Revvin' Up the Groundswell

From it's humble beginnings in a small shed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to being rooted in iconic American culture, the Harley Davidson motorcycle has intertwined it's brand into national history. 

Back in 1903, William S. Harley and his brothers Arthur and Walter Davidson made a simple bike with the goal of selling it among some competition of local motorcycle marques. At first, they marketed just engines in the Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal to 'do-it-yourself' mechanics because they hadn't yet developed a proper frame for the bike. But by April of 1905, production of complete motorcycles was taking place and in that same year,  Carl H. Lang (a.k.a. the first Harley-Davidson dealer) managed to sell 3 of the 5 cycles produced from the brother's backyard, Milwaukee lean-to.

The company's sales started to increase as their brand grew into the hearts of Americans. The 30 year old company (at the time) even managed to stay afloat during the duration of the Great Depression by manufacturing "industrial powerplants based on their motorcycle engines."

Things seemed to be going wonderfully. That is, until the 60's hit and management changed. The Harley company merged with American Machine and Foundry (AMF), who "bought the company, streamlined production, and slashed the workforce." The reputation of the hardworking brothers who built the company was being cut back, with even brand loyalists mocking the "Harley-Davidson" name by referring to the bikes as "Hardly Ableson" because they were  "hardly driveable" due to the merger's new ways of production that greatly decreased the performance of the vehicle.

At this low point in their company's history, Harley Davidson (HD) had to find a way out of this business slump and get back on top of the market. In their book "Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies", authors Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff give advice on how to tap into the groundswell by listening to, talking to, energizing, and helping customers from all over the country (or even the world!).  

Harley Davidson was able to hit all these notes by crafting a consumer driven circle around their product. The "Harley Owners Group," later dubbed "H.O.G.," was a place where owners of Harley Davidson bikes bound themselves with others who shared their passion for riding. 

Creating a community was crucial at this turning point of management in the company. The presence of a community encourages interaction, both consumer-to-consumer but also company-to-consumer, and vice versa. It allowed the Harley Company to be able to easily reach out to the people who are most supportive of the company and gave them the ability to quickly receive feedback on ideas or new products from active HOG-ers. 

Members of the"Thunderbird" HOG Chapter

Members of Miami's HOG Chapter

Members of the Fairfax. VA HOG Chapter

A significant part of energizing the groundswell is participating in and exhilarating the community by providing incentives. In Chapter 7, Li and Bernoff highly suggest turning these unsung heroes of brand representing into an integral part of the company's products and processes. Energizing leads to embracing. Being a H.O.G member gives you access to benefits designed exclusively for paying members of the community, such as roadside assistance, access to H.O.G social events, admission to the Harley Davidson Museum, and more! Having the H.O.G. community allows the HD company to build relationships with it's most enthusiastic customers. 

By opening up to collaboration, the Harley Davidson company embraced these HOGers and enabled them to feel as if they were solving problems in conjunction with the company employees. This is a form of  psychic income, which the Groundswell authors address in Chapter 8, where people don't require monetary compensation for this work, but rather welcome the feelings acceptance, recognition, and gratitude as repayment for their assisted efforts. It's beneficial to the company in two ways; Embracement gives consumers the feelings of inclusion and influence on the company, as well as economical benefits because "it's paid in love, not money."

Your brand is whatever we, the customers, say it is. That's why it's so important to listen to the groundswell and investigate what people are saying about your company. During the AMF era, when people were mocking the very name that they had previously loved so dearly, Harley listened and determined what the customers wanted to change. Li and Bernoff reminds us in Chapter 5 that there should be a senior person to oversee that all of the data (ie. the suggestions that the groundswell is making for progress to occur) that is coming in is being analyzed properly and the information gained is actually being put into practice. There is no point to listening if you are just going to let the ingenious ideas fall through the cracks. 

The Harley Davidson company has come a long way since it's humble beginnings, selling nearly a quarter million motorcycles this year alone. It has overcome it's time on the 'brink of death' and through tapping into the groundswell, their company has found success. 

What advice do you think other 'traditional' companies can take from this American classic? How can time-honored brands rev up the groundswell in the new age of social media? 

Let me know in the comments!