Harley-Davidson Canada
Common Ground

The Challenge

For Harley-Davidson loyal fans, it’s not a motorcycle; it’s a way of life. The brand met a unique opportunity in 2017: Canada’s 150th birthday coincided with Harley-Davidson’s 100th anniversary on this side of the border. The desire to celebrate these historic milestones coincided with a forward-looking business need: ensure the brand’s future by attracting younger, more diverse riders to the brand. Recently growth has been challenged by the misperception that only one kind of rider – white, fifty-plus and male – chooses a Harley-Davidson. To expand the brand’s appeal, it needed a program with the depth and breadth of content that reflects a highly involved purchase decision, and a connection strategy that would unveil a rich and unexpected story to a young, diverse audience.

The Insight

With a goal of attracting a younger and ethnically broader rider base, the cultural conversation about the diversity of a country like Canada was the brand’s starting point for strategic exploration. Diversity naturally highlights differences – in opinions, interests and values – and things usually go one of two ways: Differences either divide people or create openness and acceptance. Thankfully in Canada, it’s the latter. That’s also the experience within the world of Harley-Davidson. Contrary to perception, the brand has riders of all ages, from cultures across the planet, who share an identity that transcends geography or background. The agency saw an opportunity to connect the values of an open-minded country to those of a brand that’s always stood for fueling the discoveries that come from experiencing new places.

The Insight

The labels and identities that separate people disappear when we experience new things together.

The Plan

The brand created a program that would bring young, diverse riders together to share their experiences and called it Common Ground. The most open-minded country in the world is a perfect place to demonstrate that people can indeed find the things that unite us. To acknowledge Canada’s and Harley-Davidson’s milestone anniversaries, the brand brought the world – represented by Harley-Davidson riders – to Canada and created the first-ever foreign exchange for bikers. It connected Canada’s reputation as a welcoming place to the equally welcoming global community of Harley riders.

Working with owners and groups around the world, the team paired local Canadian hosts with riders from New Zealand, Mexico and India for six-day journeys across the country. A documentary film crew captured their adventures and experiences. The connection plan took a path as interesting as the epic road trip that sparked it.

Pre-campaign elements introduced the Canadian guides. Fifteen- and thirty-second profiles were distributed through media outreach, owned and earned platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, and within the dealership environment. Wild postings came to life as large-format movie posters, appearing in hand-picked urban locations aligned to the brand’s younger target.

Launch components introduced long- and short-format versions of the 12-part series within key social media platforms, media outreach and the dealership environment. Live streaming ran in paid and owned social channels. Promoted tweets about specific models introduced product into the story. A Common Ground landing page was the central hub for ongoing content, featuring YouTube videos, Guide and Ambassador bios, route information, and the option to book a test ride.

Dealers were equipped with a toolkit that taught them how to promote the program. Their support, ranging from highlighting campaign assets in their email marketing efforts all the way to viewing parties, shaped the conversation at the grass-roots level where purchase decisions are made.

CRM included online retargeting. PR and outreach brought the story of camaraderie, freedom and diversity to media across the country, and to the communities the riders visited.

Results

Common Ground unveiled a wave of interest across the country, earning national and international press. Fast Company described it as “content that people actually want to watch”. In an unanticipated outcome, Discovery Canada approached Harley-Davidson to showcase the Common Ground series in a one-hour primetime show that drew over 475,000 viewers.

Running from June to September, the campaign achieved over 47MM impressions, surpassing the brand’s goal by 235%, over 8.7MM views, surpassing the goal by 218% and saw over 415,000 engagements. Market share rose 1.9% against the brand’s nearest competitor, despite an industry decline of 3.8%. Adweek recognized Common Ground as the Best Brand Storytelling of 2017.