Building Brand Community 1

Running head: BUILDING BRAND COMMUNNITY AT HARLEY DAVIDSON

Building Brand Community at Harley Davidson

Team Iron: Chris, Brian and Kathi

Grand Canyon University

I can't remember

MGT 631

Dr. Tom Steighman

July 21, 2009

 Building Brand Community 2

Abstract
 Building Brand Community 3

Building Brand Community at Harley Davidson

In today’s market, branding is critical if you want customers to instantly recognize your

product, organization or service. Harley Davidson is an organization that, despite the concerns

of motorcycle safety by some, has branded themselves so well that even those that do not ride

anything bigger than a two-wheel bicycle knows the Harley brand.

Question #1: Should Harley-Davidson continue to sponsor the Posse Ride? Why or why

not? What role should the Posse Ride play in the HOG event mix?

Question #2: Why should the Posse Ride be designed to maximize its effectiveness and

profit-making potential, should you decide to keep it?

Question #3: What is HOG’s role in developing community for the Harley-Davidson

brand? Objective to cover: Develop an understanding of brand communities and of the role of

marketers in cultivating, influencing, and extracting value from them.

Question #4: Evaluate Harley’s strategy and performance in “getting close to its

customers.” Objective to cover: Develop understanding of brand loyalties through an

appreciation of the different levels on which relationships are formed and the role of experience-

based programs in strengthening these linkages.

Question #5: How can HOG itself be maximized? This objective is over my head at the

moment: Obtain exposure to the types of insights possible through ethnographic field research

and to gain experience in interpreting and analyzing such data.