A Promotional Video with Bugs in Its Teeth

A Promotional Video with Bugs in Its Teeth

As part of the celebration of 35 years of MessageMakers, we're telling the stories of 35 great projects throughout our history. This is one of them.

MessageMakers has worked with the Harley Owners Group® (H.O.G.®) for many years. In 2008, MessageMakers was asked to produce a video to promote H.O.G.’s 25th anniversary celebration in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The 25th anniversary coincided with Harley-Davidson’s 105th anniversary celebration and was to feature Harley riders from around the continent beginning at 105 starting points that merged into 25 routes as they rode to the 105th celebration together. Harley-Davidson wanted to encourage H.O.G. members to join the “ride home.”

The crowds, as pictured in the Harley Owners Group 25th anniversary celebration promotional videoUsing both archival and captured footage, MessageMakers created a promotional video based on the past two and a half decades of Harley-Davidson to give a sense of the group's legacy and build excitement for the ride and the celebration at the end of it. The high-energy video contained imagery, music and text and could be used on multiple platforms. Because of this versatility, the video could be played in several locations without concern over whether the video’s message was being accurately portrayed.

“[We wanted to] really drive home and excite people about coming to Milwaukee—and it did,” said MessageMakers president Terry Terry. “They had more people than they could accommodate [at the H.O.G. 25th celebration].”

The video also won a 2008 Communicator Award of Distinction for its quality.

Enjoy the promotional video ...

.. and some footage of the event it supported.