Over the decades, all motorcycle companies have done their marketing exercises.
And god-knows-how-many marketing campaigns, ads, and slogans.
But one marketing campaign stands out.
And it is arguably the greatest marketing slogan ever in motorcycle history.
Wanna take a guess on what the slogan is? Or from which motorcycle brand it is?
Context
Up until the 1960s, motorcycle riders were a niche community.
The motorcycle community had a hippie vibe to it.
Motorcycle riders were seen as edgy, hippies, and even outlaws.
This was a problem for motorcycle manufacturers.
While this image had its pros, the masses avoided buying motorcycles. And motorcycle manufacturers wanted their machines to go mainstream.
Setting
Then came the efforts by motorcycle makers. They wanted to make motorbike riding palatable to the masses.
Lo and behold, there were lots of marketing ads and campaigns.
But the one that stands out is from Honda.
And their landmark marketing slogan was //drumroll//:
You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda.
Yup. You heard it right. That’s the marketing slogan.
The Honda ad campaign showed housewives, children, and parents riding motorcycles for even day-to-day activities – making this ad one of the landmark motorcycle sales slogans in history.
Here is what their ad looked like:
Aftermath
By the late 1960s and the early 1970s, society as a whole started accepting motorcycle riding as a common occurrence.
Sure, it still had that hippie vibe. Especially for Harleys.
But on the whole, motorcycles were soon accepted as common transportation vehicles.
And one iconic ad campaign had a lot to say about that change.
PS. Here is the YouTube video of their ads