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Accelerating the Dream
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Bruce Rossmeyer
David Morris
09/01/2006
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Photograph by Tricia Krefetz & Jerry Wyszatycki
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“People don’t just buy the motorcycle. They buy the myth,”
so says Bruce Rossmeyer, Harley-Davidson’s big man in America, with 11
dealerships established over the last 10 years, and number one in total revenues
with approximately $200 million. He also understands that Harley’s brand equity
does not necessarily guarantee loyalty. “The customer today is more
upscale, more demanding, and has more choices than ever. They won’t let us ride
on our name alone. So we have to constantly think of new ways to connect with
them.”
 Photograph by Tricia Krefetz & Jerry Wyszatycki /Avatar Productions. (Click image to enlarge)
Rossmeyer has long recognized the power of market forces. “When I
first got into the industry, I saw a lot of dealers stuck in an old-school
mentality. They were basically garages and repair shops that sold a few bikes
here and there, and were either ignorant or dismissive of retailing ideas, such
as being sales-driven and customer-focused.”
The selling of the myth is a
key factor in Harley-Davidson’s success. “Other companies build cruisers that
are technically good machines. But Harley’s not about the technology—it’s about
the way you feel. And people who only dream of riding a bike, dream about a
Harley.” As expounded in Willie G. Davidson’s weighty official tome, 100 Years
of Harley-Davidson, the company has used its blend of selective historical
reverence and populist brand evangelism to secure and expand its base.
 Photograph by Peter Longone. (Click image to enlarge)
Rossmeyer acts upon this premise, taking a thorough, marketing-driven
approach. He sees the company’s past struggles as resulting in net progress.
“Harley had to improve the product and its way of doing business; and it has,
most definitely. In the late ’90s, you couldn’t get a Harley. Some retailers
took advantage of that. On the other hand, the exclusivity kept resale values
up. This allowed us to offer financing for motorcycles, which was once
unthinkable, and that helped release a pent-up desire for the product and led to
improved cash flow. Now, as the demand grows, we’re able to fill it, and pricing
has come back to reality.” Rossmeyer knows H-D’s image has indisputably moved
beyond the parochial view of biker-as-outlaw. “We’re responding to mainstream
clients who easily invest from $30,000 to over $200,000 in their
passions.”
One aspect of that response is H-D’s diversification into
merchandising that surpasses even Ferrari’s similarly vast brand elaborations.
“Harley-Davidson is an American icon, and people want to own a part of it. And
besides, how many motorcycle companies have a 100-year history?”
 It is no longer simply a showroom floor—Rossmeyer’s stores now entice on
multiple levels. Photograph by Tricia Krefetz & Jerry Wyszatycki /Avatar Productions. (Click image to enlarge)
A uniquely
spectacular motorcycle environment called “Destination Daytona”, the pinnacle of
Rossmeyer’s strategy, is to leverage the legend like no dealer has done until
now. Covering 150 acres north of Daytona Beach, Florida, Rossmeyer’s new
complex features a 109,000-square-foot two-story steel-and-glass dealership
and retail center, state-of-the-industry ser-vice facility with panoramic
windows, and a forthcoming motorcycle museum.The result is an almost
overwhelming “Harley World”, where the visitor is awash in waves of shining Hogs
and floor-to-ceiling Harley products of every possible grade. Smartly turned
out—albeit with the anticipated biker ponytails and body jewelry—sales
associates in Harley black-and-orange invite you to indulge.
Future plans
include a food court, 100-room hotel/condominium, restaurants, bars, two
nightclubs, a concert pavilion, helicopter pad, luxury RV sites and a new campus
for the American Motorcycle Institute College. Says Rossmeyer, “Destination
Daytona represents where the brand has been, where it is today, and where it’s
going.”
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