Lesson #5: From Sight to Sound, Create a Signature Brand
Lesson #5: From Sight to Sound, Create a Signature Brand
Today’s Harley-Davidson riders are indeed that – loyal, to the point of being cult-like – and, that isn’t just an accident. Since the company’s inception, Harley and the Davidson’s have taken deliberate steps to establishing a unique image for itself from its competitors. From specifying component noise source levels to performing lab and track tests, every step was taken to ensure Harley-Davidson bikes had a signature sound. They knew that bike owners didn’t just want to get from Point A to Point B; they wanted an experience. In giving its motorcycles a unique sound, the company was providing the soundtrack to that experience.
Few other companies have the loyal following that the Harley-Davidson Motor Co. boasts today. It is a following that began being cultivated back in 1916, when the company put out its first issue of The Enthusiast, a magazine for the motorcycle devotee. Since then, it has continued to reign as the longest continuously published motorcycle magazine in the world. It has not only helped to create a community of dedicated motorcycle enthusiasts but also to establish Harley-Davidson as the common link that joins them all together.
In 1910, the first Bar & Shield logo appeared on a Harley-Davidson motorbike. It was trademarked by the U.S. Patent Office the next year. Today, that symbol has become synonymous with the brand. So, too, has the art-deco eagle design that continues to be painted on all Harley-Davidson motorcycles. What began as an attempt in 1933 to stimulate low sales during the Great Depression has become part of the company’s identity, and a symbol of American culture to boot. In 1925, all Harley-Davidson gas tanks also took on a unique shape, being fashioned in the form of a distinctive teardrop.
Harley-Davidson has also attempted to extend its brand even further by expanding into the retail clothing market. Of significant note is the company’s move in 1947 to begin selling a classic black leather motorcycle jacket. Today, few motorcycle owners – whether Harley-Davidson fans or not – feel complete without this jacket.
The legacy of Harley and the Davidson brothers’ attempts to build a unique and strong brand live on in H.O.G. – the Harley Owners Group. Founded in 1983, this group immediately became the world’s largest factory-sponsored club of motorcycle enthusiasts. In six years, membership had soared to over 90,000. Today, H.O.G. boasts more than half a million members, which speaks volumes to the strength of the brand and the passion Harley-Davidson owners feel towards their machines and each other.
Lesson 5 From Sight to Sound Create a Signature Brand
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It has been described as a “throaty pounding and off-centered drumming beat,” but everyone who owns a Harley-Davidson motorcycle knows what it is to hear one. In fact, the adept ear can pick a Harley out of a crowd before the eyes are even able to see it; every bike the company produces sounds the same when you turn the keys, and yet completely different from any other bike manufacturer. Attaching a unique sound to Harley-Davidson engines was just one of many deliberate steps the company’s four founders took to build a strong brand and a loyal following.
Today’s Harley-Davidson riders are indeed that – loyal, to the point of being cult-like – and, that isn’t just an accident. Since the company’s inception, Harley and the Davidson’s have taken deliberate steps to establishing a unique image for itself from its competitors. From specifying component noise source levels to performing lab and track tests, every step was taken to ensure Harley-Davidson bikes had a signature sound. They knew that bike owners didn’t just want to get from Point A to Point B; they wanted an experience. In giving its motorcycles a unique sound, the company was providing the soundtrack to that experience.
Few other companies have the loyal following that the Harley-Davidson Motor Co. boasts today. It is a following that began being cultivated back in 1916, when the company put out its first issue of The Enthusiast, a magazine for the motorcycle devotee. Since then, it has continued to reign as the longest continuously published motorcycle magazine in the world. It has not only helped to create a community of dedicated motorcycle enthusiasts but also to establish Harley-Davidson as the common link that joins them all together.
In 1910, the first Bar & Shield logo appeared on a Harley-Davidson motorbike. It was trademarked by the U.S. Patent Office the next year. Today, that symbol has become synonymous with the brand. So, too, has the art-deco eagle design that continues to be painted on all Harley-Davidson motorcycles. What began as an attempt in 1933 to stimulate low sales during the Great Depression has become part of the company’s identity, and a symbol of American culture to boot. In 1925, all Harley-Davidson gas tanks also took on a unique shape, being fashioned in the form of a distinctive teardrop.
Harley-Davidson has also attempted to extend its brand even further by expanding into the retail clothing market. Of significant note is the company’s move in 1947 to begin selling a classic black leather motorcycle jacket. Today, few motorcycle owners – whether Harley-Davidson fans or not – feel complete without this jacket.
The legacy of Harley and the Davidson brothers’ attempts to build a unique and strong brand live on in H.O.G. – the Harley Owners Group. Founded in 1983, this group immediately became the world’s largest factory-sponsored club of motorcycle enthusiasts. In six years, membership had soared to over 90,000. Today, H.O.G. boasts more than half a million members, which speaks volumes to the strength of the brand and the passion Harley-Davidson owners feel towards their machines and each other.
Lesson 5 From Sight to Sound Create a Signature Brand
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Lesson #5: From Sight to Sound, Create a Signature Brand
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 It has been described as a “throaty pounding and off-centered drumming beat,” but everyone who owns a Harley-Davidson motorcycle knows what it is to hear one. In fact, the adept ear can pick a Harley out of a crowd ... |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Michel NerayMichel Neray has over 25 years of experience as an award-winning copywriter, an Internet pioneer, a tradeshow pitchman and a senior sales and marketing executive. An online pioneer, he was one of the first marketing professionals to embrace the Internet by building websites as early as 1993. In 1994, Michel co-authored a book entitled "The Great Crossover: Personal Confidence in the Age of the Microchip", which made it to Jack Canfield's Achiever's Recommended Reading List. Michel founded Portfolios.com in 1995, the world's first online source directory for creative professionals and one of the first websites based on community generated content. Since creating The Essential Message in 2003, Michel has helped thousands of independent professionals and entrepreneurs as well as growing corporations find a better way to differentiate, position and brand themselves. In 2005, his chapter "Everything Starts With A Conversation" was selected as the lead for the book, "Sales Gurus Speak Out" and re-published in 2008 for 'Awakening The Workplace Volume 3'. He is also a co-author of "In the Company of Leaders" (2008) with 40 top North American leadership experts. - Visit Michel Neray's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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