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I was watching an interview with Willie Davidson, grandson of the co-founder of Harley-Davidson, earlier this year. The interviewer asked Davidson if the motorcycle maker did any market research to determine more about the wants and needs of their customers....
Willie's response was perfect; “Oh sure, we stay in constant contact with our customers. We ride with them all the time.”
Who is Willie Davidson? Is he the Chief Styling Officer for Harley-Davidson, or is he a member of the community of proud Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners? Or is he both? Where does the line between the company, and the community exist for Davidson?
Perhaps the better question would be, IS there a line?
By doing something as simple as riding with fellow Harley owners, Willie is leaving the company side of the line, and joining his community. And by doing so, he helps to give Harley owners an even greater sense of pride in their motorcycle, and they share in a sense of ownership for the brand. They are all co-owners of the 'Harley Lifestyle.' By becoming a member of the community of Harley owners, Willie is bringing the company and its customers together, and blurring the line that seperates the two.
That should be our goal as marketers, to identify the line where the company stops, and the community starts, and blur that line. Let the company slowly seep into the community, and let the community slowly ooze into the company. Let market research be as enjoyable as a leisurely Sunday ride with friends.
And who knows, if you work at blurring that line long enough, you may find that one day, the line has completely disappeared.
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Comments
Yes! I love Willie Davidson (and thanks for the post, Mack). I think this David Ogilvy quote tells it well, too:
'Bear in mind that the consumer is not a moron. She is your wife." (..or your brother, daughter, friend, colleague etc) You can't become simply Mr. or Ms. Corporate when you step into your office building (literally or figuratively) every day - or you lose touch with your own reality as well as your customer's. Think of all the wasted energy in trying to keep that line crisp and clear! Relax and let it blur.
Posted by: Andrea Learned | 12.07.06
What a great story. I've written in my books and blog about how true insight comes not from trying to uunderstand the consumer...but by BEING the consumer. This is why Nike don't have to pre-test their marketing. As they hire only active sports particpants (not couch potato sports fans like me) they have a company full of consumers.
Posted by: David Taylor (from Where's the Sausage) | 12.07.06
Mack,
So simple yet so hard. I agree with Willie--to know our customers we need to live, drink and shop where they do. We need to do more than survey and analyze. We need to reach them and understand them where they are. Thanks Mack.
Posted by: Lewis Green | 12.07.06
Sounds a lot like Tim Jackson and Masi.
Good advice for small business owners too. Hang with your customer.
Posted by: Tammy Strnatka | 12.07.06
Great post, Mack, and I love the line from Andrea: "Relax and let it blur....!"
Nice!
Posted by: Ann Handley | 12.07.06
Andrea I love that quote from Ogilvy. This is what I have never understood about companies that say 'we need to understand our customers'. Why can't you just JOIN them? As Willie knows, the best market research can sometimes be done on the back of a motorcycle.
Tammy, you are EXACTLY right! When Tim talks to Masi about what the customers want from the brand, is he giving them numbers he's collected from doing market research, or feedback he's gotten from blog readers and other cyclists he's ridden with?
All about blurring those lines...
Posted by: Mack Collier | 12.07.06
Great post, Mack. I don't think that all executives are as cool as Willie and can necessarily "hang out" with their customers, but someone at the company should do so! And not just in the role that we see them as our customers, but also in the other roles that customers play when they are not interacting with our products or services. One can be a high tech executive by day and a hard core gamer at night. As you so aptly stated, traditional market research isn't going to give us the necessary insight into that customer's needs and behaviors.
Interacting with them at every touch point will begin to get us there.
Thanks again, Mack!
Posted by: Becky Carroll | 12.07.06
Great story, Mack.
Willie's comment goes to the heart of an approach that permeates the Harley Davidson ethos. People who work for Harley are often also their customers. It is not just hanging with the community, they are full-fledged, initiated members.
All marketers dream of brands that inspire that sort of trust!
Posted by: Gavin Heaton | 12.07.06
Perfect story, Mack. Harley is definitely a company truly committed to its community above all us. Great stuff...
Posted by: Paul McEnany | 12.07.06
Harley is a great company to illustrate this point of 'being the company'.
I remember being interviewed by Prince Tennis about 20 years ago (or was it 200? I forget) about being their Promotions Manager for everything right of India and left of Hawaii. I was to negotiate licensing, get racket placements, and spend roughly 80% of my time on the court.
This sounded like a fun job, but I ended up not moving forward. What didn't feel right was their deep questioning of whether, as a top 40 ranked singles player (division 3, NCAA), I could really hang with top pro's on court. I wasn't sure that was the point, figuring we'd be trying to build a business somewhere in all the fun. But it spoke to their culture -- which I didn't really fit in.
"Knowing" and "being" give you insights you can't get with research alone. You still need to do your homework, because you can easily get way to close to your subject to be objective, but you need the first-person view.
Posted by: Stephen Denny | 12.08.06
I totally get the company - community connection Mack and thanks for presenting it with masterful economy!
Would this not be a great characteristic to look for in a prospective company to work for?
I think so.
Posted by: dave | 12.10.06
Exactly guys, I think it's about shifting your point of view to that of the community. And when you do that, you allow yourself to become a part of the community, and at the same time, that allows the community to also see themselves as brand owners as well.
It's all about matching your wants and needs to that of the community. I think this can easily be accomplished in most cases by having a simple shift in mindset.
Posted by: Mack Collier | 12.10.06