In the coming weeks, Harley-Davidson will put its , the motorcycles with which the Milwaukee brand wants to reach new audiences and more specifically one that resists it: the female audience.
Devoid of virtually all metallic and silver tones in appearance, the color black characterizes bikes that are smaller and lighter (and cheaper) and less voluptuous than traditional Harleys. Of course, the Street range does not exactly fit the profile of beefy men with which the rest of the brand’s motorcycles have traditionally been identified.
But it is that he has already won that audience. For this reason, with these changes, the manufacturer of the iconic American motorcycles seeks to attract a wider range of customers around the world. In particular, what Harley-Davidson wants is to reach more women, in whom it finds an attractive market niche with potential growth; many of them already ride, but not at the controls.
change of strategy
Women accounted for about 12% of full-size motorcycle sales in the United States in 2013, already an increase from the 30% share in the past decade. Harley does not say how many of its motorcycles go to women, although it claims a 62% share among buyers in this segment, which means that it would deliver 7% of its motorcycles to women, a more than improvable percentage for a company of its size.
Efraim Levy, an analyst at S&P Capital IQ, believes that Harley has an advantage over its competitors simply because of its brand recognition. “Even though these women aren’t bikers, they know Harley,” he says.
But Harley-Davidson has also been fueled by a significant helping of machismo where girl models have been a key element in its advertising. That is why now the brand is having to make an incredible effort to get rid of that handicap.
The change in strategy has not been easy. Harley-Davidson has been working to win over female bikers for some time. Nearly eight years ago, he started “Garage Parties,” a nod to the ’70s Tupperware party phenomenon where women gather to learn some motorcycle skills. And more recently, Harley dealers have been offering beginner riding courses. The company already has close to 10,000 women participating in these programs each year.
Added to all this is now the launch of the new Street range, another Harley profile for another Harlysta profile in which women, the brand hopes, will play an unprecedented role in the entire history of the brand.
Facebook Comments
Disqus