Harley Davidson Marketing Strategy

Executive Summary

The Research is aimed at the study of Harley Davidson Brand in Indian Markets – So far how they have performed and suggestions for them to grab more market share and be profitable. Every year, they have sold modest numbers but despite low numbers, they continue to command a position of respect and awe in the Indian motorcycle market. The objective of the study was to study the different product lines, marketing strategy and Brand Management of Harley Davidson in Indian market.

1. Harley riders are mostly Value-Expressive, with an internal locus of control and a strong sense of independence. 2. The company has been cashing in on the iconic status it has and has done little to reinforce its image amongst an exploding

This, along with being the second largest populated country, makes the automobile industry in India a very promising one.

Indian Two Wheeler Market

Ever since the old Lambretta scooter was replaced with the flurry of vibrant two wheeler models, Indian two wheeler industry has seen a phenomenal change in the way they perceive the Indian market. Two wheeler manufacturers are now competing in an ever growing consumer market by bringing out new products and features. The country has now grown into the second largest producer of two wheelers in the world. Currently there are around 10 two-wheeler manufacturers in the country, and they are Bajaj, Hero, Hero Honda, Honda, Mahindra/Kinetic, Royal Enfield, Suzuki, TVS, and Yamaha.

There have been various reasons behind this growth. Because of poor public transport system, the citizens found convenience in two wheelers. Added to this is the fact that the average Indian still does not have the purchasing capacity for a more expensive, four wheeler. The story of Mr. Ratan Tata inspired by a family of four members travelling in Indian roads, not concerned about safety and the evolution of the idea of TATA Nano has been quite famous

The consumer has changed his preference from mopeds to scooters and then to motorcycles. The trends seen in the past few years include females increasingly using two-wheelers for their personal commutation and various two wheeler manufacturers designing vehicles specially to cater to needs of this segment. One of the earliest revolutions in this industry was Kinetic’s introduction of the concept of electronic/self-start and automatic gears which made two wheelers comfortable and useable by women, when compared to old Bajaj Chetak advertisements which showed middle aged females riding a Bajaj Chetak scooter. A recent trend in the industry has been electric vehicles, which mostly leverage on their eco-friendliness and low operating costs, but is still not accepted well due to the lack of reputation of the manufacturers and lack of trust on technology, which is still being perceived in the nascent stages, especially battery and inverters which prove to be very expensive components. TVS recently leveraged this opportunity by launching a hybrid model of their non geared scooter – TVS Scooty. The end of the last decade saw Bajaj taking a radical decision to do away with the Scooter range and completely concentrate on motorcycles, especially stating change in customer’s preference as the main reason. The customers are left without a choice in most cases than to migrate from the traditional