Hi

I read recently Douglas B. Holt's book "How Brands Become Icons" focused on few American icons like Harley and Bud. Since I am not a native speaker I could not understand a certain Harley ad - especially what "They talk low. They talk custom" means. Please help.


"In April 1980, Harley placed a five-page ad in Easyriders. The first page appeared on the right-hand page and functioned as an introduction, so that you'd have to turn the page to see the two-page spreads that followed. The first page was most black and white, except that on the top, giant red characters occupied a quarter of the page. Who knows if they acttually said something in Japanese. Under these charactes, in businesslike serif type about an eight the size of the red characters, ran this copy: "They talk low. They talk custom." The bottom half of the page shows the shadow of an eagle's head, its carnivorous hooked beak a little open and ready for action. The print on the page bottom read "Now, maybe they'll stop talking". The two gatefold photos that follow show a couple of new Harleys. The purpose of the ad was clearly to bait the vicious anti-Asian complex nurtured at the time amont Harley's working class male constituents."

Thanks a lot

 

They were referring to the Japanese bike ads at the time that were touting their poorly executed copies of the HD cruiser-type bikes.

 

The copy means - they (the other company) talks low - say low or mean low to the ground. They talk custom means the other companies are saying their bikes are custom. An actual custom is something built one of a kind, not a production model. But that use of language is ad hyperbole. I guess the statement is meant to negate the other statements.

 

I do remember this ad, it was for the new (then) FXWG Wide Glide, the one with the flaming tank...it was a direct 'dig' at Yamaha with their XS customs (one of which I owned the XS650 US Custom,as it was known in GB) also Kawa had theit LTD models,all with stepped seats and pullback bars.

I still feel the FXWG was the HD that had the most impact on me...if only I could have afforded one then....