Toronto’s Denneboom Media is gearing up for a two-month Harley motorcycle push.
Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada has selected the Toronto media buyer to handle its national and French advertising TV and radio campaigns, but Denneboom warns that it’s not your typical network-oriented buy, as it is targeting programs rather than networks.
For example, a 30-second Harley-Davidson vignette, aimed at the male 35+ demo, will be part of The Weather Network’s Open Road Report, while the 15-second This Time In History vignette will appear on History Television.
‘I think it’s important to understand the psychographic of the target group,’ Denneboom’s senior media advisor Judy Goddard tells MiC.
‘We want to make sure that the programming we’re in resonates with the target. We used the connection strategy, because we’re on a lot of different stations – some with significant weight and some with very little weight.’
Goddard says programs like Open Road Report and History Television’s Ice Truckers offer ‘nice tie-ins’ to the target demo that get them thinking about motorcycle life.
‘If you’re a Harley rider, you want that open road – you want that beautiful weather,’ she explains. ‘So the Weather Network vignette allows us to tie the whole concept of the perfect weather and the dream of riding that Harley on the open road to our audience, as well as allowing us to tag it with the retailers’ locations.’
A third series of ads, featuring personality Benoît Gagnon on numerous Astral TV programs, will air solely in the Quebec and incorporate a Harley motorcycle giveaway as a part of a retail tie-in.
On the radio, 30-second spots will air on classic rock stations and a subsequent promotion covering four major markets: Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto.
Handled by Toronto’s Alles Advertising & Design, creative director Marcus Kihn says the message was a simple one.
‘We really wanted to get the message out there that Harley-Davidson is relevant and a contender,’ he tells MiC. ‘ The message is also: ‘No more excuses – make this the year you get yourself on a Harley.”
The campaign, rolling out in two phases with the TV component launching March 22 and the radio aspect following two weeks later, is expected to last through mid-June.
