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Lesson #5: From Sight to Sound, Create a Signature Brand

Article Overview: 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.

Lesson #5: From Sight to Sound, Create a Signature Brand

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.

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Article Tags: bike manufacturer, bike owners, brandit, davidsons, deliberate steps, devotee, harley davidson, harley davidson bikes, harley davidson engines, harley davidson motor, harley davidson motorcycle, harley davidson riders, motor co, motorcycle enthusiasts, motorcycle magazine, noise source, signature sound, source levels, track tests, unique sound



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