Posted: May 25th, 2022

Harley-Davidson Case Term Paper

Harley-Davidson Case

The brand community and brand relationship strategy described in the Harley – Davidson case study cannot be applied for any product or service. The product to which the marketing campaign is applied needs to create, through its very own nature, the necessity of an affinity between the customer and the producer. The example of the company I will be referring to further below is relevant in this sense.

The company I work for creates software products for a consultancy company working with different important business clients. In this sense, there are two customer-producer relationships created. First of all, the relationship between the software company and the consulting company, as the first recipient. Second of all, the relationship between the consulting company and the final recipients. However, in order to create the best relationship between the producer and the final consumer, it is often the case that the intermediary (the consulting group) is skipped and the final consumers are directly addressed.

Brand Relationship Strategy

There are two important ideas to be noted here, as representing the goal of the brand relationship strategy: customization and differentiation. The main goal is to convince the final consumer that the product he will be using, the software itself, is not only created to suit his best needs (customized), but it is created by the very customer himself.

In this sense, somewhat similar to the Harley Owners Group, albeit of a somewhat different nature, the team of programmers organizes brainstorming session and brainstorming groups in which the members of the final consumer firms get together with the programmers and customize the software application to fit the exact needs of the company. It may seem like the usual business meeting, but there are several rules to be followed.

The first and most important rule is that THERE ARE NO RULES. Indeed, everything is done in the most casual way possible: no suits, junk food, a game of pool from time to time. The purpose is to create the proper environment in which each personal idea can be communicated and shared in the working group. Each member from the teams get to say what they would like the application to contain, how they think this will improve the company’s efficiency and why the project should be put in practice.

Of course, the idea was not necessarily something originally, but we thought we could go to extremes in this way. In order to evaluate the program’s efficiency, we needed to evaluate the positive vs. The negative changes it may have brought about. The evaluation found out that the program had improved communication between the final recipient and the producer and that it had led to an increase in the profits of the receiving company, due to higher returns on time spent for their particular line of activity. The costs of our own software company were reduced because, in general, we found out that the number of modifications to the initial version were limited, because the initial version was usually designed by the receivers themselves.

We additionally discovered that some of the elements of the promotional mix also benefited from this system. First of all, publicity is essential and word-of-mouth can work marvels- the right references from the right people can get one far. Many of our clients told other potential clients about the benefits of our system and this proved an efficient way to work with other people. Further more, each member of the programming team had the chance to become a sales person, because, in fact, this was their job: they are selling application features and ideas.

Advertising vs. Sales Promotions

If in the case of the company presented above, sales promotions are almost non-existent and the accent is placed on publicity (I have mentioned word-of-mouth, but we also use favorable articles in magazines such as CIO or Computerworld, as well as reviews from companies such as Giga and Metaworld), the case of Harley-Davidson, as presented in the case study is quite relevant as to point out how the two elements from the promotional mix complete each other in the life of a product.

Referring to the four phases of the product’s life, introduction, growth, maturity and decline and pointing out to the most important elements that need to be considered as reflections of net sales, volume and price, we may arrive at the conclusion that advertising is most likely to be used during the first two stages, where sales promotions are more efficient in the last two phases.

Indeed, initially, as a new product is introduced on the market, the volume of sales is rather small. The main reasons for this are the fact that people don’t know about it or that they use a different product. The price element is not necessarily relevant here and the first goal is to get the product known. This is done through extensive media advertising.

On the other hand, once the product reached the maturity and decline stages, sales promotion become essential in keeping the interest of the consumer alive. The company can expect to increase its volume levels by lower prices and remain at a certain level of net sales.

The example of Harley Davidson is relevant in pointing out the B2C aspect. The advertising component is still strong: if we go back at the case study, we note that the H.O.G. is also in charge of the entire promotional material, going from t-shirts to pins, everything to emphasize the riding experience. On the other hand, sales promotions have not yet made their way strongly in the company’s promotional mix. The reason for this is quite simple: Harley is not only a motorcycle, it is a brand.

The B2B relationship is somewhat different, in the sense that, as I have previously described the case of the software company, you do not have sales promotions and not much advertising, but strong publicity. In a business environment, a good service is discovered and told around quickly enough to make anybody want to emphasize this aspect.

As such, we may state that the sales promotion, while important in B2C (although not necessarily relevant in Harley’s case), becomes unnecessary in B2B, mainly because of the final recipient of the product or service and of what he usually wants from a product. A company has enough resource to be unresponsive to a sales promotion. On the other hand, advertising is similarly important in both cases, but there is a plus for publicity in the case of B2B, due to reasons already previously described.

The Role of ” Salespersonship”

Approach and communication are, in my opinion, the two fundamental keys for a successful sales person. In my opinion, in a business-to-business environment, because of the importance of positive publicity I have already mentioned, everybody can become a successful salesperson and “salespersonship” is applied at a universal level. The example of the programming company was relevant in this sense: the programmers themselves, both through the brainstorming program they used and through the personal relationship they developed with the final recipients helped create the good publicity the company needed in the business environment in order to create the appropriate momentum for the company. Approach and communication went hand in hand, as the approach was casual and relaxed and communication created the best customized product, increasing thus customer satisfaction, but also customer retention.

On the other hand, in a business-to-customer market environment, the emphasis is not necessarily placed on publicity. Of course, a positive publicity can only help, but, given the small area of people a customer can actually influence, it is not necessarily a reliable element of the promotional mix.

However, the case study demonstrated how advertising and publicity could work together through the H.O.G. More people were brought together and the company message, of being close to its customer and of attending to its needs, became clearer and approached a large customer base. Further more, in my opinion the B2C approach and the B2B came closer together in the Harley – Davidson and we had an exemplification of how the two approaches can function together.

Bibliography

1. Low G.S.; Mohr J.J.. Advertising vs. sales promotion: a brand management perspective. Journal of Product and Brand Management. June 2000, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 389-414(26). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

2. SALES PROMOTION: WHAT it ENCOMPASSES. On the Internet at http://www.mediacenteronline.com/visitor/pages/TVBASICS/sheet4.htm

3. Gorchels, Linda. The Product Manager’s Handbook.

Low G.S.; Mohr J.J.. Advertising vs. sales promotion: a brand management perspective. Journal of Product and Brand Management. June 2000, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 389-414(26). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

---

Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply

Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?

Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.

Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?

• Plagiarism free papers
• Timely delivery
• Any deadline
• Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
• Subject-relevant academic writer
• Adherence to paper instructions
• Ability to tackle bulk assignments
• Reasonable prices
• 24/7 Customer Support
• Get superb grades consistently

 

Online Academic Help With Different Subjects

Literature

Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.

Finance

Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.

Computer science

Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!

Psychology

While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.

Engineering

Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.

Nursing

In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.

Sociology

Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.

Business

We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!

Statistics

We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.

Law

Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.

What discipline/subjects do you deal in?

We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.

Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?

Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.

What if I don’t like the paper?

There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.

Reasons being:

• When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
• We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.

In the event that you don’t like your paper:

• The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
• We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
• Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.

Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?

Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.

What if the paper is plagiarized?

We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.

When will I get my paper?

You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.

Will anyone find out that I used your services?

We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.

How our Assignment  Help Service Works

1.      Place an order

You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.

2.      Pay for the order

Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.

3.      Track the progress

You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.

4.      Download the paper

The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.

PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!

---