Harley Davidson Case Study 1. 1. Building Brand Community on the GROUP 4 Harley-Davidson Posse Ride Prepared for: MMA035, Dr. Csilla Horváth Prepared by: E.L. Mulder, C. Neghina, D. Oosterveer, L. Partouns, S. Voet December 10, 2009 Case Study 2. 2. Building Brand Community on the Harley-Davidson Posse Ride 1. What are the benefits of long rides as Posse, for customers of Harley Davidson (HD)? Evaluate the relational effects based on Exhibits 7 and 10, which refer to pre and post evaluations. For any Harley Davidson customer, long rides – such as the Posse – hold some clear benefits. Firstly, each participant is given the chance to discover part of the USA. The long rides explore the country in depth and give participants the chance to explore various landscapes, hidden parts of the USA or legendary roads, thus broadening their horizons. Secondly, HD customers come into contact with people sharing the same passion for HD, riding bikes and adventure, turning such rides into social gatherings for Harley enthusiasts. Furthermore, the rides offer customers the thrills and excitement associated with biking over long distances, with unpredictable weather conditions, changing sceneries, road mishaps and great road stories. The customers see these trips as big American adventures, a change from the daily routine and a way of experiencing complete freedom. A more tangible benefit is that participants of this sort of rides have the chance to pride themselves of having participated in such endurance races and can even show it via the memorabilia they can gather along the trip (e.g. t-shirts, caps, pins, photographs). Also, some participants consider these rides an unconventional vacation – a chance to escape the daily routine and embark on the journey of their lives, be it on their own or with friends and family members. Last, maybe the greatest benefit for the HD