Harley-Davidson Taps Supermodel to Pitch New Bike
Harley-Davidson has chosen an unconventional way to launch its new high performance motorcycle, by partnering with American supermodel Marisa Miller.
The new campaign plays on the pairing of Miller’s sophisticated, sexy style and Harley-Davidson’s “brute strength,” the company said.
The 2009 V-Rod Muscle is the latest addition to Harley-Davidson’s high-performance line of V-Rod motorcycles and features a powerfully sculpted new physique with a contemporary, urban style. Miller’s father and uncle rode Harley’s.
TV spots began airing yesterday that show Miller stretched atop a sleek, black V-Rod Muscle. Print ads will appear in lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Esquire, Complex, Road & Track and Trader. The ads incorporate SnapTell technology, which lets readers photograph the ad with their mobile phones to get exclusive content.
At Harley-Davidson’s YouTube channel people can watch a behind-the-scenes video of the Marisa Miller V-Rod Muscle photo shoot. Motorcycle bloggers and Harley-Davidson fans and friends on Facebook and MySpace were exclusively tipped off to the campaign. The video is also available.
“The V-Rod Muscle stands out in a crowd of copies and generic motorcycle profiles,” said Mark-Hans Richer, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Harley-Davidson, in a statement. “It stretches the very definition of what it means to be a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.”
