Harley Davidson - A community under brand

1. Yes, I believe that brand communities result in greater involvement with the brand. My step-dad used to own a Harley and every time he passed another owner they had this all knowing nod. The Harley community is wide spread across the world. There are movies made with two Harley riders driving from the bottom of South America to Alaska. The brand is more than its name. Its starting to become a way of life. Many Harley owners get together just to ride their bikes for 2 hours. Its a way to bond with others and also get away from life and be free. Even when bikers are not riding, they are wearing Harley gear that sets them apart from other people.

2. Yes, The Posse Ride enhances the meaning of the brand. A reason for this is the Oath the riders must take. This brings them together as a group of bikers. They solidify friendships through storytelling of different events with their Harley's. The Posse Ride brings strangers with a common shared interest together as friends. The Harley groups is just a large group of friends believing freedom that Harley provides.

3. Harley could be more involved, as in making it easier for the bikers to meet. They could make use of social media to connect more bikers that would, ultimately, join the large rides. If the company became too involved it would definitely dilute the progress that they have made. The rides wouldn't seem freeing and wouldn't be as enjoyable because a large company would be overseeing a lot of it. It should be largely up to the bikers because they need to be free to make the decisions of the rides or else the brand's meaning would fall apart with company interference.

4. Harley could increase involvement by making it easier for bikers to meet each other because many bikers may not know about the Posse Ride. The ones who don't are missing out in a chance to share stories and connect with others. Harley needs to make sure to expand the news about the Posse Ride but not so much that people outside the brand know about it. It should be a Harley exclusive group in order to preserve the community.