Name: SENTHIL N VELU

ID # 1403024
Case # HARLEY DAVIDSON POSSE RIDE
The Harley Owners Group or HOG is a factory sponsored motorcycle enthusiast club
established in 1983. Its main aim was to negate the influence of outlaw bike-gangs as the
face of the Harley Davidson brand and enhance the lifestyle experience of a Harley
Davidson owner.
In order to generate large number of memberships, the HOG was open to all Harley
owners and was available for free for the first year. The rallies organized by HOG serve
as a vital tool for building the brand community by linking riders together. It appeals to a
wide variety of character traits of members ranging from need for meeting new and
different people to the sense of achievement of adding to their biking autobiography.
Rallies were classified into the following two buckets.
Destination Rallies, Rolling Rallies and Posse Rides:
The high adventure-low cost success recipe of the rolling rallies led to the inception of
the iconic HOG Posse rides. The first posse ride was devised as a coast to coast ride from
Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine.
The number of registrations was restricted to 250 members to give the ride a sense of
exclusivity. The members were an even mix of rally veterans and relative novices. This
led to a sense of spontaneity and momentousness which became the face of the first Posse
ride. Certain rituals like the story night and the Posse oath became rituals for all future
posse rides. The challenging paths and the long journey coupled with the story nights and
oath taking led to a tremendous sense of camaraderie among the Posse riders.
Posse rides were a clear indicator of the core Harley Davidson philosophies of success
and tradition which led to the inception of a sequel to Posse 1. Posse 2 was described as
the border to border ride from Texas to North Dakota passing through the legendary,
Road to Nowhere. The registration limit for this ride was increased to 400 to
accommodate the increasing interest in the Posse Ride, while at the same time preserving
the exclusivity of the ride. Though many members did not approve of the route for the 2nd
ride, they were actively interested in coming for it because it was the ride and not the
route which mattered for them. This very aptly epitomises the entire concept of the Posse
Ride. The Posse rides thus went a long way in addressing the issues of customer loyalty
faced by the firm.

The riders of the Posse ride are an integral part of the whole concept and their attitudes
and perception regarding the ride is what builds the brand community for Harley. This
ride has been intended as a learning process for the riders as they are passionate about
their Harleys and riding them. The ride will cement not only their initial perception about
the brand but will also build new linkages.
As the riders take part in the Posse experience, they already have built in ratings for the
various attributes that contribute to the overall Harley Brand equity. The ride is a crucial
exercise to change the rating given to different attributes and also bring in new attitudes
to the attribute mix.
Based on various interviews conducted with some Harley riders, some of the key drivers
for them to associate with Harley as a brand and Posse as an experience are:
Ride gives them a sense of camaraderie and a chance to share a journey with individuals
who have similar reasons to be associated with a brand like Harley. For many riders,
riding the Harley is a lifestyle in itself and only another Harley owner can understand it.
Also, the association with the group drives observational learning where the styles
adopted by your co riders can influence the buying patterns as well.
For most of the riders, the Posse ride represents an opportunity to break free and thus
associating the brand with a carefree attitude. At the same time, the fact that a brand like
Harley stands behind the biking culture gives you a sense of empowerment and pride.
When asked to give a reason that why would you recommend Posse ride to someone,
Barbara Hammet remarked:If you have to ask you would not understand. There is not one
reason.
This statement clearly illustrates the deep associations and bonding that Harley owners
have with their bikes which transcends across new bikers, old bikers, bikers across
different income levels etc. These deeply held attitudes and perceptions about Harley are
held because of its long standing lineage and its continued support of various rallies and
gatherings and the continued efforts to make the Harley community feel special. This
translates into the intended behaviour of Harley riders eagerly signing up for more than
one Posse ride.