The cats at Quad Cam Bastards were first out of the gate with their dead on parody (above) of Willie G’s latest what the hell is this all about “Screw It, Lets Ride” marketing come-on. You’ve got to wonder what the kiddie kopyriters at longtime HD agency Carmichael Lynch were thinking when they pitched this bozo campaign to TMC. Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends.
I can picture the scene where, hunched over a highly polished mahogany bar with their Stella Artois avec slice, they busied themselves by channeling “Hells Angels On Wheels” as a totally out of gas inspiration for this smarmy Ken and Barbie Stick It To The Man offering. Right on! Power to the people! Quittin’ time! When, as expected, this latest theme gets skewered on The Daily Show, you’ll better understand the down side of viral.
In all fairness – we want to make sure we understand where the scorn should be directed – this is the vision of former GM/Pontiac CMO Mark-Hans Richer, whose inspiration was feedback gleaned from “road research” of customers. While with Pontiac, Richer coordinated the Oprah Winfrey audience car giveaway; that pr coup was what led to his hire as HD’s first CMO, albeit with a marketing budget one-tenth of what he controlled at Pontiac.
According to a May 6 piece by Ad Age, Mr. Richer said research with “real people in the real world is probably more meaningful than getting 12 people in a room” for a focus group. He didn’t pre-test the ads because the work reflects how Harley’s customers think and feel. Hmmm. Not so many of us as he thinks, apparantly. I have to wonder, how long has Mr. Richer been riding?
Lets be clear: Marlon Brando was dangerous as Johnny when he responded to the rhetorical, “What are you rebelling against?” line from The Wild Ones with “Whattaya got?”. Uh, but that was so last century. Back when three channels of black and white tv ownership was an exclusive club and over a half century before random drive-bys were moved to a few inches worth of mention deep inside the metro section.
This massively out of touch with the base attempt to reverse the irreversable strikes out on all counts. For decades HD’s politely pushed away any notion of – shock shock horror horror – a connection between outlaw gangs and their iconic product sold to the masses. With “Screw It,” that hypocrisy’s finally laid to rest, albeit a day late to actually cash in on the connection.
The premium promo is hysterical – just visit your local dealer and walk out with your very own limited edition “Screw It!” doo-rag! You heard right, tough guy and tough gal bikers – an Officially Licensed HD “Screw It!” bandana of your very own. Now who wouldn’t be proud to get caught profiling with that Made In China rag wrapped around their dome. And as if nobody gets the snicker effect of the euphamism “Screw It” in lieu of it’s graphic inspiration.
This – and I can’t use the adjective “creative” in all good conscience – effort, minimal at best, was approved for use by HD, which sorta’ gives an insight into how they view their troubled market. I remember when AMF bailed them out, and when the Reagan administration bailed them out again with a historic one-time only tariff slap down of metric heavyweights. Nobody was sneering then, that’s for sure.
“Screw It – Lets Ride” Really Sucks. Our prediction is that the laughingstock factor will actually have a measurable negative effect. Especially as the readers of dirt bike pub Racer X wonder what the weirded out insert that falls in their lap from the latest issue’s all about.
