more.
Harley Davidson collaborated with Porsche to produce a new model called the V-Rod. Sporty and sleek, it was to be one of the biggest departures from the classic Harley styling and technology.
Aimed at urban riding, the V-Rod targeted a contrasting set of motorbike enthusiasts.
Harley knew that the ‘purists’ would disapprove of it. The new bike didn’t fit in with the de facto tough and rebellious Harley imagery. It wouldn’t go down well with all the true, die-hard Harley fanatics, with their bandannas, leather jackets and tattoos. The hordes of loyal fans who had been part of the Harley cult for decades, simply wouldn’t accept such a motorcycle.
They faced a real dilemma. How do you introduce a new, different Harley, without alienating the core Harley riders?
Their print ad showed the rugged terrain off a highway route. Parked in front of a huge boulder, is a brand new, sleek, chrome-plated V-Rod.
The headline:
100 years of wind can change the face of rock, but it is still rock.
What the company was effectively telling Harley bikers is, “Maybe you don’t relate to this new model. Perhaps, you even hate it. We get that. Just remember it’s a Harley.”
The Bill Bernbach Series is written to inspire. I hope it will open a window into a beautiful, brilliant and never-seen-before world of inventiveness and artistry. The purpose is to share knowledge, with the fervent hope that it will lead to greater understanding and more elevated conversation and debate.
Sunder Sankaran The Last Bastion of Good Advertising [email protected]