BEST & WORST STRATEGIES

Introduction :-

Harley-Davidson (formerly HDI), often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American

motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the
20th century. The company sells heavyweight (over 750 cc) motorcycles designed for
cruising on the highway. Harley-Davidson motorcycles (popularly known as "Harleys")
have a distinctive design and exhaust note. They are especially noted for the tradition of
heavy customization that gave rise to the chopper style of motorcycle.

Best Strategy:-

Expanding its appeal to an unexpected market: CEOs, LAWYERS , DOCTORS and

PROFESSIONALS

Comment:-

When you have cars to take care of you why you need motorcycles . This is the perception
which was changed by Harley when they went out to find and define the niche for their
customers . Now this brand emerges as the identity of power , freedom and pomp. As once
identified as the ride for huge bike junkies of countryside , the shift to new age customers
was not a easy shift .

The company had a very bumpy ride a few decades back and then engineered a startling
turnaround. Some experts explain Harleys marketing style as “Daring” . Japanese were
playing hard on the company and gave them tough time but as it is said it is never too late
to fight back .

H-D was able to reverse course rapidly by focusing on its core customer base while
simultaneously expanding its appeal to an unexpected market: CEOs, LAWYERS , DOCTORS
and PROFESSIONALS . Unexpected new customers thrive on to make the brand successful
then ever and with the bang the company moved up in fortune charts . In 2001 alone H-D
was $438 million in profit (up 25.9%) on $3.4 billion in sales (up 15.7%) and a share price
increase of almost 40%. With new customer expansion and rebranding , H-D gave
competitors a hard time in the market. Carmichael Lynch Spong writes , “Harley resonates
in the heart, soul and mind of its customer. It's a unique bike--it's a Harley!"

AMAD JOSEPH | email: amadj26@gmail.com 1

 BEST & WORST STRATEGIES

Introduction :

The Gap, Inc. an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco,
California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has
five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and
Athleta. As of September 2008, Gap, Inc. has approximately 135,000 employees and
operates 3,076 stores worldwide, of which 2,551 are in the United States. Gap, Inc. remains
the largest specialty apparel retailer in the U.S.

Worst Strategy:

Change of LOGO. What the company did was unexpectedly swap out their old familiar logo
to a newer, hipper white background, black lettering with a small blue box insignia. This
change resulted in a huge backlash from consumers who were irate and upset with the new
logo.

Comment:-

Few most back The Gap almost committed a suicide. How ? They changed their strong
centuries old logo and replaced it with not-so-good new logo. In October 2010 popular
apparel company Gap made a drastic move to change their decades-old white lettering on
navy background logo without any indication to consumers. The way the change was made,
Gap seemed to completely abandon their roots where the traditionally recognized logo was
concerned. Logos are key to brands because they convey meaning and are something fans
feel connected to. Investors, competitors, and even potential employees may still be
scratching their head that the company made such a mistake with something so important.

Suggestions :

Now they have realized their mistake and are now back on the old logo, I like to suggest the
companies that changing logo is not bad thing to do , but before doing that consult with
your customers . Where customer is the king , their insight brings in more success. Also
before releasing something new or reforming something old , a hint or prior notice should
to issued to the customers . Lastly, I as a graphic designer also think that shifting drastically
to new font and design instead of remodeling it looses brand recognition and loyalty . Be
the change , but not completely .

AMAD JOSEPH | email: amadj26@gmail.com 2