Business Management Essay

Since that time Harley-Davidson has learned many lessons on how to operate a business. We are focused on providing our customers with not just a quality product, but also an overall experience. Our mission statement is as follows:

2) What are the key components of a marketing plan? List and describe each component briefly.

The most effective marketing tool is the network of people that ride. However they have opened there marketing up to expand the overall profits of the company with merchandise to advertise the American made motorcycle by selling apparel for all Harley enthusiasts, like shirts, hats, boots, bumper stickers, dinner ware, and more. In addition to the swag merchandise they have a complete line of motorcycle parts and bike accessories. For Harley-Davidson's marketing objectives to be successful the company has to implement the four elements of a marketing mix product, pricing, promotion, and distribution.

After near extinction Harley-Davidson has become one of the premier motorcycle manufacturers and distributors in the world. A primary driver in this success has been their attention to building the Harley-Davidson brand with attention to customer loyalty, specifically with the creation of a brand community of customers – the Harley Owners Group (HOG). Through HOG they have been able to connect with customers at the grass-roots level. Their sponsorship of regional and national HOG events has provided them with one-on-one access to their customers, resulting in strong, favorable, and unique associations for the Harley-Davidson brand.

The first strategy Harley-Davidson uses is customer focus. Harley-Davidson offers a wide range of products and services, from children’s’ tricycles, clothing accessories, and affordable motorcycles to more higher-ended luxury motorcycles targeting customers in all age groups. By allowing their customers to personalize and customize their motorcycles, this strategy helps build their second strategy, which is brand loyalty. Other strategies that help build brand loyalty and selling dreams are to have groups, such as the Harley Owners Group (HOG) and the Buell Riders Adventure Group (BRAG), so they can emphasize to their customers that everyone is welcome to join its large extended family for riders,. Their value is: “Tell the truth. Be fair. Keep your promises. Respect the individual. Encourage intellectual Curiosity.” (Harley-Davidson web

So, the main issue of this case study is to know why Harley-Davidson has chosen different strategies according to markets, understand the idea of the brand stretching strategy of Harley-Davidson, and also to give some recommendations and ideas for the marketing strategy of Harley-Davidson.

Harley-Davidson’s reach is wide and the target is complex, blue collar, white collar, students, men, women, all ethnic groups, religions, and social classes.

Harley turned to their own strengths and organisational capabilities to achieve cost efficiencies and product / brand differentiation. By utilising ‘Strategic Innovation ' they chose to establish competitive advantage through creating value for customers from novel experiences, product delivery, customisation options and customer care. As a smaller organisation and one which adopted a non-hierarchical, team based structure, Harley successfully engineered a transformation in employee commitment and job satisfaction which also helped the company sustain this competitive advantage once it had been achieved. By ensuring that the ‘Harley Experience ' was kept to a very high level it proved impossible for imitators or competitors to tap into the brand attractiveness. The sustainability of Harleys differentiation is less vulnerable to being overturned by changes in the external environment and is more difficult to replicate. Harley differentiate on more than one plane – their products certainly, but also their design, marketing and customer interactions – have you ever seen a group of Honda owners get together BECAUSE they are Honda owners ? Way to go Harley.

• Harley Davidson will have to worry about keeping their customer base happy. They will want to address the basis for why customers many choose a competing company’s product over

The researcher will discuss on Harley-Davidson (HD) and its marketing mix concepts and recommendation for improvement to market the USA brand in Malaysia. As the leader in manufacturing heavyweight motorcycles above 750cc capacity, HD has a role to play to promote the hobby of bikers worldwide and further

Recently Harley has decided to market the people that are the nonriding public. In an attempt to capture this market they have licensed their name with the production of t-shirts, jewelry, small leather goods, toys and other products. There are also two Harley-Davidson Café 's located in New York and Las Vegas. Another marketing effort is the Academy of Motorcycling, which is for people that do not know how to ride a motorcycle. This academy teaches these people how to ride, and teaches them about the different

Harley-Davidson's mission statement is to "fulfill dreams through the experience of motorcycling, by providing to motorcyclists and to the general public an expanding line of motorcycles and branded products and services in selected market segments." (Harley Davidson, 1999). The company's main objective for the entire organization s is to have happy and satisfied stakeholder; this includes their customers, employees, suppliers, investors, and the entire society in general. Harley-Davidson makes the customer's experience with their products the core of their business and every effort is made to make this experience as enjoyable as possible. It is this strategy that has helped Harley Davidson meet its current level of success.

The development of marketing strategy first begins with what type of product or services the

In strategic marketing planning, operations and management teams focus on coming up with and implementing practical marketing strategies that can assure a steady flow of business for the organization. In order to do this, these teams determine the primary objectives of the organization and what methods / resources are necessary to put to action to achieve these objectives. A key part of strategic planning in marketing is finding attractive opportunities. The four basic alternatives are seen in the following bullets including a brief description / examples of each one in the sub-bullet.

Companies can build customer relationships at many levels, depending on the nature of the target market. Harley-Davidson established the Harley Owners Group (HOG) in 1983 which gives Harley riders a way to share their common passion of “making the Harley-Davidson dream a way of life” HOG also build on the strong loyalty and community of Harley-Davidson enthusiasts as a means to promote not just a consumer product, but a lifestyle. HOG members typically spend 30% more than other Harley owners, on such items as clothing and Harley-Davidson-sponsored events. HOG went international in 1991, with the first official European HOG Rally in Cheltenham, England. Today, more than one million members and more than 1400 chapters worldwide make HOG the largest factory-sponsored motorcycle organization in the world. HOG benefits include two magazines (Hog Tales and Enthusiast), a HOG Touring Handbook, a roadside assistance program, a specially designed insurance program, theft reward service, a travel center, and a “Fly & Ride” program enabling members to rent Harleys while on vacation.