MARKETING PROJECT NAME: VEDANG SINGHANIA

STREAM/YEAR: BMS, 3RD SEM

ROLL: 84

PROJECT TOPIC:

HARLEY DAVIDSON The New Way Of Cruising

INTRODUCTION: Two wheeler's have always been an integral part of human

society. There have been numerous industries who have come and

gone selling motorcycles trying to top the charts. But the one company

topping the charts for the past 110 years is the HARLEY DAVIDSON

motorcycle company. To anyone is remotely interested in motorcycles,

the name Harley Davidson is familiar. To people who are not, well,

here's a brief history.

Commonly known as HD, Harley Davidson is an American

motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during

the 1st decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American

motorcycle manufacturers to survive The Great Depression. The

company sells heavy weight (over 750cc) motorcycles designed for

cruising on the highway. Harley Davidson motorcycles commonly

known as "Harleys" have a distinctive design and exhaust note. They

are especially noted for the tradition of heavy customization that gave

rise to the chopper-style of motorcycle.

BRAND PERSONALITY: Harley Davidson isn't like any other motorcycle. Well, definitely it

runs on two wheels and an engine but what other than that?

Davidson's give out a very different message through its marketing

techniques and ADs. The key highlights of a Harley are:

MASCULINE

FREE SPIRITED

RUGGED

MACHO

STRONG

ADVENTUROUS

UNDERSRTANDING INDIAN PREMIUM BIKES

MARKET: The market stands at 700 units/year for premium bikes (800cc

and above)

Premium bikes consists the likes of Suzuki's Hayabusa, Kawasaki's

Ninja and Ducati's Hypermotard.

105 units of Hayabusas have been sold since Suzuki's entry in the

segment in November 09.

127 units of Ninja have been sold in a span of 14 months

The increase in per-capita income to more than US 1000$ by 2014

is expected to fuel the growth of premium bikes market.

Kawasaki / Suzuki / Ducati Harley Davidson / Royal Enfield

PREMIUM BIKES

SUPERBIKES CRUISERS

MARKETING OBJECTIVES: The only reason Harley is there where it is today is solely because of its

cut throat marketing objectives and its way to achieve those objectives.

The objectives are as follows:

To gain Heart-Share in the Indian market and to be revered as a

brand.

To gain Mind-Share in the Indian market as being the "premium

bikes for leisure riding".

To gain market share by effectively creating and meeting needs

for a "Harley Experience" in the Indian market.

To create a loyal bikers community in India (HOG - Harley Owners

Group).

MARKET SEGMENTATION & TARGETING: Segmentation and targeting is the key point for successful marketing

and Harley Davidson has struck just the right cord for the Indian

market. It introduced its first showroom in Gurgaon, Delhi and slowly

spread to other metropolitan cities in India like Mumbai, Bangalore,

Hyderabad, Chandigarh and its latest addition, Kolkata. It focuses on

people of a higher income group and who are between the age of 27 -

45. Its main target customers are Executives, Entrepreneurs, Self-

employed Businessmen and Neo-rich Youth. Harley focuses on people

who are touring enthusiasts and are more outdoor oriented. It deals

with people who have a personality of innovators and achievers. People

in India buy a Harley for leisure riding and planning weekend rides and

that is exactly what the company aims at. The other stimulating factor

for which customers buy a Harley Davidson is the prestige and the feel

good factor that is associated with the brand.

MARKETING STRATEGY: All the marketing communication made is centered on the positioning

statement of the product. In addition to this, the communication is

focused upon the brand personality which mirrors the aspiration of the

prospects and encourages the buyers to make the bike & the brand a

part of their lifestyle.

Target Customers For Harley Davidson-

1. HNI: They target people who play golf, own yachts, indulge in leisure

activities (Yacht owners are in Kochi, Goa and Mumbai). They obtain

data from State Maritime Boards and Mail Brochures to generate leads

or are physically present there to engage the prospective customers

(many of who stay in the non-coastal area of Delhi and Punjab).

2. QUALITY LEAD GENERATION: Davidson engages their prospective

customers in places they are likely to visit like Auto-Expo, Golf Clubs,

Yacht Clubs, Hard Rock Cafes, etc and then collects contact information

there. Engagement Strategies varies from place to place.

3. HOSPITALITY: Hoteliers and resort owners in tourist destinations are

always looking to add new luxury items in their fleet for their clients to

indulge in leisure activities. This makes such people top target

customers for Harley. Premium hoteliers in Manali, Shimla and Kolkata

are a few examples.

