Harley’s New Ad Agency Plans to Make Waves

By Cameron Vanderhorst - February 5, 2020

Harley-Davidson is introducing two bold new strategies to attract younger riders.

Advertising is all around us, but we tend not to think about it too much. If we do, we regard it as an intrusive annoyance; at best, it’s a necessary evil. For folks that don’t follow football, it’s a good excuse to watch the Super Bowl.

Some companies have built such an impressive reputation that they don’t need to advertise. You’ll never see a television commercial for Rolls-Royce cars or Sriracha hot sauce, but all of us know of those products. That’s because their reputation has been carefully built up over the years.

However, that reputation can often come back to bite you when tastes change. That’s what’s happening right now with Harley-Davidson. The company’s sales have been going down for the last three years, according to quarterly reports. Things aren’t dire yet, but they will be, if the brand doesn’t attract newer, younger customers.

Redefining the Brand

Traditional Harley-Davidson customers are aging out of the market, while younger riders seem to view the brand as “their dad’s motorcycle.” According to Ad Age, Harley-Davidson has hired the New York advertising agency Droga5 to help them work on their image.

In the article, the agency has worked hard to balance the brand’s history and existing reputation with fresh new imagery that will draw in a younger crop of riders. Their first ad debuts later this month.

The ad campaign is focused on the new LiveWire electric motorcycle. It’s an appropriate choice. Like Droga5’s work, the LiveWire is an attempt to re-shape the brand’s image for the next generation, while paying tribute to the legendary company’s work in the past.

Thinking Outside the Box

Harley-Davidson’s approach is multi-faceted. In addition to their work with Droga5, they’ve been working on another clever initiative in-house.

Harley-Davidson is partnering with Unsplash. Unsplash is a free service that grants access to over a million high-resolution images for use in a wide range of media.

It’s a popular service with creative types in that coveted 18 to 34 year old demographic that Harley-Davidson is so desperately seeking. Now, they’re making sure that any time a blogger, influencer, or digital artist needs a photo of a motorcycle, it’s a Harley-Davidson.

It’s a clever move — the brand is effectively allowing their most desired demographic to market to themselves. Will these strategies work? Time will tell.

Photos: Harley-Davidson; Unsplash