Journal of Hotel and Business Management
Open Access

Abstract

Harley Davidson Decamps India

Chiranjan Shubha Kumar, H B Dhavan, Abhishek G H and Madhav Murthy*

The profitability of a company is proportional to the perfectness achieved in marketing the brand. They must have the art of telling stories so enthralling that people lose track of their wallets, as described by New York Times. Marketing is the soul of organization determining the survival of a product in the market. It is quintessential as it helps in reaching the consumers and create an impact on their minds even before the product is launched. Marketing simply includes advertising, selling, and delivering products to consumers. The key result effective marketing shows in not moving a brand is from sluggish to proactive without even changing a single aspect of the product itself. Keeping the motto of the company alive has its own challenges.

William H Harley in 1901 had envisioned a blueprint of his two-wheeler bicycle that he managed to pull-off along with his childhood friend Arthur Davidson. They managed to get help from Arthur’s elder brother in the initial business phases. It has not turned back since then. Their business grew and they created motor bicycles in 1903 under the brand name Harley-Davidson. The company is highly reputed in the marketplace with customers who are extremely content with the global image of the brand. Harley gives its entire customer an opportunity to customize to incorporate unique features in their motorcycle to suit their personality. More so, some Harley owners go to a greater extent to exhibit their sense of brotherhood. They get ‘Harley-Davidson’ (HD) tattooed on their arms to show-off in rallies organized by Harley Owners group. The annualized meet is a stage for customers to interact with others’ ‘Harleys’. This helps to develop a sense of fraternity among the followers. The company enjoys such gatherings for it is time to take some valuable feedback 1st hand and incorporate innovative changes.

Harley doesn’t stop with their customized rumbling bikes, for it will be incomplete to modify the ride without adding a charm to the rider. From leather jackets to boots, from gloves to helmet, from shirts to jeans and even luggage holders for that long cross-country ride, Harley has it all. There was nothing that could stop Harley-Davidson as nothing had stopped William and Harley before. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case now. With their unrealizable solutions to enigmatic problems, the company is to exit India. Even after having a huge brand image and a loyal fan base, it faced critical challenges. The marketing strategy in Indian market was unable to tap across different segments of customers.

The vast population of the country provided ample opportunities and the company chose to allure the disposable income group constituting the elite segment. It wasn’t wholly their fault as the import tariffs were huge which led to unpleasant rates. Nevertheless, rich are rich and they can afford what they want. This was what kept Harley growing and interested. Their advertisements were minimal as one could see it rarely in newspapers and magazines. Harley invariable had an attitude which never intended to market the product but they always catered to the brand image.The conversations of Harley are tangible to comfort and aesthetics. The top speed and mileage are ghostly to people as the image company has induced keeps priority focus on the former. Catering to a narrow segment of population led to creation of limitations in the market. Although, they leveraged their position through Street 500 and 750 exports from Haryana Division, it proved to be a weak point. Moreover, sales were not optimal throughout the decade. The expectations of the marketing team didn’t quite sit well, rather never sat. The study aimed at the popularity and brand image of Harley from public perspective and the factors that forced the company to exit from India and the aftermath is discussed. The study includes the gaps in pricing, the culture prevalent in the Indian market and other factors which led to the unsuccessful ending for HD. The methodology adopted in entirety is market research and available online information. The findings provide an insight for the existing well to do companies and the future investors who look at India as an opportunity for growth.

Published Date: 2021-09-13; Received Date: 2021-05-03