Indian Motorcycle has posted a political-style attack advertisement directly targeting rival Harley-Davidson on its official social media channels. The post, titled “The culture is not confused. Neither are we,” went live last night.
The ad contrasts the two brands’ leadership, noting that Harley-Davidson recently hired chief executive Artie Starrs, formerly of Pizza Hut and Topgolf, while Indian appointed Mike Kennedy, described in the ad as a lifelong industry veteran and motorcycle rider.
The ad claims Harley-Davidson chased electric bikes and moved production to Thailand, while positioning Indian as building American bikes and its PowerPlus engines in Spirit Lake, Iowa.
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It should be noted that only part of Harley’s range is built in Thailand, and that Indian assembled its FTR and Scout models in Poland under previous owner Polaris from 2020. The ad also uses politically coded imagery around diversity initiatives and patriotism.
The campaign follows a recent wave of influencer posts, which criticised Harley-Davidson as “woke” while promoting Indian. One post in particular by UFC athlete Sean Strickland told his followers that he was defecting from Harley to Indian, which gained significant traction.
Is this the kind of marketing the industry needs, or a step too far? Have your say in the comments.
Editorial Director at infomoto.com.au. Loves Rally bikes.
