Posted by john gerrard on April 13, 2000 at 16:55:16:
Did anybody else ever just stop and take a minute to realize that H/D has probably got one of the greatest marketing schemes of this and the last century. I'll admit I do like Harleys but there are many other bikes that I like just as well. But stop and think about it H/D has so many people totaly brainwased it is just amazing to me. It is almost an American icon. Tell someone you have a new bike and the first thing out of their mouths is "is it a Harley?". My best friend just bought a new Suzuki 1500 Intruder and was going to show it to a friend (?) of ours who owns a "Bad Boy" and because it wasn't a H/D he wouldn't even walk outside to look at it. Know I know this guy is a real butt-head but how does a company get such a hold on a person? Is it hype, is it advertising, is it reputation? I wish I knew how they did it. I do believe that the current trend of Japanese imports are eventually going to take a very big hunk out of H/D unless H/D change their marketing practice. Either they are going to have to get price competive or the imports are going to get greedy and bring their prices up to match H/D. Whats you opinion? My daughter was kidding me the other night when I was waxing my Savage but I told her my bike may not be the biggest or the most expensive but as good as it looks and sounds it will still turn heads :>) John