Indian Motorcycle might be America’s oldest motorcycle brand, but Harley-Davidson Inc. has the market cornered.
So can Polaris Industries Inc. eat into Milwaukee-based Harley’s market share? It certainly seems Polaris thinks so, or at least is doing everything it can to build momentum for the launch of the 2014 Indian Motorcycle this summer.
In May’s issue of Popular Mechanics magazine, Polaris took out a full-page ad hyping the revived and revamped Indian Motorcycle. And although the ad doesn’t mention Harley by name, it’s clear who Polaris is aiming for.
The top half of the ad depicts a black and white photograph of a motorcycle with the word, “Hobby.” The bottom half is a color photo of an Indian Motorcycle with the word, “Passion.” The tagline: “Choice is coming to American motorcycles.”
That ad follows earlier efforts to generate buzz, including a teaser sound byte of the bike’s engine released last December and hiring Mike Wolfe, host of History Channel’s American Pickers, as a spokesman, according to Bloomberg.
