Authenticity will be a key driver of loyalty in 2025. Enterprises that foster true community engagement build deeper relationships, attract brand ambassadors, and grow sustainably. To better understand how this works, let's examine two examples of successful brand-community building and show how you can apply those principles to your organization.
The Harley-Davidson H.O.G.™ Program—A Case Study in Loyalty
I first became interested in Harley-Davidson's marketing program when studying marketing with the school's dean, Susan Fournier, at business school. In 2005, while pursuing my full-time MBA at Boston University School of Management, I wrote a paper about organisations with a devoted fan base drawn to their authenticity.
This idea was inspired by classes taught by Susan Fournier, then marketing professor and now dean of the business school.
When I wrote my paper about brand communities in Marketing, I was explicitly influenced by her groundbreaking Harvard Business School case study** Susan Fournier wrote this innovative case study about the Harley-Davidson Owners Group, or ‘Hogs'. It was HBS's first-ever 'multi-media' case study.
The Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.™) is an excellent case study in building loyalty through community. Harley-Davidson doesn’t compete on performance metrics like speed or durability—its motorcycles are often outperformed by competitors like Yamaha or BMW. Instead, the brand’s success is rooted in the emotional and social bonds it creates with its customers.
Key highlights of the H.O.G.™ program include:
- Membership Tiers: Full Membership for bike owners and Associate Membership for passengers, ensuring inclusivity within their user base.
- Local Chapters: Regular rides, events, and gatherings unite members, reinforcing a sense of community.
- Unique Experiences: Access to Harley-Davidson rallies, exclusive events, and a loyalty partnership program with benefits for partners like Hard Rock Café and Insta360.
- Shared Identity: Members are encouraged to celebrate Harley culture's raw, authentic side—like cleaning grease from their bikes after rugged journeys.
This grassroots approach turns loyal customers into brand advocates, strengthening both retention and word-of-mouth marketing. How does this concept translate to marketing generally?
Lessons for Marketing Professionals—Building Your Advocacy Program
Like Harley-Davidson, companies can create loyal communities that drive advocacy and organic growth. Here’s how:
1. Develop a Micro-Influencer Program
Micro-influencers - with niche, engaged audiences - are ideal for representing your service or product. These individuals often inspire higher trust than prominent influencers.
- Start Small: Identify users already advocating for your product on LinkedIn, Twitter, or forums.
- Provide Value: Offer them exclusive benefits, such as early access to product updates, premium features, or recognition within their community.
- Encourage Genuine Advocacy: Just as Harley riders sharing trip stories, provide channels for micro-influencers to share authentic use cases and successes with your platform.
- Read our guide: How to get started with your Microinfluencer programme.
2. Enhance the Customer Experience with Community
Building a loyal community is about investing in relationships as much as technology. Look to create programs that mirror the social and emotional connections found in Harley’s H.O.G.™ program.
- Interactive Communities: Create a dynamic Slack workspace or LinkedIn group for your users to exchange ideas, support each other, and build relationships.
- Exclusive Content: Offer webinars, expert-led sessions, or how-to guides only accessible to community members.
- Host Regular Events: Virtual or in-person events can connect customers more to your brand. Highlight success stories from your users.
3. Deepen Usage Through Expertise
For SaaS tools, loyalty comes from becoming indispensable. Prove your software’s value by helping customers make the most of it. As marketing guru Pierre Heurbel says, 'Make sure your company is providing a pain killer, not a vitamin.'
- Onboarding Success Teams: Offer one-on-one onboarding, workshops, or team training sessions.
- Tangible ROI Metrics: Regularly showcase quantifiable benefits users gain from improved productivity, growth, or cost-savings using your platform.
- Actionable Feedback Loops: Celebrate community input by swiftly implementing requested improvements and crediting users for their contributions.
4. Turn Clients into Ambassadors
Happy clients are your best marketers, so turn them into visible advocates for your brand.
- Reward Referrals with free subscriptions, upgraded plans, or other perks.
- Create Public Showcases via case studies, video testimonials, or AMA panels featuring your customers.
- Offer Co-Creation Opportunities like beta programs or customer advisory boards to make clients feel directly connected to your business’ growth.
5. Don’t Shy Away from Authenticity
Taking risks and showing boldness can build stronger loyalty—look at Nike’s controversial campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick. Like Nike, if your SaaS tool or product truly aligns with a strong stance or ethos, don’t hesitate to amplify it. Whether it’s a commitment to sustainability or championing inclusivity in the workplace, showing authenticity resonates powerfully with customers.
The Community Advantage
Building a deeply engaged community isn’t just an idea for consumer brands like Harley Davidson, Apple, Nike, or Lululemon, or on the B2B side with companies like Hubspot, Salesforce, Adobe and Monday.com. It’s a necessity for modern companies looking to stand out in a competitive market.
Organizations can build long-lasting loyalty while driving advocacy and sustained growth by forging real emotional and professional connections, offering tailored experiences, and giving their customers opportunities to champion their brand.
** Harvard Business School - Building brand community on the Harley-Davidson Posse Ride
Next Steps
Interested in developing your own micro-influencer or ambassador program? Start by exploring my Micro-influencer guide
