Harley Owners Group |
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Wikipedia: Harley Owners Group
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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.
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
|---|---|---|
| 8 June 2011 | Ride the Rumble - this week-end  | Gus Philpott, The Woodstock Advocate |
| 8 December 2015 | Ray Price Harley-Davidson & Raleigh H.O.G. Rumble To Deliver Bikes & Toys For Tots | Ray Price Harley Davidson |