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

[Timesink]

Gays aquire, on average, much higher incomes that straights; they rarely spawn, and thus have a permanent DINK situations...unless they buy a kid; they are much more apt to embellish themselves with trendy 'butch' accessories, wear leather, upgrade often, and use dealer services to keep their hands clean. At $40,000, there ain't many heterosheetrock guys who're gonna have the effective demand for the cycles. MO

My main problem with this argument: How many of these types were actually in the audience at the rally?

[MattAMiller]

Before he got into his music for menopausal women phase Elton John was really good. Not really fitting for a biker concert, but he was good once.

[america-rules]

"Along with a $40,000 Harley line of cycles I just saw at the state fair. It is not the go go 90's anymore. I liked the Indian line a bit more and I can afford one of those. "

The new sportster is only $5900.00 on sale right now !

[MattAMiller]

Gays don't listen to Elton John. Middle aged suburban women listen to Elton John, they don't buy many Harleys

[RichInOC]

Memo to Harley-Davidson marketing and promotion:

If you need to have a gay headliner, go for Rob Halford. He's a hard rocker, he likes Harleys, and a whole bleepload of the crowd is going to want to know where to get leathers like his.

[jocon307]

"...if they are as small a minority as they pretend to be."

But you see, they are the darlings of the media. The one group who has failed the founding fathers more than any other. The media, the failures.

Well, maybe we here at FR, and other places, not even all necessarily on our side, can start to make it up to them. Now that algore's marvelous invention is in full swing.

[dasboot]

My main problem with this argument: How many of these types were actually in the audience at the rally?

Good point...here's an idea:

The 'gaff' creates a lot of negative Harley buzz among the current aficianados (and lots of free publicity); Harley gets sympathy and a thumbs-up from their target consumers; owning a Harley becomes the mark of an evolved homonid; HD rides the 'diversity' wave for all it's worth. (mebbe?)

Or HD is dumb as a bag a' hammers.

[jocon307]

"Coe"

That's his name.

[M-cubed]

Dumb-assed question!.....Why didnt you count 'em?

[jocon307]

"Or HD is dumb as a bag a' hammers."

Yeah, I think that. isn't that what they call Occam's razor? The simplest explanation is the most likely?

Someone will straighten me out if Im wrong, no doubt.

Now, factor in that Sir Elton is getting on, maybe he was a "bargain" to the party producers.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Harley Davidson makes worse marketing decision ever - tonight !
Milwaukee Journal ^ | 08/31/03 | AP

Worse than the Edsel?

[M-cubed]

Interesting answer...Now I have to ask...Who was the first to give Christ a middle initial?...I know...do you ?

[Melas]

Which bike is $40,000?

Even the Screamin' Eagle Electra Glide Ultra Classic, one of this years Custom Shop bike isn't close to $40,000. The list price for the average Harley is $16,000.

[MHT]

I know gals who go crazy over Tim McGraw....now the others you can keep ---- but McGraw is a good night's entertainment

[dasboot]

Geez...

My wife once did marketing research for a small corporation investigating the opening of a liquor outlet in a resort town: two months of exhaustive work. I can't imagine a big important outfit like HD doing anything without absolute certitude in the effects of its marketing ploys. Sloppiness like that just doesn't happen by accident.

[Atchafalaya]

Shoulda had ZZ TOP!

[max_rpf]

I think that whoever dreamed this up is the equivalent of an office-shooter, probably upset by the PC policies of the company encouraged them to take it all the way. Now the body's will start falling.

HD may have their own conservative Ellsworth Toohey

[Brimack34]

The new V-Rod I do not know why they were marked up that high. Maybe they were custom bikes. It was the fair, maybe they just bring out the big ones.

[monkeyshine]

'Gay, Overweight, Romantic, Englishman'

This might work for a Triumph audience.

As a Harley owner and rider, I am not ashamed to admit that I actually like Elton John and think he (and his songwriter Bernie Taupin) to be extremely talented... and at the same time, I am terribly disappointed in this choice for Harley's 100th anniversary. Elton John doesn't rock. He's not American. He doesn't exemplify bikers. He's talented, but a very poor choice for this event.

However, I heard he just signed a big contract for Caesar's palace, and I think he's making a career out of playing under private contract now that he can't really sell albums or concerts to the general public anymore. So he was probably available and relatively inexpensive for Harley to hire.