On February 15, Harley Davidson launched a new advertising campaign taglined ‘No Cages’.

After parting with its long-time partner in ad creation Carmichael Lynch agency, the motorbike manufacturer was on the lookout for some really fresh and original ideas for a new campaign, which led them to work with Victors and Spoils, a creative advertising agency that bases its work on crowd-sourcing.

As the result of this cooperation, a new video dubbed ‘No Cages’ was introduced. This spot portraits motorbikes as the main sign of freedom in contrast to cars which are associated with cages and make the world a boring place to live.

The new spot is part of the marketing campaign dedicated to HD1 factory customization program that allows buyers to design their own vehicles by customizing a variety of options and get the ready motocycle  within 4 weeks. The ad was launched on cable TV and is said to be featured in press, outdoor media and online.

The idea was generated by a Kentuckian, Whit Hiler who is described by Evan Fry, Victors & Spoils’ CEO, as a «passionate amateur.»

Mark-Hans Richer, a chief marketing officer of Harley Davidson, told in an interview to Ad Age: «We’re really happy with the way it came out. «Cages» is a concept that comes out of the motorcycle lifestyle … typically it meant no cars. But the crowd and Victors & Spoils took «cages» and make it more about liberation from your boring life. We liked that expansion of the idea — it started with an insider motorcycle idea and they did a great job of finding a bigger idea. …We think it validates our new creativity model, which is centered on sourcing ideas from customers or consumers through Victors & Spoils. We showed this work at a dealer show in Orlando and global dealers were high-fiving and [saying] it’s terrific.»