4. HOG CULTURE: To cultivate a loyal biking community, one must

drive lessons from social networking websites. Invites for friends,

recommend Harley experience to a friend or list-building by asking for

e-mail can help create a network of Harley Enthusiasts. This may seem

to be an obsolete strategy but it can be very effective if dealt with a

little bit of class. For example - The new owners photograph is taken on

a Harley at the time of purchase (HOG hall of fame). The photo is then

shared with the person via e-mail or a Facebook application. Now this

person is very much likely to share this photo with his known ones

living nearby and far and thus generating a buzz among his known

people giving Harley the valuable Word Of Mouth. The Facebook

application will actually ask the person to send invites to people for

riding with him on his new Harley.

5. CLUBS & PARTIES: Many wealthy businessmen and their 2nd

generations kids party at places like F-Bar (Hotel Ashoka, Delhi), Score

(Chandigarh), etc, where during festive season Harley Davidson can

organize parties that leave an impression on the attendees. Few of

these attendees will certainly be induced to buy a Harley if they are

made to engage with the brand during these parties. There are 2

different Tactics for this:

Tactic 1 - Eye-Candies showing admiration for the Cruisers which in turn

generates interest in the cruisers among the target customers.

Tactic 2 - Theme Based parties, storytelling while live bands are

performing.

Davidson makes sure to collect contact information of the interested

customers to ensure that these prospects are brought to the showroom

for further interaction and eventual sales.

PLACES:

Since the time Harley Davidson set its' foot in India it has not stopped

growing and spreading its wings over the entire country. At present

there are more than 10 showrooms of Harley all over India including

places like Kolkata, Ahmadabad and Delhi. The Davidson family keeps

growing. Here's a map to show the rough locations of the Harley

Davidson showrooms in India:

THE LOCATIONS INDICATED ON THE MAP ARE NOT EXHAUSTIVE.

PROMOTION: INTEGRATED MARKETING CHANNELS

marketing

communication

program

direct &

interactive

marketing

public

relations &

publicity

events and

experiences

advertising

website

social media

blog

s

facebook

fan page

twitter

company

magazine

HOG parties

press kits

rock riders

media ride

launch at

Delhi Auto-

Expo

founders

ride

boot camp

billboards

posters

brochures and

booklets

motion pictures

print and

broadcast ads

television

commercial

s

overdrive

business

world

business today

channel V,

M TV, F TV

HBO, star

movies, star

world

discovery

travel &

living, zoom

CNBC TV 18,

NDTV, CNN,

BBC

PIE CHART DEPICTING VARIOUS COSTS:

MAJOR COMPETITORS OF HARLEY DAVIDSON:

To anybody who wants to buy a cruiser bike, the first name that

comes to his/her mind is Harley Davidson. As Davidson tops the charts

every time, it is difficult to filter out any competitors of the brand.

Though no too many, but even Harley is threatened by brands

manufacturing similar types of motorcycles. Here is a short list of the

competitors for Harley:

Royal Enfield

Victory

COST ENCURRED WHILE PROMOTION

print media

television commercial

billboards

rallies & HOG parties

ROYAL ENFIELD: Most people across the world know about Harley Davidson, and those from the Old World will know about the Royal Enfield, but serious bikers across the world definitely do know them both. Harley has a cult following in the USA and many parts of the world. After all, they were responsible for keeping alive, as well as growing the iconic American heavyweight motorcycle culture. They created a stir among the marketing community, generating many case studies regarding their successful strategies against the newer, modern Japanese bikes. Their expansion in other international markets have been quite successful. But India is a different story. They never faced a competitor quite like Royal Enfield. One so similar to HD, yet so different. For beginners, the Royal Enfield culture is older than the Harley Davidson one (1893 vs

1903). Both make handcrafted retro heavyweight motorcycles, both served in WW1, and WW2 (Enfield for the British Empire, Harley for the USA). But both have their own signature look, sound, and feel. The Indian subsidiary which started only in 1955 took over the brand after the original RE company closed down in the UK in 1968. Since then it has weaved itself into the fabric of the Indian motorcycle culture, if not that of India itself. Simply put, what Harley Davidson is to the USA, Royal Enfield is to India.

VICTORY: Inspite of an amazing line-up being offered by Harley to Indian buyers,

an aspiring buyer would always wish to make comparison between

different motorcycles belonging to different manufacturers. Victory,

which is a globally renowned cruiser bike manufacturer was built 15

years ago as a potential alternative to Harley-Davidson but has amassed

only a 5% market share, largely taking a piece out of Japanese

competitors Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki. Victory has already

set its foot in India by introducing its amazing line-up for the Indian

market in the 2012 Delhi Auto-Expo. The company is actively working in

New Zealand, U.K., Germany, Spain, Scandinavia and France and its

parent company Polaris Industries also manufactures ATV (All Terrain

Vehicles) and snowmobiles.

CONCLUISION: Looking at all these methods of promotion used by Harley Davidson it is

evident that this eagle is meant to fly way above. Davidson has already

made a mark in the motorcycle industry and it certainly isn't stopping

its race to the top. There are a very few companies that can give a cut

throat competition to Davidson but this eagle always had and will be

the king of the game.