BRAND REVIVAL: LEGENDARY HARLEY DAVIDSON
Brand Management Project
Adwita | Ankita A. | Ankita S. | Ashish R. | Shweta
Section- E Semester -4
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Brand Management Project
Introduction The name Harley Davidson gets a picture in the mind, not of a sophisticated, wellgroomed man but of a rugged, tattooed, leather jacket-clad biker who would not care about what he smells like. However that did not stop Harley Davidson to launch their perfume line – Legendary Harley Davidson – in 1994. The idea was to cash in on the Harley Davidson brand appeal. However, the idea back-fired and the product line was discontinued. The Legendary perfume print ad shown here, is not in tandem Harley Davidson’s primary target market – the core biker. The core biker ideally is a white male who belonged to the baby boomer generation. With a brand name as huge as Harley, one cannot get passed the brand values that connect them with the primary target market. While reviving the brand in the market, it is necessary to understand what mistakes Harley Davidson made during the initial launch of the product. It is also important to see the current trends and map them with the product. The industry, brand values, target market, change in demographics, positioning, etc. will be thoroughly studied to re-launch Legendary Harley Davidson in the market.
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Industry Analysis The Industry Analysis of the perfume industry is done using Porter’s five forces framework. The analysis is shown as follows: Bargaining power of the suppliers- High Increase when there is a switch in the customer demand Gives more power to the suppliers and manufacturers as the quality of the product bearing the ingredients and the actual creation of the scents is in their hands Bargaining power of the customers- High Because of high and constant demand, the pricing is left up to the industry. The retailers serve as buyers too as they are the liaisons between companies and consumers. Threat of new entrants- Low Varieties of new scents are introduced every now and then. Many celebrities or designers launch their own fragrances. Threat of substitutes- Medium Instead of using perfumes, consumers could easily use a body splash, etc. Body lotion or an after shave could also be taken as an alternative Counterfeit fragrances could also be used which will cost the consumer less money and would smell like the actual thing Rivalry amongst existing players- High Various brands have been launched including that of the celebrities entering into this fragrances bandwagon. Competitive rivalry is also there among the retailers as for pushing the product into the market, they could be given incentives Quality is the only differentiating factor
Competitive Analysis Men’s fragrances are emerging in the market and competition is growing considerably. However, each fragrance has a niche to which they position their brand. The main players are Ed Hardy, Diesel fuel for life, Dirty English by Juicy Couture, Angel Men by 2|P a g e
Brand Management Project
Thierry Mugler. The prices of these fragrances range from $40-$75, depending upon the size of the bottle. However the differentiating factors for Harley Davidson are the brand itself and the target to which it focuses on.
Target Customer Segmentation Analysis As mentioned earlier, the primary target audience for Harley Davidson has been the 60- year old Baby Boomers. Due to this, when they came out with their range of perfumes in 1994, the whole idea backfired. Currently, Harley Davison is going through a problem where there is a change in the demographics. Harley Davidson is therefore focusing on newer customer base like Women, Blacks and Hispanics. To reach out to the black community, Harley has begun sponsoring the nationally syndicated show of Tom Joyner, an African American radio host whose program is heard by as many as 8 million U.S. listeners. Harley is also sponsoring the Roundup, an African American version of the annual gathering of bikers in Sturgis, South Dakota. To reach younger Hispanics, the company is advertising in Hombre and Fuego -- two Latino men's magazines -- and participating in low-rider shows. And to reach women, it's putting a four-page insert into Jane, Allure, Glamour and two other Conde Nast magazines, featuring what Bischmann says are "real women riders”. It has been almost two decades since the perfume range was launched. In 1994, the target audience was a hard core biker. However, now there is an opportunity to re-launch the Legendary perfume range. The target audience can be described as: Age: 35 – 50 Gender: Male Ethnicity: White, Black or Hispanic Lifestyle Orientation: Outdoor Personality: Extrovert, Adventurous, Daredevil 3|P a g e
Brand Management Project
Brand Positioning The positioning of the Legendary Harley Davidson will be masculine. The focus will still be on the masculinity of the brand because a sudden shift there may lead to chaos in a time where the brand is still being built from the woman’s perspective. However, certain elements of the emerging women biker can be incorporated to the creative. The sophisticated man and a not-so-tough rider (shown in the Harley print-ad here) will NOT be included in the positioning as it changes the values of the brand. The brand is meant for tough bikers. The positioning will be such that the masculinity of these riders will be embraced not questioned. A biker should be proud to use the brand and not feel ashamed that the use of Legendary Harley Davidson perfumes makes him less manly. The positioning of the Legendary Harley Davidson perfumes can revolve around “It is your fuel”.
