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The benefits of company-sponsored rallies influence all areas of the company's work. Giant outdoor festivities, these rallies feature live music, food booths, field games, prizes for categories ranging from "oldest .
rider" to "rider coming the longest distance," and dozens of vendor stalls selling everything from customizing services to branded accessories. Ongoing since 1938, one of Harley's largest sponsored rallies at Sturgis in the Black Hills of South Dakota, annually attracts more than 400,000 riders from around the world. Many riders plan their annual vacation around the event. Hundreds of Harley employees are there too. The best way for them to perpetuate the adventure is by living it and sharing it. That's unquestionably part of the strategy. The rallies really serve as a product development center. They see thousands of bikes and what the customers .
are doing to them while getting new ideas through discussions. And then the riders take demo rides on the new models and give feedback. Harley-Davidson's merchandising line - which ranges from clothing, .
tattoo patches, coffee mugs, belt buckles and infant wear to memorabilia - are also intended to support and amplify the riding experience. .
Although the company generated more than $1.3 billion in revenues in 1995, it spent less than $2 (?) Harley executives maintain that they are not selling transportation but a lifestyle. Because the bikes are so visually and audibly compelling, when you get a bunch of them together, whether by the dozen or the thousands, there's going to be excitement and curiosity. Add to that the fun associated with motorcycling and you've got natural .
word-of-mouth promotion. In a very real sense the customers are the sales force, and the bikes, accessories and clothing serve as calling cards. .
Preserving Harley heritage is a challenge when appealing to an audience that identifies with the company's unbridled, free-spirited image.