Harley-Davidson, Inc. Information

Harley-Davidson, Inc. is an extremely healthy company in terms of both its recent and its long-term economic performance, in large measure because of its highly recognizable and highly marketed corporate identity and the high degree of customer loyalty that it enjoys. However, while the company is certainly financially sound, it is in a competitive market. Moreover, other factors, such as an aging population, present challenges that the company must meet. This paper presents an overall analysis of the company's present and potential strengths and weaknesses. The paper includes several diagrams and charts. Table of Contents Case Abstract External Audit: Opportunities and Threats Competitive Profile Matrix Internal Audit and Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix TOWS Matrix SPACE Matrix Grand Strategy Chart Quantitative Strategic Planning Executive Summary References

From the Paper:

"However, the strategy that the company has pursued for the last generation will, in all likelihood, become less and less useful in the coming years as the generation of buyers that has supported it since the 1980s begins to move beyond the point at which it will purchase motorcycles. As this happens the company must find a way to attract younger buyers as well as women. To do this it will probably have to adopt some of the same features that make its competitors attractive today to just those buyers: Smaller engines (including two-stroke engines), lighter, sleeker design and environmental safeguards in both the building of the machines and in their use."

This paper provides an analysis of the Harley Davidson company. The writer shows how Harley has used a unique approach to branding and maintaining an alignment between their corporate vision, culture and image. They have used many different methods to achieve a blend of active corporatism while still keeping their consumers feeling as though they 'own' the brand and products associated with it.

From the Paper:

"Harley Davidson promotes the image that 'things are different on a Harley'. The most important feeling they promote with their brand is freedom. Freedom of life, freedom of the open road, freedom of the individual. It is said that no two Harley's are the same. From production to consumption, the owner is involved in the process of creating their own freedom, and living the Harley dream. Their bike becomes their own self-expression, and they live the lifestyle that they perceive to be a part of owning that bike. This is also done with the management team, as well as the CEO."

AN ORIGINAL GENERATION

The present generation of over 45 year-olds have been credited in the past with `breaking the mould' as they reached each successive life stage -- they were the first real `teenagers', the first `permissive parents' and so on. This will almost certainly continue as they reach late middle age and beyond, and marketers will need to keep tabs on this group, and not make sweeping assumptions about them simply because they are getting older. For example, this generation has grown up with brands, and with the idea of making choices between products. The received wisdom that consumers become rigidly brand-loyal and set in their ways as they get older may well no longer apply.

In terms of the types of products and services which are likely to benefit from this population segment, the variety is infinite. A decade ago, marketers may have found it difficult to look beyond products such as stair lifts and carpet slippers when thinking about this age group. It is now very apparent that the lifestyles of older consumers are about much more than this. Older and middle-aged consumers are among the main purchasers of new cars, for example, and the success of motorbike companies, such as Harley Davidson, has been attributed in part to purchases by those going through the male (and, in some cases, female) menopause, and attempting to relive their youth.

Certainly, the holiday market has already benefited from the increasingly youthful outlook of those who have reached the `empty nester' and/or retirement stages of life, and is almost certain to continue to thrive. Health and fitness is clearly a preoccupation, bringing benefits to all sorts of markets, from gyms and health farms to organic food. This group may also have an impact on markets traditionally associated with the family lifestage -- the fact that an increasing number of women with children under the age of five are now in full-time employment means that many older people now take an active role in the childcare of their grandchildren, and, as such, are making purchase decisions about children's food and clothing, as well as taking them on days out.

The Internet, too, will become increasingly important for older consumers; many of today's 45 to 54 year-olds will have used it in their working lives, and will be more comfortable with using it at home, once they have retired, than the present generation of pensioners. There are already a number of e-commerce sites aimed at older consumers, and there are likely to be more in the future.

Despite the continued youthfulness of the grey market, the undeniable effects of ageing cannot be entirely ignored, and the need to take these into account will be a growing factor in product-and-packaging design. We can expect to see more single-portion and resealable packages to cater for smaller households, more large-print typefaces, and packaging that is less difficult to open. All of these will help tomorrow's grey consumers ignore the fact that they are getting older, and continue with their active lifestyles.

Harley-Davidson, Inc.

Harley-Davidson, Inc.

Introduction

Harley-Davidson,