Harley davidson case study building brand communities

1. Siêu thị điện máy Việt Long www.vietlongplaza.com.vn
Brand Management
CASE STUDY
Building Brand Community on the Harley-Davidson Posse Ride

2. What are the benefits of long rides as Posse, for customers of Harley Davidson
(HD)? Evaluate the relational effects based on Exhibits 7 and 10, which refer to
pre and post evaluations.
Question 1
Group 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

3. Question 1
 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 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

4. Siêu thị điện máy Việt Long www.vietlongplaza.com.vn
Question 1
Group 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

5. Question 1
 Very satisfied with the Harley
 The ride was tremendous
 However, augmented product evaluated less
 Customers feel not that ‘heard’
Group 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

6. Can the Harley Owners Group’s (HOG) Posse be characterized as a community?
Question 2
Group 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

7. Question 2
 Community?
 YES:
 People want to be included
 Exclusiveness, pride
 Shared interests
 Focus on the customer experience
Group 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

8. 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!
Question 3
Group 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

9. Question 3
 Dynamic
 Varied structure
 Geographic concentration
 Social context
 Temporality
 Spontaneity, dynamism
Group 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

10. How would you evaluate the interaction between HOG managers and
customers?
Question 4
Group 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

11. Question 4
 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 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

12. Question 4
 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 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

13. Question 4
 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 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

14. 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?
Question 5
Group 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

15. Question 5
 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 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

16. Should HD continue with Posse and other rides? What role should HOG play in
the marketing mix?
Question 6
Group 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

17. Question 6
 Should HD continue with Posse and other rides?
 1. 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
 2. 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 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

18. Question 6
 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 4 - E. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet

19. Evelien, Carmen, Danny, Luc and Stijn (aka Group 4) thank you for your
undivided attention !!