Accelerating Coverage
On August 20, Harley-Davidson confirmed it had shut down its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. This led to a significant increase of media coverage and social media commentary focused on the corporation and DEI – rising from a negligible level to almost 15,000 pieces of content on the day of the announcement.
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Right vs. Left
Last week we looked at the age profiles of consumers commenting on this news, showing clearly that younger people were much less engaged than older generations. The question this raises for Harley-Davidson’s leadership is whether this means members of Gen Z simply don’t care about the brand – which may of course have implications down the road. Another lens we can look at the data through is the political affiliation of the consumers engaged in online commentary about the announcement; do they skew conservative or liberal?
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The data show us that conservative commentators were much more active than their liberal counterparts, celebrating a victory over what they perceive as progressive corporate policies, and posting at a rate of three times that of their liberal counterparts.
This raises another important question for Harley-Davidson: is the relative silence from the liberal community a sign of disinterest in the brand? Or is it a strategic retreat, avoiding engagement with a company that no longer aligns with their values? The answer has significant implications for Harley-Davidson’s brand positioning and marketing strategy.
Hidden Patterns
Looking under the surface of the data around Harley-Davidson’s announcement clearly illustrates the varied public response. Corporate decisions on social issues resonate very differently across society, making it vital for marketing and communications professionals to stay on top of these differences as they consider the impact of their decisions on their current – and future – customer and employee bases.
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Next Steps
Contact us today for your free MAPS Snapshot, quantifying how you are perceived in comparison to your competition on LGBTQ+ Rights.