Victory Motorcycles - Building a "There" There

If you're a current rider, and more to the point, a cruiser rider of the usual demographic, you've most likely heard of Victory Motorcycles........they're that "other" American made bike (apologies up front to Indian, but honestly, can you blame me?). From all accounts in the press, and your humble correspondent's personal experience riding the product, they build a very fine machine. As a matter of fact, "on paper" their motorcycles best the bikes from Milwaukee in almost every category; all the while delivering a styling package that is distinctive and for the most part unique, bordering on cool.

So what's the problem? Simple, there's no "there" there. What is a Victory? What does a Victory represent? Who is a Victory rider......what is unique about him or her? I'm not sure we know, and worse yet for Victory, I'm not sure they know either. It's almost as if the line of thinking in some long since forgotten marketing strategy meeting went something like this; 1) Built in the US .2) It's not a Harley. 3) It's better than a Harley. 4) Buy it. Let's break for lunch.

That's just not gonna cut it, not in the motorcycle business in general, and the cruiser segment in particular. These brands are sold mostly on emotion, not specifications (whether we want to admit it or not). Is a Harley necessarily a "better" machine, probably not. But it's certainly a better brand......and not just because it's had about a 95 year head start.

Think for just a moment of what Harley Davidson represents. It's pure Americana, iconic and cool, but why? Well, mostly because of all those positive associations with the brand over time; its history, the imagery of the product in the context of historical events like World War II, movie stars and athletes, outlaw bikers and industrial titans. It's the sheer volume of that emotional input that emphatically stamped the Harley brand into our collective subconscious. From early on the Motor Company knew that the brand was far more than the machines, and that it was the brand itself that was the prime driver when it came to selling the motorcycles, not the other way around. If a brand does not engage us on an emotional level it will not succeed in the long run.........it's a simple as that.

So what does this mean for Victory Motorcycles, are they doomed? Of course not, as a matter of fact, one could argue that there's a particularly bright potential future in store for the brand if the leadership embraces the fact that it's simply not enough to build a better mouse trap and wait for the world to beat a path to the showroom (sorry, I normally try to avoid cliche's like the plague). They have to develop and nurture the brand. Find out what Victory is and nurture it.......talk to customers, better yet talk to folks that aren't, non-riders as well, you don't have to ride to know what's cool. And make no mistake......being "cool" is an imperative, not being "better". Cool will always be better.

Is there unique ground for Victory to plant the flag and say, "this is who and what we are"? Can they convey that identity in a consistent and impactful way? To both these questions, I'd say absolutely! After all, the good people at Victory have a solid platform upon which to build. The bikes are good, they are distinctive, and yes, they're built here......that's not too bad a starting point. And you've got that "spec sheet"......put that extra displacement and handling to use. The machines are hot rods.....and Americans, especially American males "get" hot rods.......it's in our DNA. And it appears to be in Victory's as well.........and that's where they could make their stand. An American built muscle machine; fast, beautiful, iconic in its own right..........and best yet, cool.

Once the "hot rod" strategy is embraced, every ounce of communication effort; whether conventional advertising, promotions, PR, trade shows, product placement, rally's, etc. must relentlessly reinforce that message. Victory is a hot rod. "American. Performance."

Will they do it? Will Victory become the brand that their motorcycles so desperately need them to be? Maybe. The leadership might argue that they are already there. I would hope not. It's tough to say, change is never easy. I'll leave you with this observation, which I think is pretty telling. Search the "careers" section of the Motor Company's website and the number of postings in marketing generally exceeds all the rest. On Victory's site the most numerous postings are for engineers.........Guess we'll just have to see how it plays out.