|
Did You Know?
The HOG: More useful than you might imagine
The HOG - or Harley Owners Group - is active through
out America, Europe, and many other countries too.
It involves over 650,000 people in 'making the Harley-Davidson
dream a way of life'.
Founded in 1983, the HOG has been nurtured by the
Harley-Davidson company, and is supported by its
own website, which naturally can be found at www.hog.com.
It is worth exploring as a good example of how to
create a consistent, distinctive, and motivating
brand experience.
It is clear from these commitments that Harley
does not see itself as a company that just sells
motorbikes. Its Vision is 'We fulfill dreams'.
'Fulfilling dreams' has required significant investment
by Harley-Davidson, which in return has provided
significant benefits:
|
•
|
Harley owners are famously loyal; very few people
who own a Harley ever swap it for another bike |
|
•
|
Almost half of all owners have taken part in
one or more rallies or riding events |
|
•
|
A significant proportion of the company's revenue
comes from selling merchandise, selling the
lifestyle |
As
John Russell, Vice-President and Managing Director
of Harley-Davidson Europe, says of Harley's approach:
| |
"We
actively engage with our customers; we encourage
our people to spend time with our customers,
riding with customers, being with customers
whenever the opportunity arises." |
And on the results of this engagement:
| |
"If
it is important to the customer, if it's a good
insight, if it's a good point of understanding
and connection to the customer - it does actually
make its way through into the business process
and become part of what we do." |
Not everyone is lucky enough to manage a motorbike
brand but every category has the potential to engage
and involve consumers.
Ask yourself: Am I really doing enough to build
a bond between my brand and its customers? Do I
really get close to my customers and understand
their wants and needs, then act on them to build
my brand? (If you are not sure, take a look
at some of our creative
thinking techniques, and see if you can explore
new and more effective ways of getting close to
your customers).
Brand
Manual
More articles
Subscribe
|
|
'How
To Build Your Total Brand'
takes you step-by-step through
the brand management process,
putting you on track to maximize
the strength of your brand
and the value of your business.
Click
here for details |
|
|
|
|
