Harley Davidson

Harley Davidson.

In 2003 the Harley Davidson brand was 100 years old. Although its brand image is based on the spirit of wild and rebellious youth such as Marlon Brando in the film The Wild One (1954), the typical consumer is very different. They are likely to be rich, middle-aged accountants trying to recapture their youth. The average age of Harley Davidson customers is 46 compared with 36 for the rest of the motorbike industry. At the party to celebrate the centenary, the surprise performance was actually Elton John, rather than the Rolling Stones who many people had expected. This caused many of the 150,000 riders and dealers to leave the event very unhappy. Although sales and earnings for Harley Davidson have been increasing for the past 18 years, many people see the trouble on the road ahead. The problem is Harley Davidson’s typical customers from the baby –boom generation (1946 – 1964) and, as these customers get older, Harley Davidson may find its market shrinking.