Tag: positioning

An Interesting Case; Harley-Davidson Perfume

Introduction

From the very start, Harley Davidson (HD) was able to build bonds with its customers and remain one of the most popular brands till this very day.  It has built a lot of communities around it such as Harley Owners Group (H.O.G) and organised a lot of riding events. HD positioned itself as a lifestyle rather than a regular brand which helped it to create a strong relationship with the customers and to ensure their loyalty.

To grow its business, Harley Davidson made a lot of brand extensions that communicated its message and catered to its brand image. This allowed it to attract new customers and to retain the existing ones. The brand extensions done by Harley were usually consistent with its brand image and values. Its core values represent freedom, authenticity, toughness, masculinity which is represented by the unique sound of the exhaust, and community building.

Harley Davidson positioned itself as a way of living freely in the minds of the consumers. It was shown at first as a representation of rebellion. Its ads campaigns always show the motorcycle as the “machine of freedom and independence”.

When choosing a Harley, it is never about transportation for the customers, “It’s about living life in the way you choose.” Also, Harley Davidson sponsored a lot of riding and sports events such as “The Ultimate Fighting Championship” in order to alter the brand’s perception and to create certain attitudes and associations with the brand. It also helped it in its positioning in the minds of the consumers.

HD is popular with its wide variety of brand extensions, from accessories to match the bike to clothing and restaurants which matched the brand’s heritage. Brand extensions need to always be consistent with the brand’s image and core values.

For the consumers, they are kind of a representation of what the brand stands for, so consistency is a must. HD once failed when introducing a new product because it “did not resonate with the brand’s tough identity.”

Product

Harley Davidson introduced in the mid-90s a perfume which faced a major failure. They launched a perfume for the men and another one for the women that would presumably give them “the scent of freedom.” The HD perfume received a lot of criticism which led the company to stop its production. One of the major reasons of its failure was due to its incoherence with the brand’s values.

Harley Davidson failed to understand the consumers and their behaviour when launching this product. They only wanted to gain profits without thinking of the consequences or the impact that it may have on the brand positioning and its image.

HD stands for freedom and individualism, this product did not seem to fit in with its core values and brand identity. The customers perceive HD as a way to express their freedom and individuality, they perceive HD as something that makes them feel powerful, and such a product did not seem to resonate with their perception of the brand.

Harley Davidson has managed to meet the needs of its consumers from the very beginning, it gave them something that would allow them to experience new things and reach a point of self-actualisation. Part of the messages that they communicated was to make and encourage the consumers to go out on the open road in search of their true self and identity. However, Harley seemed to have a faulty understanding of its consumers upon launching the perfume.

HD had been constantly associated with a tough identity and this product seemed too soft for the consumers. They perceived it as something that does not belong to the brand. The consumers interacted with and responded to the product based on affection. Their emotional response and their perception of the brand seemed to be disrupted by this perfume.

Products that do not resonate with the brand’s image and identity might affect perceptions and cause confusions about the brand’s positioning. HD should have taken the psychological factor that affects the consumers into consideration. The continuous exposure to Harley’s messages affects the customers’ perception, attitude, and motivation.

Upon making a decision, consumers tend to be affected by a lot of factors. The past experiences of the brand extensions could have affected their perception of the perfume as well. Due to Harley’s messages and constant brand extensions that resonate with its image, the consumers perceived this product as a misrepresentation of the brand. Their attitude about the brand could have also contributed to this brand extension failure.

Harley seemed to create an attitude of rebellion which encouraged the customers to always try new experiences as well, it is very difficult to cause a change in that attitude . Producing a product that does not resonate with that attitude would also be very risky. HD did not understand the motivation of the consumers when launching the perfume. The experience and the heritage of the brand is what drive the consumers to act. HD encourages the costumers to be rebellious and to find and explore their true self out there on the road.

The perfume does not fit with this lifestyle, and it was not personally relevant for the consumers. They were not able to make a link with the perfume and the lifestyle and values of the HD. Customers are motivated by things that are consistent in their minds. Their perception of the HD is hedonistic and symbolic at the same time. The customers perceive the HD products as things that are for their personal enjoyment which signal and say a lot about their self-image at the same time. It seemed to cater for the need of affiliation and belonging to a specific group and pack of people.

When it comes to HD, it is always about the pack and enjoying the ride. In addition, having an attitude towards a brand usually makes it easier for the consumers since it does not require a significant amount of mental effort to make associations and links with the brand. Products need to always be consistent to compliment the attitude and the image the brand is trying to create for itself, it also makes it less risky for the brand as well. The perfume contradicted the links and associations with the HD brand. It did not resonate with the customers’ attitude and expectation of the brand.

Launching this product was very risky; it could have caused a change in the attitudes and the perceptions of the consumers due to its contradictions with the HD values. There always needs to be a consistency in the products and the brand’s message and identity so that the attitude and the perception of the consumers of HD do not change.

The continuous exposure to the wild and adventurous side of the brand led to a positive link with it, and it personalised the experience of the consumers which caused them to reject the idea of having a product like a perfume which does not match with these links.

When Harley Davidson launched the perfume, it was very likely that they were only thinking about profits disregarding the customers and their attitudes and perceptions. However, profit should not be the main incentive for HD or any other brand, building relationships and loyalties that could last for a very long time are more important.

Before launching a product, HD should make sure that they do the appropriate research to understand the consumers and how they will perceive the product. The priority should always be that the product matches and is consistent with their image and brand identity. It is very risky to alienate the consumers and affect their relationships and perceptions toward the brand.  A product like a perfume could have meant a short-term gain for HD, but it would have certainly affected the brand and its core products a lot on the long run.