Brand communities do develop greater involvement in a brand. For example (a brand other than Harley Davidson), Facebook and its ability to unite people on a website. It is the number 1 social networking site because it creates a community for people to congregate to. Cynically speaking, it's like how a country creates national pride through the use of flags, national anthems, etc. People find something they identify with, which helps unite other people together (even people who are not associated with the organization, but people who desire to). Sometimes people desire to be part of something and Harley Davidson used that to their advantage.
The word "posse" in "Posse Ride" says it all. If you are participating in the "Posse Ride," then you are part of a "posse." Although this is a superficial analysis, it says a lot. A "posse" is defined as a group of men who may be armed. You can make the conjecture that people who take part in these events are people who believe they are tough, or people who want to be tough. Let's face it, how can you not be or appear tough with a large group of motorcycle riders. Moving forward, within these "Posse Rides" motorcyclists bond with each other. They do this in a sense of riding together and sharing their lives with each other in various ways. Moreover, promoting camaraderie, which enhances the
meaning of the brand.
I don't believe Harley Davidson should get more involved with the rides. Any more involvement would make riders feel controlled, or policed. The idea of Harley Davidson is for riders to feel free on the open rode without any restrictions (yeah, and that sometimes gets out of hand). The riders have created the image for Harley Davidson and they continue to do that. Any interference by the company will dilute the meaning of Harley Davidson. Let's face it, Harley Davidson is known for their riders, not for themselves (if that makes sense). To elaborate, the Harley Davidson riders promote Harley Davidson, they no longer need to promote themselves.
There are no other ways Harley Davidson could promote it. They have a lot of motorcycle gang members ride those bikes. They are not only nationally known, but internationally known. They are known to have one of the loudest motorcycles ever. Again, if there were any interference by Harley Davidson, I feel like it would not seem organic. Organic in a sense that they are what they represent. Meaning that the riders and the way they are portrayed (the people who they desired to attract) are what makes a Harley Davidson motorcycle attractive.
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