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Harley Owners Group


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Wikipedia: Harley Owners Group

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A club for Harley-Davidson owners and riders founded in 1983, also known as H.O.G.

History

The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Harley Owners Group page on 30 March 2020, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

The Harley Owners Group (HOG) is a sponsored community marketing club, operated by Harley-Davidson for enthusiasts of that brand's motorcycles. The HOG is "the grandaddy of all community-building efforts," serving to promote not just a consumer product, but a lifestyle. The HOG has also served to open new revenue streams for the company, with the production of tie-in merchandise offered to club members, numbering over one million strong, making it the largest factory-sponsored riding club in the world. The Harley-Davidson community was the prototype for the ethnographic term subculture of consumption, defined as "a distinctive subgroup of society that self-selects on the basis of a shared commitment to a particular product class, brand, or consumption activity."

The Harley Owners Group was created in 1983 as a way to build longer-lasting and stronger relationships with Harley-Davidson's customers, by making ties between the company, its employees, and consumers. HOG members typically spend 30% more than other Harley owners, on such items as clothing and Harley-Davidson-sponsored events. Much of the intent of this branding effort is presenting Harley-Davidson as an American icon, with the focus on authenticity and pride in being American-made. All of this is credited with turning flagging sales around, and allowing the Harley-Davidson company to grow again.

The name HOG comes from the word used to describe Harley-Davidson motorcycles. It is also Harley's corporate stock ticker symbol.


Article Index

DateArticleAuthor/Source
8 June 2011Ride the Rumble - this week-end Gus Philpott, The Woodstock Advocate
8 December 2015Ray Price Harley-Davidson & Raleigh H.O.G. Rumble To Deliver Bikes & Toys For TotsRay Price Harley Davidson





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