Harley Davidson makes worse marketing decision ever - tonight !

Milwaukee Journal ^ | 08/31/03 | AP

[MikeAnon222]

HEADLINERS UNVEILED Elton John caps entertainment list Piano legend Elton John capped the list of mystery headliners Sunday night for the Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary Celebration at Veterans Park. Country star Tim McGraw and rocker Kid Rock were the first two headliners

[Cronos]

What WERE they thinking? Reaching out to the Canadian market????

I'm happier with my honda CBR in any case!

[wku man]

Better yet, get the rest of Judas Priest to play, maybe with Geoff Tate sitting in on vocals, and let Halford spend the night chasing after Kid Suck.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[gorebegone]

Man, they shoulda got the Stones! No other band even comes close to personifying the feel of riding a Harley-Davidson.....excepting maybe ZZ Top or Quicksilver Messenger Service!

[Chancellor Palpatine]

They could have made it a true extravaganza by adding Barbara Streisand and Celine Dion, while taking out McGraw and Rock.

[FreedomPoster]

>>Boy is he going to hear it.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! You are eeeee-ville!

[CarolTX]

Oh, Yeah...and Ellen Degeneris as the opening act.

[aruanan]

Harley Davidson created one of the biggest marketing disasters I have ever seen.

Not marketing disaster. All those disappointed people were walking back to bikes they already owned. Harley's most outrageous move was when they got Reagan to put tariffs on the motorcycles that actually built the American motorcycle market to the point that Harley's then-tiny niche was threatened. It's true that they got some better engineers to redesign their engines so they wouldn't have to have a pan to catch oil drips right there in the showroom. And they've traded off the Easy Rider and Hell's Angels mystique. But Harley's American success story is that they relied on statism to sway people from buying fast, quiet, clean, (relatively) vibrationless motorcycles while they attempted to capture a larger share of the market that others built. Their choice of Elton John just underlined their corporate sleaziness.

[Major_Risktaker]

"Gays aquire, on average, much higher incomes that straights;"

REALLY! Dear dsaboot, where did you get those statistics from?

I'm may short HDI stock this coming week.

WOW HOMOSEXUAL BIKERS ...Is there any place a Straight Male can get away from these perverts today?

Somehow Homosexuals are turning up everywhere.

[Trust but Verify]

It was pretty clear for the past two weeks that the "Big Star" would be Elton John. Anything else was pure speculation.

Yep. There were a lot of people interviewed on the news last night who said they hoped it would be The Stones. How silly. Everyone knew they were already playing somewhere else. Some people actually said they thought the Stones would cancel their other concert and show up in Milwaukee.

Now there's no doubt that would have been a very, very popular band, but I would have enjoyed the entertainment presented. Then again, I'm not a biker chick, just a 40-something, Camry-driving, office working mom who happens to love Elton John's music.

[Trust but Verify]

My husband has now been bitten by the Harley bug. We live in suburbs of Milwaukee and he's never shown any interest before, but this week he saw a V-rod with anodized aluminum color scheme and fell in love with the darn thing. I guess I know what to get him for Chritmas. Better start saving now!!!

[CalvaryJohn]

Milwaukee was nothing but a rally for wannabes anyway. I was at the shop getting new wide whitewalls for my Heritage, and the guy next to me was going. He was putting his bike in the shop to get his FLUIDS done!!! Anybody who is afraid to put a wrench to their hog does not deserve to own one. And yes, there are poseurs out ther; always have been. But where there is a counterfeit, axiom states that there must be an original. Harley will always be an original, and I love the bikes. But the aftermarket is so kick ass right now that my next bike will definitely a chopper (rigid, 88" Pandemonium engine, Baker gears). Oh well, gotta go look at some motorcycle pictures now. Bye.

[alrea]

Incredibly bad choices of performers, without question

Tim McGraw is totally a talentless creation of Nashville record label indoor hat big buckle fags. It is pure comedy to watch he and Kenny Chesney put on the gay moves for the adoring under 20 Hallmark card buying market.

We all know it sells, so they'll be plenty rich. But the Harley crowd should have beat somebody up.

[Trust but Verify]

Speaking of Beemer. I saw a cute billboard on the interstate just south of Milwaukee that read:

We'd say Happy 100th, but you wouldn't hear us." BMW

[FreedomPoster]

Yeah, sounds about right, lots of RUBs out there these days. I used to race motocross, worked in a Suzuki-Honda shop in H.S. a zillion years ago. Heck, I've recently done my own 50,000 mile services on two of the cars in the fleet, including transmission service (drop pan, replace filter, etc). Anyone who doesn't do their own oil changes on a bike is a real wimp.

[Trust but Verify]

'Cept the Stones were already booked somewhere half a world away.

[Trust but Verify]

I really don't think the cost of the entertainment was the issue. They may have made a mistake by waiting too long to book the acts. The Stones and Springsteen, both better choices, are already on tour and weren't available for these dates. Springsteen will play Milwaukee in late September, BTW.

[Trust but Verify]

The hubby just called to report that as the bikers are leaving Milwaukee, people are standing on the freeway overpasses waving American flags and signs saying thanks for coming, etc. The new twist is that motorists are waving their arms out their windows in a farewell to all our departing visitors from around the world. Last night's concert aside, the reunion was a smashing success and the people of this area appreciate the shot in the arm for the economy thanks to HD.

[Major_Risktaker]

monkeyshine wrote

"As a Harley owner and rider, I am not ashamed to admit that
I actually like Elton John"

A tribute to monkeyshine! The Real ELTON JOHN

SOURCE: Following their introduction, the teen-agers began to strip off their uniforms -- which are worn by real scouts between the ages of 7 and 11 -- revealing "tight undies,"

Sir Elton is a very sick man!

I find Sir Elton John very dangerous creature and would not want him near my young sons!

Well freepers, any comments!

Singer Elton John's lurid stage performance
with six teen-age strippers wearing Cub Scout uniforms.

[PatrioticAmerican]

Not too many queers in the Hog crowd. Elton John??? I guess someone's marketing firm forgot the number one rule: Know your audience.

On country music, I always thought many of them did listen to it. I guess I was wrong.

[PatrioticAmerican]

"but chicks love him...."

Because they are safe around him. hehe