Polaris, a global leader in "power sports", already had significant market share for its side-by-side off-road products, its all-terrain vehicles, and its snowmobiles.
But its Victory line of motorcycles was in a rut. The reason, according to Pam Kermisch, Polaris' Senior Director/Integrated Marketing and Customer Experience, was not product quality: "Consumers would tell us, 'Wow, your products have the best handling, the most balance, the best power. This is like nothing we've ever seen."
And it wasn't lack of ambition: "This company is known for engineering products. We believed, 'We can create a better motorcycle.'"
The problem, Kermisch told delegates...