Harley Davidson

Question 1: Do you believe brand communities like Harley-Davidson result in greater involvement with the brand?

Brand are much more than just names or recognition of the product, but are also long lasting consumer communities and cults that can be tapped into and used to further promote the products themselves. Most companies covet a product ecosystem that would be self perpetuating and self advertising within a large group in society. But creating such an intimate relationship between product and consumer takes a lot of time, refinement and most importantly, personal connections for individuals that promotes a sense of brand identity that goes along with the product and the people who use it.

Question 2: What elements of the Posse Ride do you believe enhance the meaning of the brand for the riders?

Interactions between other consumers and parts of the brand creates a sense of comradery. Other people who are using their products because they are simply great nostalgic products that all tie into the same image. Sharing goals and other experiences with other riders not only strengthens the sense of community with the product itself, but also acts as an advertisement itself, begging others to adopt this new walled garden that Harley put up. These can also be used time and time again for statistical information/promotion from within the company as well as a tied in shared experience that consumers can share with other family/friends who might be apart of the Harley Davidson community.

Question 3: Should Harley-Davidson get more involved in the ride or would that dilute the ride's meaning to the participants?

While organizing more events for community purposes seems like its always a good idea, the fact is that with a brand like Harley, it goes against the image to put together larger commercialized spectacles. The free spirit  intimate nature of using Harley bikes and close group riding would be tarnished if it were to loose the sense of freedom that would accompany a large and structured event. However, this can work for some brands that can fit into such event images. For other events to be successful like the posse ride, you need smaller scale and targeted events or community projects that don't interfere with the image of the lone biker that has nothing but himself and the road.

Question 4: In addition to experience such as the Posse Ride, what other ways could Harley increase involvement in the brand?

I think a project in the same vein as Nike's running share project would work out well for Harley. Destinations or paths that needed to be taken/data collected from photos/smartphone apps that contribute to a larger project without being a constant nuisance on a biking road trip. A collage of the united states, photos of bikes, routes taken by bikes, classic moments from biking in the US, all this data is easily collected with smartphones these days, and a giant collaborated project within the Harley community could not only instill feelings of a deeper and richer Harley community, but also tap into older  photos or past history of the brand and the people who used it.