The global equaliser
The Harley Davidson brand links bikers from all walks of life
THE one thing that always lingers in the minds of marketing executives is the challenge of building up a brand from scratch.
For Harley Davidson that has turned into a global household name through 110 years of heritage, it would be no mean feat to continue on with the tradition.
Now the responsibility lies on the shoulders of Bill Davidson, the great grandson of the company’s cofounder William A Davidson, who has spent his lifetime or almost 30 years in the company.
Bill recently made his way to this part of the world for the Asia Harley Days and spoke to StarBizWeek on the sidelines of the event.
“We kicked off our 110th anniversary celebration last year in the United States, and since then, we have travelled across 11 other countries on six continents to commemorate this significant date. Asia Harley Days is held in conjunction with the international chapter, and it’s exciting to see so many countries represented here.
“It’s such a great experience to feel the passion and see the owners here. What is really exciting for us is the strength of our brand in all areas of the world,” he says.
Talking about the brand, he says there’s just a certain spark in the brand that just connects everyone to Harley Davidson, no matter whether it’s the rebellious image, or the unique style of the motorcycles.
“All these represent quality, beautiful styling with a classic look, and of course the thumping exhaust note which is music to my ears,” he says.
To Bill, who first started riding motorcycles at the age of seven, riding a Harley Davidson is a unique experience.
“Certainly the motorcycles themselves are unique, but it’s the whole experience of bring riders together. This is one of the reasons why we do events like this and give our riders the chance to share stories and have fun together,” he says.
On venturing into international markets like China and India, he says market research indicates that the demographics possess strong knowledge of the brand, and that provides the company with a strong foundation to build upon.
“As we move into the future, the international markets are a focus to us, and the growth opportunities are tremendous compared with the US market, where we dominate with a 60% share,” he says.
In Malaysia, Harley Davidson certainly has made an impression with the Ride N Seek series featuring Jaime Dempsey spending a whole month exploring Peninsular Malaysia from the southern Johor to Kedah.
With more than one million members in its Harley Owners Group or HOG, it is by far the largest, most active international motorcycle club in the world, and this is the strongest backbone and support for the company.
“I believe it’s a social thing, where riders connect globally, split into the brotherhood and the sisterhood factions, where say a member from Malaysia could meet someone from the US if he is travelling over. The camaraderie with our brand is a powerful ingredient, and we attract people from all walks of life. This is the element that has really stood out during my travels, and this is the equaliser among customers and fans,” he says.
According to him, chance encounters could also become lifechanging events, when two souls get hitched and settle down for life, and he says this happens frequently with Harley Davidson being the link.
But being such a household name does have its own struggles when the company was on the verge of collapse in the 1980s, which is deeply ingrained in Bill’s memories.
“It was really scary as we were literally just within hours of closing down. It was on a New Year’s Eve when the family was having dinner together, and there wasn’t even a word spoken, as everyone was just waiting for that one phonecall − the call that brought news of the banks agreeing to finance Harley Davidson,” he says.
“It’s a turnaround story, and now our focus is to maintain what we do best and what we are known for, which is the customs and the touring bikes. However, we are consumer-led in everything we do and we take that seriously,” he says.
Bill is also the current vice-president of the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, which is the largest corporate archival collections of unrestored Harley Davidson motorcycles and artifacts in the world.
He is responsible for overseeing its overall business including marketing communications, special event activities and daily operations.
“Right now we are just looking at expanding the collections in the museum as Milwaukee is the birthplace of the company, and my desire it to make it a global destination,” he says.