Harley Davidson multimedia case study
Harley Davidson case study. Please be sure to purchase (or ask someone in class!) for
the case study from Harvard business publishing. I emailed you all the link.
Here are the questions for your case study. Harley Davidson multimedia case study.
And here is the PDF of the book I mentioned. This is a good book for reference when
you respond to case studies in school. I want you to check out the "writing" chapter of
the book. case_study_handbook.pdf
Learning Objectives:
1. Develop an understanding of brand communities and the role of marketers in cultivating,
influencing, and extracting value from them.
2. Develop further understanding of brand loyalties through an appreciation of the different
levels on which relationships are formed and the role of experience based programs in
strengthening these linkages.
3. Obtain exposure to the types of insights possible through ethnographic field research and
to gain experience in interpreting and analyzing such data.
There are several types of relationships that consumers can have with a brand and product. Two
of the case authors argue that loyalty and relationships are developed on four different levels: (1)
consumer to product (2) consumer to brand (3) consumer to consumer and (4) consumer to firm.
(The following is from a different case study).
A. Consumer-product relationships. First and foremost, the Posse Ride builds
consumer-product bonds by fostering enthusiasm for the sport of motorcycling. Posse
supports the riding “habit” by increasing participants’ miles logged. It provides
challenges and peak experiences, giving consumer a sense of accomplishment and
self-transformation, and thereby increasing their commitment to riding. The Posse
provides members with an experience of a lifetime that they can tell others about. It
allows the opportunity for a cadre of 400 enthusiasts to ride through a town and
attract new cyclists through their promenade. In essence, the Posse helps build
motorcycling.
B. Consumer-brand relationships. Without question, the Posse strengthens bonds
between consumers and the Harley brand. The Ride offers a setting that enhances
core brand associations: camaraderie, freedom, adventure, exploration, discovery,
irreverence (“the rebel in all of us). The ride experience also provides the opportunity
for purchase of Harley branded goods, which serves to extend the reaches of the
brand deeper into consumers’ lifestyles. Repeat riders from Posse I who join the
Posse II suggest that relationships with the Posse sub-brand are cultivated through
this venue as well.
C. Consumer-Consumer relationships. As the case points out, one important benefit
of motorcycling rallies is to “link riders together into a broader community,” that is,
the development of consumer-consumer bonds. Where once the Harley brand was
associated exclusively with rebels and outlaws, with riders such as the Posse it has
become a rallying point for affluent professionals, retirees, and families, among
others. The Posse Ride is the pinnacle of the Harley experience. It allows riders to
spend long periods of time with one another, to take part in shared rituals, events and
activities and to support one another through the challenges and crises encountered
during this, the most tortuous of Harley journeys. The t-shirts and ride certificates
distributed to participants at the end of the Ride serve as symbols of success, tangible
proof to themselves, to one another and to friends and family of their achievements at
the highest level of the Harley social hierarchy.
D. Consumer-Firm relationships. The ride also serves to cultivate Harley-Davidson’s
bonds with its consumers. Harley-Davidson wants its managers to “know the
consumer inside and out, to deeply understand his/her needs and wants, to naturally
anticipate his/her desires” so that better product design and marketing policy
decisions can be made. Riding side by side with consumers gives HOG managers an
incomparable opportunity to get to know them first hand and to find out what matters
to them. Dealer visits in particular deepen the collaboration between Harley and its
consumers. Beyond serving consumers’ practical needs for information and
generating excitement for the ride, dealer visits along the ride allow managers to
assess how effectively dealers serve consumer needs.
Answer the following questions.
Please be sure to check the syllabus regarding my expectations for your answers. Also, please
refer to the Case Study Handbook PDF that I posted to canvas. The chapter on Writing Your
Responses will help you understand the types of evidence that I am seeking. I am looking for
much more than your opinion. You need to back up your points with facts from the case study.
You will want to read through all of the rider descriptions as well as watch any and all available
videos. Building brand communities and understanding the motivations of the firm’s customers
are at the heart of understanding consumer behavior.
1. Is it worth it for Harley-Davidson to continue the Posse Ride? Why or why not? What
role should the Posse Ride play in the HOG events mix?
2. What is HOG’s role in fostering the brand community for Harley?
3. This is an old case study. With the availability of all of the social media site now (i.e.,
Instagram, facebook, Tik Tok, etc) do you think that in-person meet ups like this are
necessary to build a brand community (note: I’m writing this question with a pre-Covid
mindset)? Will online communities help or hurt the brand community? Please be sure to
explain why in your answer.
4. Post-Covid era, what do you think might happen to brand communities and meet ups like
the Posse Ride? How do you think the riders will react to continuing the rides OR putting
all community building online?
Answer preview:
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