Strategic Marketing of Harley Davidson - Case Study Example

Download file to see previous pages... Here it looks at hoe the company was started back in the year 1903. Then it looks at the development of the company throughout the entire twentieth Century. It then looks at all the strategies that have been applied by the company following a fall that the company was on the verge of facing. (Smith, 2003) This was started by the kind of products offered by the Company. This was through the introduction of a number of products that were designed to appeal to the new market. Some of these include; multi coloured motor vehicles, improvement of accessories in heavy weight motorbikes, sale of accessories individually, biker clothes like jeans and t-shirts with the company logo. Most recently, the Company has introduced a bike that has a better engine than all the other models.
The Company also focused on improvement of its distribution mechanism through the employment of different dealers. It held up talks that could help dealers to improve their service provisions. It also sold some of its accessories using Alternate retail outlets.
Pricing was a big part of their strategy too. The Company did not focus on price reductions but instead advocated for the purchase of motorcycles whose prices matched their quality. This was also backed up by discount offers for customers who bought small motorcycles and then traded them in for new ones. (Smith, 2003) Lastly, the company did a lot of promotions ranging from advertisements in newspapers where their catch phrase was related to the American free spirit. They also used their website to advertise and sell their items and placed inserts in magazines that depicted female bikers. All the above changes were crucial in making the Company a success in the US motor vehicle industry. This was seen when the Company was called the most Nostalgic Company in biking in 2007.

Strength of Harley Davidson current position
Introduction
Stands for -Harley Davidson represents the Sir name of the two founders of the Company back in 1903. These were Arthur Davidson and William Harvey. They started work on motorvehicles at a tender age in the privacy of their own homes. They continue with this work until a small factory was formed. This factory grew and by the time it was 1907, they had already acquired become incorporated. (Smith, 2003)

Market-The Harley Davidson Company has its market in the US. This can be deduced form demographics studies and the fact that their brand focuses on the 'American spirit'. However, most of the clients are male. In the year 2006 statistics showed that 88% of H-D buyers were male while the remaining percentage was female. It also showed that in the year 2006, most of the buyers were between the ages of forty three and forty seven. The average income earned by these customers was 82,000 dollars as of last year. Their market consists of buyers who use motorcycles for their pastime activities. This was the reason why it was necessary to use advertisements that were mainly recreational.

Positioning map and perception- the Company has earned its place in the US motorvehicle industry due to the fact that it creates a feeling of nostalgia in its buyers. This is mostly due to the fact that the image of its models resembles some classy motorvehicles used back in the 1960s. It has also gained a reputation for having top of the range engines in its bikes. The Company has also established itself in the American ...Download file to see next pagesRead More