Harley Davidson Marketing Challenges

This assignment analyzes the marketing challenges faced by Harley Davidson as its traditional target demographic of aging baby boomers declines. It explores strategies employed by the company to adapt to changing consumer preferences, including product restructuring, diversity initiatives, and targeted advertising campaigns. The assignment examines relevant theories and concepts applied by Harley Davidson to overcome these challenges and recommends future marketing approaches for sustainable growth.

Running head: HARLEY DAVIDSON
Harley Davidson
Name of the student
University name
Author’s note

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HARLEY DAVIDSON
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Synopsis of case...............................................................................................................................2
Application of relevant theories or concepts...................................................................................3
Recommendations............................................................................................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................4
References........................................................................................................................................5

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Introduction
The current assignment focuses on the North American based heavy based motorcycles
company. The company divided its services into different components such as the motorcycle,
related products and financial services. The assignment discusses about the challenges faced by
the Harley Davidson Company in the marketing and promotion of its products from the ageing
baby boomers
Synopsis of case
The Harley Davidson Company established itself publicly in 1986 in the North American
market and catered to a narrowly targeted segment of middle aged men. However, the company
recognized that for the purpose of expanding the sales, the company need to target new target
segment of customers. The objectives of the company were divided into two main components
such as: 1. Designing quality based reliable products, 2. providing highly customised and stylish
end products to the customers ("2017 Harley-Davidson Motorcycles | Harley-Davidson India",
2017).
One of the main challenges that Harley Davidson faced was in the marketing of its products. As
argued by Roese et al. (2017), the company faced one of the major challenges in the areas of
generating sufficient interest in the products of the brand in a target population other the
traditional audiences targeted by the company. As commented by McAlexander et al. ( 2016),
one of the main target audiences of the Harley and Davidson company were the ageing US
boomers, who due to their age lost their interest in the fast riding vehicles and motor bikes.

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Application of relevant theories or concepts
A number concepts and theories were applied by the Hartley and Davidson for coping
with the challenges faced in the sales and promotion of the motorcycle and relatable products.
Restructuring product
The Harley and Davidson group undertook a number of restructuring initiatives with a
goal of reducing production costs and maximizing efficiencies. The company focussed upon
reducing the huge vrooming sounds generated at the start of the vehicle ("2017 Harley-Davidson
Motorcycles | Harley-Davidson India", 2017). As commented by Palepu & Lane (2014), the
same was seen as an eco-friendly move by both the aging baby boomers and the new age target
segment.
Diversity and inclusion
The company believed in promoting the concept of diversity and promotion with a view
of catering to the different requirements of a wide section of customer groups. As commented by
Carraher (2014), the measures were implemented by the company to remove any particular
biases arising by serving a particular group of community.
Recommendations
In order to enhance the sale of the company a number of alternate strategies or marketing
options were used such as production of more environmentally sound products along with
maintaining high standards of accurate advertising strategies. Additionally, launching cost
effective products by in sourcing of the raw materials could help in attributing to the causes of
the target segments.

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Conclusion
The target segment considered the riding of motor vehicles could without safety gears
could be hazardous. The industry believed that such myths could propagate a wrong picture of
the Harley Davidson in the motorcycling industry apart from limiting the sales of the company.
Therefore by bringing about a paradigm in the product sales and marketing the situation of fix of
the company can be overcome.

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References
2017 Harley-Davidson Motorcycles | Harley-Davidson India. (2017). Harley-Davidson.
Retrieved 21 September 2017, from
http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_IN/Motorcycles/motorcycles.html
Carraher, S. M. (2014). Consumer behavior, online communities, collaboration, IFRS, and
Tung. Journal of Technology Management in China, 9(1).
McAlexander, J. H., Koenig, H. F., & DuFault, B. (2016). Millennials and Boomers: increasing
alumni affinity and intent to give by target market segmentation. International Journal of
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 21(2), 82-95.
Palepu, K., & Lane, D. (2014). Harley-Davidson in India (A).
Roese, N. J., Roese, N. J., Kompella, M., & Kompella, M. (2017). Harley-Davidson: Chasing a
New Generation of Customers. Kellogg School of Management Cases, 1-12.