Group 1

Assignment 2

Section F

Should Harley-Davidson continue to sponsor the Posse ride? Why or why not?
The primary benefit of the H.O.G. rides lies in their ability to link riders together into
a broader community. Through this community, the members are able to take on a
challenge of discovering America (Harley-Davidson believes that its everybodys
dream to explore America) and meeting people who share similar interests. The
Posse ride, which covers the horizontal length of the United States of America, gives
people a chance to take a step back from their stressful lives and feel free by doing
what they love.
The fact remains that through time, Harley-Davidson has successfully built a
community of people who benefit from exclusivity, shared interests, and a
community feeling, all the while being able to build and focus on customer
experience. As stated by the company, We wanted it to be a religion. A real
challenge. The same is emphasized via their Posse oath which outlines the basic
rules the participants must abide by.
Secondly, they are able to focus on the user experience by giving the customers/ consumers something no
other competitor can; a platform for building a relationship with the brand. The customers, through the
Posse ride, can conveniently test the features of the product along with the manufacturers, creating a
foundation for positive and critical complaints and feedback. This creates a sense of brand recognition
and brand loyalty, not just in the customer/ consumers eyes, but also in the eyes of the potential
customers.
Thirdly, Haley-Davidsons aim of improving the lifestyle of people who have a passion for riding bikes,
and telling the world that it does not have to be associated with a negative image is fulfilled to a large
extent through the Posse. As given in the case, Harley Davidson fulfills dreams. I think its everybodys
dream to explore America. This would hence not only improve the image of the brand and the act of
riding bikes, but also create a positive influence across the country and bring the brand closer to its
customers as well.
Below Pre and Post-Ride survey results shows that the Posse ride has been successful despite of T-shirt
fiasco and ride management issues. So it can help them to get more close to their customers and thus to
increase brand loyal customers.
Base: 58 Posse Riders*

Pre-Ride

Post-Ride

I would recommend this ride to a friend

5.7

Agree
%
52

If I were to replace my motorcycle Id buy another Harley

6.4

I have made lifelong friends because of my Harley

I feel a sense of kinship with other Harley owners

Questions

I will definitely sign up for another long distance HOG rally

Mean

Mean

Agree %
6.5

83

89

100

72

6.2

83

79

6.3

83

6.4

86

100

Group 1

Assignment 2

Section F

Harley-Davidson must hence continue to sponsor the Posse ride to be able to understand their products
and customers better, especially because the products are targeted at the niche segment (as is evident from
the average annual income of the members being higher than the national average).