Harley-Davidson Roadhouse Customs

The Challenge
Harley-Davidson has been one of America’s most iconic brands for over 100 years. It unites a tribe of free-spirited men and women in a love of freedom that comes from the open road. At the end of their journeys, they meet at local bars and restaurants to share their experiences, and all that riding makes them hungry. Enter Roadhouse Customs, a line of barbeque meats from Harley- Davidson. The brand strategy challenge for Gate was how to make a motorcycle brand work for packaged food.

Our Solution
Gate began by understanding the Harley-Davidson brand experience – what it looks like, feels like, and, yes, what it tastes like. It’s a barbeque flavor forged in smoke and fire and that became the foundation of the brand identity. Much like the rumble of the V-twin engine, Roadhouse Custom’s brand sizzle was rooted in the Harley tradition and designed to appeal to the rebel in all of us.

Building on a Harley-focused creative strategy, Gate turned to packaging design next. Gate designed product packaging that reflected the Harley-Davidson brand experience and garnered attraction at the shelf.

Roadhouse Customs were introduced in over 1,200 Wal-Marts across the country, with tastings at Harley-Davidson rallies in Sturgis, South Dakota, Daytona, Florida and Laconia, New Hampshire. And with this project, Gate demonstrated its more than a brand design agency, it’s a team of would-be rebels with a hunger for slow-smoked snacks.