CHOICE IS COMING
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE
After they originally ceased operations in 1953, relaunching the Indian Motorcycle brand was a massive task. My team spent over two years working to reintroduce the brand and launch its first completely new bike in more than 50 years. We leaned into an insight about motorcycle riders - though they value riding an American-made bike, many bristled at the fact that there was literally one choice available on the market. Which is to say, there was no choice at all. We set out to change that with a campaign that spanned years and media types.
Riders spend months or years dreaming before reaching for their wallets. So we started out by turning a fixture of dealer showrooms - the annual catalog - into something more. Our brochure opened into a series of posters for basements, dens, and garage walls. Along the way we created a custom display typeface, drawing from and expanding upon the brand’s famous century-old logo.
"The design brings the vintage appeal of the 113-year The Indian Motorcycle brand into a modern scale, building excitement and confidence in the brand's future."
Communication Arts Magazine
Months before unveiling the full bike, we revealed the Chief’s all-new engine in a pop-up store at Daytona Bike Week. Riders had all their questions answered by the design team engineers and mingled with curious celebrities while “Swag Swap” street teams traded t-shirts from other brands for a brand-new Indian Motorcycle shirt on the spot.
In the weeks leading up to launch, a classic Willie Nelson song helped us have some fun with our friends in Milwaukee. Needless to say, this ad started more than a few debates across motorcycle blogs and social media.
We continued the comparison with an aggressive print campaign that quickly led to the cease and desist letters from Milwaukee attorneys that we’d anticipated.
Coinciding with the reveal of the new Chief at the annual Sturgis rally, we worked with the History Channel to create their first Bike Week - a week of special episodes and original programming all about motorcycles and the culture. Custom vignettes featuring American Pickers host Mike Wolfe shared the brand's rich heritage.
It all culminated in the reveal of the all-new Chief at Sturgis Bike Week. The unveiling event was broadcast live on the History Channel and simulcast at special events around the world.
