Harley Davidson
I believe that the idea of brands having a personality is little more than hyperbolic anthropomorphism. Personality by definition implies personhood, something an abstract concept like a brand cannot have. Rather than a brand having human traits, as the concept is often understood (Investopedia, 2012). A brand personality is more accurately described as a reflection of traits that the consumer either shares or aspires to. The brand "personality" by this understanding is not necessarily the same thing as the personality of the target audience, however. Harley Davidson is a good example of this -- most of the brand's core target market consists of successful, middle-aged men, a market that in reality embodies little of what it hopes the brand reflects back on them. Harley stands for something that they would like to be, or have been, rather than something that they are.
In the case of Harley-Davidson, a significant amount of the "personality" of the brand consists of aspirational traits. Hagerty (2011) highlights some of these characteristics -- "born to be wild," "dangerous," "big" and "powerful." Again, these are traits that the brand reflects back on the consumer; the consumers themselves may embody none of these traits. That the Harley Davidson brand, rather than the company's core product, reflects these traits is evident when taken in consideration of non-bike branded products. The Harley brand has the same connotation when on a keychain or T-shirt as it does on a giant motorcycle.
Aaker and Fournier (1995) note that it can be difficult to measure a brand's personality. There are few consistent measures that can be used across different brands, largely because the concept of personality by its nature lends itself more to qualitative measures. While there may not be consensus on how to measure a brand's personality, the analogy does lend itself to the use of descriptors...
The younger crowd may be more attracted by the dangerousness of the bikes and by the sense of adventure involved. Older groups seek a certain return to youth and show an adherence to the idea of freedom. The motorcycle at one time had the aura of an outlaw lifestyle, as noted, an image that the company has not sought and often seeks to counter. Still, that image remains strong
Harley Davidson Strategic Management -- Harley Davidson This work examines the strategic management of Harley Davidson Company and seeks to answer specific questions relating to this company's management through conduction of a Porter's Five Forces analysis and a review of the literature on this company. The specific research questions examined in this study are those as follows: (1) What are the primary competitive forces impacting U.S. motorcycle producers in general and producers like
CEO of Harley Davidson The Harley Davidson Company came to be in 1903, founded by William Harvey and Arthur Davidson. In 1907, the two associates incorporated the Harvey Davidson Motor Company leading to a split of stock into four, to cater for the new associate Walter Davidson. Over the years, Harley Davidson has managed to remain financially stable, despite the prior records of slowed growth, owing to the maturing market that
In contrast, Pfizer uses a different process type from General Motors. Because Pfizer is a drug maker it is more interested in getting approval for new drugs and keeping the drugs it already makes out on the market for the individuals that need them. It is limited in the process type that it uses because of the regulations that are placed on it and other drug makers by the FDA.
Global Economy & Factors Affecting Harley-Davidson (HD) Motivations for expansion are primarily business and economics related. Expansion will open new markets for HD. Considering that HD is already an established global brand, entering new markets and an overall expansion process should benefit from the necessary supporting structure and stature to ensure reduced risks. There are other motivating elements as well. As the analysis shows, HD is a recognized leader on the market.
Tribal Marketing Evidence of the Trend's Emergence Examples of the New Trend Virtual Tribes Tribal Marketing Implications for Industry Leveraging the Tribal Trend Tribal marketing is an approach that organizes target markets into various groups or tribes. These tribes can represent various different types of group associations. For example, one group could be people who work together while another group could represent all the members who communicate on various websites (Fons). Therefore there can be traditional
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