Harley Davidson Case Study - Building Brand Communities

Brand Management CASE STUDY Building Brand Community on the Harley-Davidson Posse Ride Question What are the benefits of long rides as Posse, for customers of Harley Davidson (HD)? Evaluate the relational effects based on Exhibits and 10, which refer to pre and post evaluations Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Question  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’ Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Question Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Question  Very satisfied with the Harley  The ride was tremendous  However, augmented product evaluated less  Customers feel not that ‘heard’ Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Can the Harley Owners Group’s (HOG) Posse be characterized as a community? Question Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Question  Community?  YES:  People want to be included  Exclusiveness, pride  Shared interests  Focus on the customer experience Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Question 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! Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Question  Dynamic  Varied structure  Geographic concentration  Social context  Temporality  Spontaneity, dynamism Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet How would you evaluate the interaction between HOG managers and customers? Question Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Question  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 Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Question  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 Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Question  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 Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Question 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? Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Question  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 Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Should HD continue with Posse and other rides? What role should HOG play in the marketing mix? Question Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Question  Should HD continue with Posse and other rides?  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  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 Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Question  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 Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Evelien, Carmen, Danny, Luc and Stijn (aka Group 4) thank you for your undivided attention !! ... ‘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. .. continue with Posse and other rides?  Hard-core customers -> valuable firm asset  Connectedness, limited registration -> A culture  Artifacts/symbols: T-shirts, tattoos  Rituals: Story night,... with the Harley  The ride was tremendous  However, augmented product evaluated less  Customers feel not that ‘heard’ Group - E Mulder, C Neghina, D Oosterveer, L Partouns, S Voet Can the Harley