A Wild Ride With
Harley-Davidson

Motorwitch and
Harley-Davidson

American Motorcycle
Manufacturer

Client

Industry

Danny Wilson and
Slipknot’s Jim Root

Members

Brian Heiden

Director

Buckeye, Arizona

Location

2M+ on Instagram

Total Views

Customer Challenge

Every business must adapt to the times or risk extinction. Harley-Davidson’s numbers were dipping in terms of young people buying bikes. The brand had become synonymous with white-collar weekend warriors when it should be for everyone. Harley-Davidson needed to rekindle its wild past—what made it famous and unique all those years ago—but for a new generation of riders.

Revving Up Creativity

Famed motorcycle builder Danny Wilson was custom tweaking a Harley-Davidson motorcycle for Slipknot guitarist Jim Root when Bryan Heiden, our Director of Digital Strategy, captured it on film. Thoroughly impressed by our offering – something new, edgy, and the opposite of “corporate” – Harley-Davidson commissioned us for three more videos.

Riding High

Heiden and the rest of our multi-talented team of videographers, designers, and editors got to work. Our location scouts secured a rustic barn for the shoot that perfectly matched the tone of the previous videos, and we got Wilson and Root back for the project.

Inventive Under Pressure

To get the action shots we needed, Heiden and our resourceful team of videographers attached a car rig to a dolly, allowing the camera to move around and keep up with Root as he rode his motorcycle through the backroads of Buckeye, Arizona. Here at MMG, we know how to solve problems and get results.

The Impact

Heiden and the team realized what Harley-Davidson needed for their brand and created video assets that delivered. The first video went viral on Instagram and garnered 2 million views within the first six days of release. The dark and creepy tone, glimpses of custom-built motors, and collaboration hints between Slipknot and Harley-Davidson generated even more buzz, leading to 1 million unique views.