Topic 3When Consumer Reports Talks, Buyers Listen

Harley-Davidson

http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Content/Pages/home.html

http://www.harley-davidsontaipei.com.tw/index.php

Harley-Davidson Few brands engender (casue, produce) such intense

( strength) loyalty as that found in the hearts of Harley-Davidson mototcycle owners.

Why? Because the company’s marketers spend a great deal of time thinking about customers.

They want to know hwo customers are, how they think and feel, and why they buy a Harley. That attention to detail has helped build Harley-Davidson into a $5 billion company with more than 900,000 Harley Owners Group (HOG) members, the largest compnay-sponsored owner’s group in the world.

Harley-Davidson Harely sells much more than motorcycles. The

company sells a feeling of independence, individualism, and freedom. These strong emotional(concerned with emotions and feelings) connections (a relationship between two things,people, or groups) have made Harley-Davidson ownership much more of a lifestyle than only a product consumption (the act of buying and using things) experience.

Harley-Davidson

To support that lifestyle, Harley-Davidson knows that its most important marketing tool is the network of individuals that ride Harleys. For this reason, Harley-Davidson engages (involve) its customer base through company-sponsored travel adventures, events, and other things such as clothes and accessories (belts, neck) both for riders and for those who simply like to associate (join) with the brand.

Harley-Davidson After reading the story of Harley-Davidson, answer the

following questions about managing profitable (good) customer relationships.

1. How does Harley-Davidson build long-term customer relationships?

2. What is Harely-Davidson’s value proposition(suggestions)?

3. Relate the concept (thought) of cusotmer equity (justice ) to Harley-Davidson. How does Harley-Davidson’s strategy(policy) focus on the right relationships with the right customers?

Harley-Davidson

Reference: Armstrong & Kotler,Marketing An Interoduciton, ninth edition. Pearson International Edition.