Keep your motor running: The Harley Davidson brand story…

The United States is home to many powerful brands. Whether it’s the world-wide impact of groups like Coca Cola and McDonalds, or the national loyalty created by companies like Wendy’s and Dunkin’ Donuts, there are countless companies out there that have earned the respect and love of their customers through powerful marketing campaigns and careful branding techniques.

However, when it comes to brands that have earned their place in history through grit, personality, and determination, there are few journeys more iconic and impactful than the one described by the Harley Davidson brand story.

As perhaps the world’s most well-known motorcycle brand, the Harley Davidson brand has battled its way through challenges and turmoil to create a cult following of customers that would go anywhere and do anything for their favourite company.

To celebrate the beginning of Fabrik’s “Born in the USA” series, we’re going on an adventure into the world of Harley Davidson, and how this unforgettable brand has maintained it’s following across 114 years of innovation and design.

Grab your helmet — this will be one heck of a ride…

The history of Harley Davidson: Where the journey began

Despite the obvious success of the Harley Davidson brand today, it’s worth noting that this company hasn’t always enjoyed fame and fortune. Founded in 1903, in a small shed by two brothers, Arthur and Walter Davidson, and their friend William Harley, the business began with an idea for an engine that could be attached to a standard motorcycle.

After two years of work, the first Harley design emerged in 1903, just to be scrapped immediately because it wasn’t powerful enough to handle the hills and slopes of Milwaukee. With a little more tweaking, the first Harley Davidson factory opened in 1906, the year when William Harley earned his engineering degree. By 1907, the brand had created its signature V-Twin engine, which helped to boost production significantly in the decades ahead.

For a while, the Harley Davidson brand thrived, not the biggest company in the world, but not the smallest either. Unfortunately, by 1981, the business history took a turn for the worse, as quality levels began to drop, and Japanese companies started to deliver smaller prices to customers, on better hardware.

The Harley Davidson boys needed to make a decision, they could either invest everything into improving product quality, or they could lose their business. The company quickly began to copy quality control measures and production techniques learned from the Japanese — something that allowed them to design a new engine, capable of overcoming many common problems the bikes had been facing.

Since the company couldn’t afford to use traditional advertising at the time, it chose to take a unique approach to reconnecting with its customers in 1983, by launching the “Harley Owners Group”, or H.O.G. Though not instantly successful, H.O.G gradually began to gain power, developing the essential brand loyalty that the company continues to rely on today.

The Harley Davidson brand loyalty strategy

As the Harley Davidson brand continued growing throughout the years, its personality and identity grew with it. Customers began to recognise the Harley brand logo as a symbol of freedom and power. The company embraced this idea, but the rebellious image it cultivated came with some baggage — meaning that certain groups associated Harley Davidson bikes with outlaw gangs, and middle-aged white men. Not that there’s anything wrong with middle-aged white men, or outlaw gangs, come to think of it.

As time passed, the world’s favourite motorcycle company began to struggle with earning the attention of new customers. Harley Davidson knew that it needed to adapt its brand image if it wasn’t going to be restricted by its own personality.

By changing its view of its user personas, Harley began to grind down some of its rougher edges, repositioning its bikes as something for the masses, rather than a single type of consumer. Though the mysterious “outlaw” status still remains to be an essential part of what makes Harley Davidson so unique, the reach of the business has expanded.

Today, Harley is the number one seller of bikes for women, younger adults, baby boomers, and many more. Plus middle-aged white males, of course. This is something that’s demonstrated particularly well by the brand’s “#StereotypicalHarley” campaign.

Harley learned that while the company could be proud of its heritage, and maintain its values as a growing company, it couldn’t allow itself to become restricted by a single consumer base. Today, many of Harley Davidsons creative ideas come from its social media pages — something that allows the company to connect more realistically with its growing audience.

The power of personality in Harley Davidson branding

Harley Davidson teaches companies and marketers alike that brand personality is crucial for success in a saturated marketplace, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be willing to adapt to the changing needs of your customers.

Over more than 100 years of growth (and occasional decline) the Harley Davidson brand has adapted and evolved to face countless challenges with everything from image, to finances. Today, the company finally has a strong enough brand manifesto to ensure that it can cope with modern trends among their audience, without losing sight of the values that set it apart.

By creating an identity focused on the ideals of freedom, heritage, community, and quality, Harley Davidson has been able to establish itself as a historical part of the motorbike marketplace. Its loyal following of cult-like customers understand exactly what the brand stands for, and the lifestyle experience they’re trying to sell. This is something that’s allowed Harley to benefit from a strong campaign of word of mouth marketing, and cultural growth.

Learning from the Harley Davidson journey

As one of the most iconic motoring brands of all time, Harley Davidson certainly has a lesson or two to teach marketers about the power of customer loyalty and brand personality.

Despite the challenges the company faced over the years, Harley Davidson has managed to consistently overcome various obstacles, and get itself back on track towards success — often stronger than ever.

If this short piece has got your motor running, check out my full length article here. It provides insights on everything from the company’s brand image, to how it continues to successfully connect with its customers. With ideas to take into your own brand-building programme.

Harley has created a brand for people who want to stand out from the crowd. Their popularity is based on an emotional experience, and a strong connection that defies logic, and goes beyond concerns like price points and technology. If you want to learn how to cultivate the same loyalty from your customers, then Fabrik can help.

Branding is an adventure. Make sure your journey is a good one… And don’t forget your leathers.