LaughlinOutLoud

One of Harley-Davidson’s mantras is, “It’s the journey, not the destination.” And those journeys create numerous stories. Having just helped launch the Motor Company’s first Museum, I experienced first-hand another journey with one of America’s top brands.

Since I’d lived, worked and traveled in Europe and Seattle many years earlier, I was cognizant of just how far away the motorcycle company’s consumer base extended and the connections that people had with the brand. In conversations with new acquaintances, I often shared that I had grown up west of Milwaukee and the common response was, “Oh! Harley-Davidson!” And the stories would begin.

By working with the Museum team, I had the opportunity to learn so much more about the Motor Company and enjoyed hearing many personal stories of those that have experienced or been touched by Harley-Davidson. It’s made me reflect on how Harley-Davidson has built its brand over the past 105 years.

As marketing professionals, we need to factor in numerous details when creating our campaigns. The Harley-Davidson brand showcases the benefit and importance of keeping in mind that at the heart of every brand is the consumer and the consumer’s personal connection to the brand. How does it make you feel? What memory does the brand conjure up for you? What memory should you help create? What memories, stories or feelings can we use to connect the brand with the targeted media or consumers?

Shortly after the Harley-Davidson Museum opened, I had lunch with a colleague at Motor, the restaurant at the Museum. During that time we reflected on some of our memorable moments that we shared in our journey in helping launch the Museum. And for those of you that think PR is glamorous, I’ll share one of our journeys… After months of pitching an early morning national TV show producer, I got a green light on the day before Grand Opening that they would cover the Museum on Grand Opening day. At 3 a.m. on Grand Opening day, we drove to the Museum in a severe thunderstorm to meet our clients, a group of devoted Harley-Davidson riders and the morning show crew. We waited out of the rain until the last possible moment before staging the bikes, and then literally just before the shot, we had to frantically run to get rags to dry off the bikes since the producer in New York didn’t want the motorcycles to be wet…But believe me, all of the work was well worth the 50 seconds of coverage on one of the top morning shows.

As my colleague and I continued to share our stories, I took note of the lunch crowd. It was a good representation of those that we were trying to reach – an older couple, international travelers, male and female motorcyclists from MI who had taken the ferry over and rode to the Museum, and young professionals. I wish that I could’ve taken a longer lunch and joined their tables to hear their stories from their journeys and their connection to one of the best-known American brands.