Word: harleys
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Acknowledging the challenge of selling premium motorcycles in this economic environment, Harley-Davidson recently introduced a print ad aiming to play on the Sportster Iron 883's relatively low price. The message: "About six bucks a day. Cheaper than your smokes, a six-pack, a lap dance, a bar tab, another tattoo, a parking ticket ..." The Sportster line is expected to account for a larger share of Harley-Davidson's sales this year - though still less than 25% of the total. (The company notes that there is still a waiting list for the new $29,000 Tri-Glide Ultra Classic...
...Guiding Harley-Davidson's marketing strategy is Mark-Hans Richer, 44, who was hired as chief marketing officer in July 2007 after leading marketing efforts at General Motors' Pontiac unit. One of Richer's first moves was to hire a director of product development for "outreach customers" - young people, women and those in non-U.S. markets. Richer's team quickly discovered that young people aren't into the heavy chrome found on many Harley-Davidsons - hence the emphasis on the primarily black Sportster Iron 883, which was already in development...
...company's long-term viability will require a focus on more than just pricing. Harley-Davidson must reconsider its dependence on its popular touring bikes - which one industry analyst, Tony Gikas, of Piper Jaffray in Minneapolis, says "look like geezer bikes." To some degree, Harley-Davidson can't dramatically alter the bikes' looks, lest it alienate its core patrons. Nevertheless, Gikas says, "You don't find too many 21- and 22-year-old guys with their girlfriends riding around on Harleys. Or wanting...
...recent years, many young people have been drawn to sport bikes by Honda, Ducati, Kawasaki and Suzuki. Harley-Davidson also owns a line of products under the Buell brand. But it may make sense to transport some of those products to a new sport-bike line bearing the Harley-Davidson brand, pricing them at roughly the same point as its Sportster line, or less...
...Responding to the economic crisis, last month Harley said it would cut production of new bikes this year between 10% and 13%. But analysts like Ed Aaron, of RBC Capital Markets in Denver, say that's hardly enough and that the company's sales projections are overly optimistic. In an interview last week, Bergmann, Harley-Davidson's CFO, said that given the company's plans to shed more than 10% of its workforce and close some factories, "I actually think we're going at it the right way. I think Wall Street will eventually appreciate how we're managing...