Verizon and Harley-Davidson Chart Two Routes to Brand Reinvention

Verizon generated 413 million views, 9.5 million likes and 1.2 million shares across social campaigns for less than $1 million in media spending, results presented at the ANA Masters of Marketing conference showed. Harley-Davidson, appearing at the same event, offered a different lesson: strip the brand back to one word and win over employees first.

Speaking in separate sessions, executives from the two companies laid out how they are breaking from industry conventions. Verizon leans into pop culture and unconventional advertising to shed its transactional utility image. Harley-Davidson returns to its roots to make motorcycle culture more welcoming. Both stressed simplified messaging and reworked marketing operations.

Why did Verizon simplify its plans?

The wireless industry has long sold network reliability and speed, messages that have become hard to differentiate, according to Leslie Berland, Verizon's Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Complicated pricing made it worse.

"When you confuse people, when they have to do a lot of work to understand what you're trying to say, it erodes trust over time," Berland said.

Verizon introduced a plan called Simplicity that eliminates activation and upgrade fees and expands its loyalty program. Those changes gave the company new advertising messages.

Berland's team targets cultural moments, talent and message, sometimes building campaigns quickly to catch emerging conversations. The "Simplicity as Sexy" campaign, featuring actor Stephen Kalyn and a provocative social rollout, generated more than 114 million views and 4.75 million engagements, with 85% positive social sentiment.

She warned against chasing trends without knowing the audience. "I don't believe that you can outsource understanding culture and conversation and nuance," Berland said.

How is Harley-Davidson changing its image?

Marcus Fischer, Chief Brand Officer of Harley-Davidson Motor Company, wants to bring "joy and swagger" back to a brand whose recent marketing he described as dark and intimidating. The new global platform distills to a single word: "Ride."

"We don't have owners; we have riders, and that is a big difference," Fischer said.

The distinction emphasizes participation and belonging over mere ownership. Fischer said earlier advertising reinforced intimidation rather than the enjoyment of riding.

"Nobody needs a motorcycle. You want one, and if we're going to have people want something, we should probably show them having a good time, not being angry, not being brooding," he said.

Newer creative shows smiling riders and shared experiences — a shift Fischer called moving "from intimidation to invitation." The effort is early: he cited positive reactions from employees, dealers and consumers but offered no long-term performance results.

What changed inside the companies?

Harley-Davidson rolled out "Ride" in stages: employees first, then dealers, then consumers, with new materials across factories, dealerships and corporate communications. "Your internal audience matters. It matters the most. That's really where everything has to start," Fischer said.

Verizon built an internal creative team, partnered with smaller agencies and cut approval layers to move faster. "There are too many steps, there are too many processes, there are too many approval layers, and it ends up definitely slowing you down, but also diluting the work," Berland said.

Both companies apply artificial intelligence — Verizon for brainstorming and creative development, Harley-Davidson for asset creation and message targeting — while stressing human judgment remains central.

Berland's advice to marketing leaders: audit the process, not just the work. "I would look very inward on how we work, and I think that's not talked about enough," she said.