Harley-Davidson Homecoming
Case Study
Market Strategy
Experience Design
How we made NEW possible
NEWaukee strategically designed, produced and promoted creative activations that aimed to encourage the local community to engage with the brand and celebrate its integral connection to Milwaukee.
How it connected
For their 2023 Homecoming Festival, we introduced three new community-oriented events that drew in 3,000+ attendees.
Bonfire on the Beach
Down Under Disco
Bikes on the Block
Establishing Milwaukee as a destination for riders year-round.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. is an iconic, globally recognized motorcycle brand headquartered in Milwaukee, WI. Founded in 1903, the company has defined motorcycle culture and lifestyle for more than a century.
Key Insights
Harley-Davidson contracted NEWaukee two months prior to their Homecoming Festival to strategically design, produce, and promote creative activations that would service this goal. NEWaukee entered a three-part strategic planning process with Harley-Davidson Event Project Managers to uncover the following insights:
Harley-Davidson sought to activate and promote at least three distinct areas of the Greater Milwaukee region. Based upon an assessment of community resources as well as tourism data related to Harley-Davidson rider visitors, NEWaukee recommended the East Side of Milwaukee, West Allis, and South Milwaukee as key areas of interest.
The creative activations and promotions in each of the three areas needed to be distinct and target separate Harley-Davidson rider personas: art and music lovers looking for nostalgia and whimsy, enthusiastic shoppers wanting a piece of Milwaukee to take home, and outdoor enthusiasts looking for time in nature and beautiful ride experiences.
A multichannel strategy would be necessary to grow brand awareness of the Homecoming Festival community experiences and reach the selected target audiences.
With a short time frame of two months to complete the project, NEWaukee needed to work quickly and responsively. NEWaukee set up weekly meetings with the Harley-Davidson team for efficient decision-making.
Engagement Challenge
In preparation for its 120th Anniversary Homecoming festivities, Harley-Davidson looked to highlight the City of Milwaukee and its assets to out-of-town visitors.
Harley-Davidson leadership sought to showcase the broader Milwaukee region beyond the H-D Museum, Lakefront and Summerfest grounds, with the goal to establish the City as a destination for riders all-year-round, increasing visits to their museum and local dealerships beyond 5-year anniversary touch points. Additionally, the team aimed to encourage the local community to engage with the brand and celebrate its integral connection to Milwaukee.
Engagement Solution
In 2023, NEWaukee introduced three new community-oriented events to Harley-Davidson’s lineup of Homecoming Festival events and activities.
THE
RESULTS
3,000
attendees over
3 events
6,670+
event landing page visits
4.2M
media impressions
3K+
interested on FB & Eventbrite
$40K
estimated earned
media value
30,325
email newsletter
views
172,335
campaign impressions
75
participating businesses
Our Approach
In 2023, NEWaukee introduced three new community-oriented events to Harley-Davidson’s lineup of Homecoming Festival events and activities.
Bonfire on the Beach
A family-friendly beach event in South Milwaukee that featured acoustic music, dance performances, food and beverages, and bonfires with s’mores making.
Bikes on the Block
A 6-block long street festival in downtown West Allis featuring craft, food and beverage vendors, as well as a lineup of local musicians.
Down Under Disco
An industrial, disco-themed dance party at Lakefront Brewery.
For each of these events, Harley-Davidson engaged NEWaukee for marketing services including, but not limited to, brand development, content strategy and creation, public relations, media buying and monitoring, organic and paid social media management, photography and videography, event planning, street team activation, and reporting.