Steve Piehl, Harley-Davidson

A road not taken is the next adventure waiting. Live to ride; ride to live. These are just a few of the creeds that Harley riders live by. Whether it’s the vision of the open road, the shine of chrome, or the smell of dust mixed with exhaust, people are drawn to Harley-Davidson motorcycles. How often do you see someone with “Honda” tattooed on their chest? Harleys are the stuff that dreams and identities are made of.

Steve Piehl, who was the director of communications at Harley-Davidson before retiring in 2015, helped shape people’s dreams for more than 25 years. He used traditional marketing channels such as print, radio, and television advertising; however, Harley also, understandably, approaches marketing nontraditionally.

The focus of Harley marketing is not selling a product, but selling an experience. Piehl explains, “The difference of that experience is what has given us success. We don’t categorize what that experience is. We leave it up to people to make it their own.” For some, a Harley is a ticket to freedom; for others, it is a knockout ride to work. Harley’s promotion of accessories supports this idea. As Piehl says, “No two Harleys on the street are the same.” A part of the purchasing process is a meeting with a “chrome consultant” who can help with customizing and accessorizing your bike. In this way, the bike becomes part of one’s identity.

Part of Harley’s focus on experience is its support of motorcycle riding as a sport. On its website and at the dealerships, it provides tips and classes for rider improvement. Through the Harley Owners Group (HOG), a membership group of Harley owners, Harley promotes events and rallies where owners can get together and ride. They form what Piehl calls “brothers and sisters of the road.”

It is with this focus on the “sport” that Harley creates its most powerful marketing tool: the motorcycle mentor. Through the nature of the Harley community, previous owners coach new owners on buying a more advanced bike, taking an overnight trip, or packing for long-distance rides. Piehl says, “We would be doing a disservice if we said we reach everyone with our product announcements. But when we put it out, it works its way through the customer base. Our owners sell our products. They encourage people to get more involved in the sport.” And tools such as chat rooms on the Harley website or magazines such as HOGtales and Motorcycle Enthusiast facilitate that sharing.

So how does Harley-Davidson measure its marketing success? It participates in Customer Satisfaction Index studies to measure satisfaction for people who purchase new motorcycles. But it is the statistic that over 90 percent of Harley owners will repurchase a Harley that carries the weight. “When we get a customer, we can pretty much keep them. Our marketing is to get new customers and to keep existing [customers] happy,” Piehl says.

It is just another part of Harley’s creed: We believe life is what you make it, and we make it one heck of a ride.

Sources: Interview with Steve Piehl, “Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Is Tamer, Still not a family Affair,” Hagerty, https://www.hagerty.com, August 29, 2016; “What Is Harley Davidson’s Marketing Strategy?” http://marketrealist.com, March 31, 2016; “Steve Piehl Is Retiring from Harley Davidson,” Cyrilhuzblog.com, July 23, 2015, http://cyrilhuzeblog.com/2015/06/23/steve-piehl-is-retiring-from-harley-davidson.