Brand Essence/Equity Elements Tagline-“It is your fuel” Packaging-Matt steel and crystal body giving tough masculine presentation. Endorser-They might pick some relative masculine person like Sylvester Stallone as promoter. Symbol-Original corporate symbol of Harley Davidson (enjoying the connect of corporate brand) Name of product- Legendary Harley Davidson MASCULINE SPIRIT
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Brand Strategic Plan (Vision/Objectives/Strategies/Tactics) This market naturally wants something different from what normally perfume are positioned for as in new generation. They are looking for more cool and masculine positioned perfume matching the Harley positioning. Harley should cater to the desires of this younger market by positioning them as perfume that is desired for and by Harley riders as tagline suggest “It is your fuel”. They have also introduced more range of productsto compete head-to-head to the existent dominate that category. Now they need an advertising campaign to go with this new dedication to youth without losing their older customers. Vision/Objective To establish the product category among the new Harley customers and get a connect with the loyal Harley customer. It is vital to get established in selected market segment without hurting the original sentiments of the brand in the eyes of existing consumers. Strategies and Tactics Cross selling of product with other merchandise and bundling it with other product to generate the trial as lack of trial was initial cause of its failure initially. Promotional strategies through bundling and cross selling. Use public relation to create buzz about the product in the existing market. Diversify its product line, and modify its marketing mix to target a younger demographic. Promote the US iconic image of the brand for product to create the emotional appeal. Launch the product on national basis to take leverage of the brand awareness across nation Use co-branding with the bikes to generate appeals; it will pull other aspired segment also. Using women as a secondary target who influence their men to go for the perfume Affordable price for middle income so that main buyers of Harley shouldn’t constraint themselves from buying this and younger generation aspire for it should try it.
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Brand Management Project
Strategic Brand Promotional Mix Harley has adopted several new marketing objectives to target the younger market with its new product line: expand its current market, diversify its product line, and modif y its marketing mix to target a younger demographic. To add to this, a national multi-media campaign for the perfume has to be developed. The targeted market, males ages 35-50 typically relate to action movies with a strong leading male character. Movies like Rocky and Indiana Jones, are popular with all ages of males. Harley can use this as a jumping point for their new “It is your fuel” campaign and can position the perfume during these movies on various channels. Harley Davidson can organize a Legendary “It is you fuel” cross country bike rally, where loyal Harley users as well as the new target audience can join in. Not only will this act as a promotional activity, but it will also give a chance to spread the Harley lifestyle from the old to the new customers. For the print ads, Harley may use classically popular and recognizable movie posters that the target market is familiar with. In these posters there will be a few small changes, i.e. the addition of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle displayed prominently in the poster. To get a woman’s perspective there may be a creative wherein a biker woman gets attracted to a masculine-smelling male biker using Legendary Harley Davidson rather than an ordinary smelly biker suggesting the fact that woman do have a say in the biker segment now and it is not restricted to only men! Harley owners love the internet. There are thousands of web pages created by Harley dealers, owners, and admirers. Harley will use this informatio n and add a microsite off its main interactive web site. The site will be interactive, calling for input from users and promoting the perfume. The online ads, as well as the television ads, will focus heavily on the ranges of Harley-Davidsons and its positioning on masculinity, targeted towards the younger riders.
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Lastly, Harley will sponsor several of the most iconic actors that exemplify the Harley lifestyle when they attend esteemed awards such as the Academy Awards. Harley endorsers in such events can be actors like Bruce Willis and Nicolas Cage, to get a connect with the target and promote the perfume. It is this connection that will bring the Harley-Davidson brand to the younger market where they can effectively compete against their competitors, all while staying true to the Harley brand experience and holding on to their values – something they missed in 1994.
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