Harley-Davidson Marketing Strategies Essay

More than a century ago, 21-year aged William H. Harley and 20-year old Arthur Davidson the 1st production Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was hand-built in a small garage in Milwaukee, wisconsin. Today, Harley-Davidson, Inc. utilizes more than 8, 200 persons and has 1, one hundred ten dealership throughout the world. Its corporate and business headquarters remain located in Milwaukee, wisconsin, Wisconsin. The domestic production facilities will be in the Milwaukee, wisconsin area, East Troy and Tomahawk, Wisconsin; York, Pa; and Kansas, Missouri.

Design and style, customer concentrate and product sales have placed this company is at a very exclusive and desirable marketing condition. Design is important to the continued success with this company. For a few companies, the word design may possibly bring thoughts of capturing changes and new model lines. Yet , for the design crew at Harley-Davidson, it motivates thoughts penalized faithful for the classic lines and noises of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. This is not to say that the designers are not allowed and encouraged to enhance on the very successful line of motorcycles, just the opposite is true.

Ken Schmidt, director of communications pertaining to Harley-Davidson, explained that: We are continuously improving and modernizing the machine, yet its not all component. That is what our customers wish, and that’s also, I think, what sets off the solid emotional attachments that Harleys generate. In the early on 1980’s, the organization was bothered with quality control and reliability problems that nearly triggered the company to leave business.

At this point, it was to the design and quality control engineers to revamp the mechanical and electrical parts while remaining true to the classic line of the motorcycle. They succeeded in resolving the problems and saved the company. William G. Davidson, who heads up a group of five product designers, is quick to add, It’s crucial to understand that we’re not in the industry of making collectibles. Every year all of us make further more improvements to the engines and chassis.

Yet from a styling standpoint, we have to combine improvements with no compromising `the look. ‘ If we maneuver a bolt or re-route one hose, our buyers take note and call us onto it. A Harley isn’t shrouded in fiber-glass like numerous other cycles. Everything all of us do is correct out in the open.

This mentality prevents ongoing riders coming from feeling alienated and accusing the business of selling out in the pursuit of improved revenue and profits. Harley-Davidson understands that it is as crucial to maintain their particular current lovers as it is to produce new kinds. No where is this even more evident than in their quest statement: We fulfill dreams through the connection with motorcycling, by providing to bikers and to the public an expanding line of motorbikes and top quality products and services in selected industry segments.

Customer emphasis is another area of marketing in which this company performs exceptionally well. Factory paid rallies and test hard disks are just 2 different ways that Harley stays in touch with their customers. The biggest sponsored move occurs each year at Sturgis in the Dark Hills of South Dakota. This event draws 400, 1000 riders via around the world. There are hundreds of business employees there as well, not only to enjoy the rally, but as well to gather info from the fans.

There is no better or more useful way to survey your customers than to talk with them directly after they just traveled to a meeting on your merchandise. This close-to-the-customer philosophy permits the company to use these rallies as product development centers. This allows the corporation leadership to get immediate responses on both current products and new products that may soon go into production. Buyers respond efficiently to this type of product review, because they will feel like their opinion matters and will impact the next year’s product line. One more marketing tool that has been quite powerful for this company has been the factory-sponsored test-drives.

Our factory sends a tractor-trailer filled up with demo motorcycles to each car dealership that is ready to participate. Each of the new designs are available and anyone with a helmet and a valid permit to operate a motorcycle can try them out. For most of the dealerships, it is the busiest day with the year.

Harley-Davidson headquarters utilizes eight promoting specialists that develop designer stores. These kinds of stores are different from the standard garage-type shop of the past. These stores are designed to bring customers in, surround these motorcycles, and offer an inviting retail environment. Dealerships that contain converted their very own shops towards the Designer Shop concept have experienced soaring profits and rapid return on investments.

Inventive marketing strategies include kept Harley-Davidson as the best of America’s big-bike marketplace. It is not only the motorcycles that are in high demand. Harley davidson has developed a very profitable full merchandising line.

This series includes garments, tattoo patches, coffee cups, belt buckles, infant put on and memorabilia. Most will think that this provider must dedicate a significant portion with their revenue about advertising. The other is true, in 1995 the company generated $1. 3 billion in revenue while spending less than $2 million in advertising costs.

Word of mouth is definitely their key form of advertising. Company management feel that consumers are their particular sales force, all things considered, satisfied clients are the better than advertising. Harley-Davidson is in an exceptional marketing situation because they are certainly not selling transportation; they are advertising a lifestyle.

Buyers routinely wait around between half a dozen and 20 months to get delivery of any new unit. That form of product devotion is hard to look for and not easily developed. The waiting list for a new Harley-Davidson has become more than a year, and used motorcycles are more expensive today than after they were new.

How can this possibly be authentic when fresh cars depreciate quicker you can make the payment? Associated with the supply-to-demand ratio and Harley-Davidson provides mastered this ratio. Although they produced more than 300, 1000 bikes this past year, demand still happening their area. Many new clients look at purchasing a Harley while an investment you can enjoy each and every day. The 1st turning point for the company was when they changed the engines back in 1984.

The second was when the baby boomers struck their mid-life crisis. After that, dealers have struggled to hold display designs on the floor. Scarcity allows the organization to achieve larger profitability, and it also helps safeguard the expense for prior buyers.

Females are the last great frontier for this firm and they are beginning focus even more on that segment with the market. They may have begun to set advertisements in women’s mags in an attempt to replace the company’s graphic to a even more family-oriented a single. They have also begun to create engineering changes to some of the versions. Some of the fresh bikes will certainly have smaller handlebar grips, a less complicated pulling clutch, and reduced seats. Riders Edge is known as a program for Harley dealers providing riders’ education classes to help newbies learn to trip and get licensed.

Technology upgrades including liquid-cooled, star-quality, engines and light-weight materials will make bikes better, but also less difficult to deal with. All of these adjustments are being implemented to encourage ladies to purchase their particular bikes rather than simply getting passengers. Clients can impression that the Harley-Davidson employees love them and the concerns. The business takes this kind of responsibility therefore seriously that they can developed a directory of core values.

These are all their values. They are the heart of how we manage their business. They guideline their actions and act as the platform for the decisions and contributions all their employees produce at every amount of the company. Tell the truth, end up being fair, maintain your promises, admiration the individual, and encourage perceptive curiosity. Due to their supply-and-demand proportion, it would be very easy for this business to develop a take that or keep it attitude with their clients.

A large portion of the success must be attributed to the high-value that they place on the opinion with their customers.