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With a focus on building identity-driven customer loyalty, Ken reveals how to stand out in crowded markets by creating unforgettable experiences, meaninful stories and human-centered branding. With lessons from Harley's turnaround, as well as his own passion and insights, he helps organisations understand the drivers of reputation, preference and advocacy, equipping them to redefine their competitive edge and transform customers into dedicated fans.
Ken Schmidt is best known as the communications strategist who helped engineer one of the most celebrated brand turnarounds in US corporate history, that of Harley-Davidson. At a time when the famed motorcycle manufacturer was on the brink of collapse, Ken played a central role in restoring its commercial competitiveness and cultural relevance. By shifting Harley’s focus from product features to powerful storytelling, identity and affinity with customers, he helped turn it into a brand people didn’t just buy from, but one they had tattooed on their bodies.
Having left Harley-Davidson, Ken now challenges other leaders to follow his lessons in how to stand out from the crowd by being unmistakably and memorably human. Drawing on the techniques that revived Harley-Davidson, and insights from years advising some of the world’s best-known companies, he reveals how to spark customer loyalty, energise employees, and dominate in your sector. He explores how to establish a meaningful brand, not through gimmicks, short-term promotions or faddish marketing, but by tapping into the deep behavioural and motivational traits that influence consumer emotions.
With passion, memorable images, unexpected insights and actionable takeaways, Ken challenges businesses to find and embrace their unique voice and differentiate through culture. He explores how to build advocacy through distinctive stories that customers actually want to share. With a combination of incisive strategy and infectious energy, Ken urges organisations to stop doing what’s expected and start making themselves irreplaceable.
A motorcycle enthusiast and master storyteller, Ken has spoken to hundreds of organisations around the world. He is the author of Make Some Noise: The Unconventional Road to Dominance, host of the Tailgating with Geniuses podcast, and co-founder of Torque Sessions Leadership Training. After serving as Director of Communications for Harley-Davidson, he became a partner at branding firm VSA Partners before founding the Ken Schmidt Company.
Ken continues to work with major brands while also riding and speaking with business leaders on two wheels around the world. Ken’s philosophy: “Never do what’s expected, make yourself as noticeably different as possible, and have a lot more fun than you’re supposed to.”
