What is Harley trying to start here?

[Tre_11 FLHX]

I beleive it's a great marketing add.  I'm certainly not white (Dad from Mexico and Mother From Dublin Ireland), not that it matters.  After 30 years associated with US Army, the only color I see is Green. 

My only wonder is, what took them so long and why target just Black riders.  I know thousands of Mexican American riders also.

JMHO,
Tre'

[98roadking]

All except for the 'beach bars' I LIKE that purple ride!

Funny, I like the purple bike except for the purple. I also like the black springer.
There are lots af black Harley riders in this area.

[hd06myway]

I don't feel strongly about it either way I guess... it's a marketing strategy, I guess no different then when HD ran that add back in the early 90's aimed at the hardcore pre-Evo riders like myself, who spent half our time working on and dismantling our rides because our bikes were breaking down, and we wouldn't be caught dead riding foreign iron.. call us stupid, pig headed or blindly American, it was more HDs look and sound like unworldly beasts and I'm not ridin' a queer metric bike made to meet nice people on...    The add I'm referring to was the "Would You Sell An Unreliable Motorcycle To The Guys" advert.  Well, for a big portion of the Shovel era they did.. 

[Ultrashovel]

Harley needs some help in advertising. While I think that it's fine to highlight the black motorcycle clubs, I recall when the Bad Boy Softail came out, they had a picture of one parked in front of a prison and pointed out the image that the bike projected. WTF is that all about?

I like bikes, but I don't want to go to prison to improve my image.   

[glens]

I guess I need to watch it again, but I didn't take it so much as advertising as show us what you're doing with our product.  There's a disclaimer at the start that H-D doesn't endorse all aspects of what's to follow.  I've never seen any sort of recent advertising from them where the riders weren't wearing at least helmets.

[hd06myway]

Harley needs some help in advertising. While I think that it's fine to highlight the black motorcycle clubs, I recall when the Bad Boy Softail came out, they had a picture of one parked in front of a prison and pointed out the image that the bike projected. WTF is that all about?

I like bikes, but I don't want to go to prison to improve my image.   

I actually liked that ad.  I didn't see it as glorifying prisoners, just a play on the bike's model name.  To a lesser degree, Dodge's Caliber ad depicting it as a juvinile delinquent was in the same vien I thought.

[dunbarton]

HD's getting desperate to replace all the OF's abandoning riding and buying bikes and accessories. Standard operating procedure for marketing is to identify your target market and tailor your advertising so they identify with it. No more, no less.
It would be more subtle if they showed inter-racial groups in their advertisements but probably wouldn't get them the short-term results they want and need.

[westbrs]

Where is the ad celebrating white riders?

[hogwilde1]

I see nothing wrong with the add, I thought we were all brothers?

[glens]

I watched it again, as well the one about the East Bay Dragons.

They are not advertisements and I think they're cool.  Get your own homeboys together, get your story to H-D, and if they think your story is interesting enough they'll send the film crew over.  That's what I get out of the whole "campaign".

I did notice a few non-H-Ds in that first one, by the way.

[seattledyna]

Where is the ad celebrating white riders?

That would be about every HD ad for the last 100 years

[justplainjim]

I see nothing wrong with the add, I thought we were all brothers?



OH Please!!!

[hd06myway]

I watched it again, as well the one about the East Bay Dragons.

They are not advertisements and I think they're cool.  Get your own homeboys together, get your story to H-D, and if they think your story is interesting enough they'll send the film crew over.  That's what I get out of the whole "campaign".

I did notice a few non-H-Ds in that first one, by the way.

You got it right bro... 

[Gunney8]

What I meant by "I'm speechless" was that I would think showing a mixed ethic group of riders would have been better than to further polorize our group.... why all black, or all white. I still am speechless...

[IndyHarley]

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

[Ultrashovel]

What I meant by "I'm speechless" was that I would think showing a mixed ethic group of riders would have been better than to further polorize our group.... why all black, or all white. I still am speechless...

There is nothing new about companies pitching their ads towards specific groups. For example, in South Central L.A., most of the bill boards are done in Spanish. One good reason for this is that most of the inhabitants in that area are Spanish speaking. No one seems to complain about that.

Another example is Los Angeles Magazine. All of the ads are pitched to rich folks. I'm talking diamond bracelets, clothing, restaurants, wristwathes. There are no ads for homeless soup kitchens or how to survive liiving under a freeway underpass. Isn't that discrmiinatory?

My take on it is that Harley is looking to increase their business in certain interest groups. What a surprise. Duh.