Harley-Davidson, one of the greatest American brands, is making advertising history...again. About 30 years ago a struggling Harley-Davidson went to Minneapolis based Carmichael Lynch and asked them help them regain market share they had lost to Honda and Triumph motorcycles through advertising. Carmichael said yes but required Harley to fix some 'issues' that had spoiled some of the brands reputation over the years. The results were better than either party probably ever anticipated as Harley grew to be the brand of choice for many American riders.
The economy was not been kind to the motorcycle industry who's new bike sales have dropped as much as 24% over past years. Harley's been lucky to maintain better shares over other brands but it still is feeling the effects of the downturn. As a result of this they have branched out and found other lower cost options to fuel its advertising needs. This ultimately lead Carmichael Lynch to walk away from the brand they resurrected so many years ago.
So the real news here is Harley-Davidson has just named the controversial, non-traditional, agency of sorts, Victor & Spoils its new lead agency. Victory & Spoils' creative department is all crowd sourced so you can imagine that this is a very unique and risky move for a premier brand to take. I have too many words running through my mind to even start to suggest all the possible scenarios that could take place with such a monumental event as this in advertising and crowd sourcing history.
All I have to say is Good Luck and God Speed!
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