Tracking Straight and True The New Harley Davidson Social Media Marketing Blitz

Harley-Davidson is trying to shed their image as makers of bikes for old, stodgy, wealthy men, and they’re getting really savvy about how they should take on the task of remaking their image. Through a series of video productions and a serious hammering of the social media channels, the Motor Company is trying to put a little fresh juice into the brand, and the Marketing Department – by way of letting the company’s fans do all the work – is leading the way.

“E Pluribus Unum” is Harley’s Facebook-wired advertising campaign which features riders who, at least according to the pitch,  break the stereotypical perception of your standard Harley owner. The company used fodder provided by what they call a “crowd-sourcing Facebook app,” Fan Machine. This piece of social media marketing lets Harley fans review advertising, submit ideas for more advertising and vote on what they dig.

The lynchpin of the campaign is a series of videos like this one which are in turn linked back to a Twitter hashtag, #StereotypicalHarley.

“The beauty of the ‘E Pluribus Unum’ campaign is that it uses the element of surprise that exists in every Harley-Davidson owner to inspire people to think about riding our motorcycles,” said Harley-Davidson’s General Manager of Marketing Operations for North America, Scott Beck.

The only problem I see with this campaign is that Harold Chase, the Harley fan who submitted the suggestion through the Fan Machine app, doesn’t cash in on his idea.

The campaign was also part of the launch of The Motor Co.’s new Seventy-Two Sportster.