Divine Makes Harley's Motor Run

Remember that company? It merged with USWeb/CKS in 1999 to form marchFirst, which closed its doors and sold off its customer list in 2001.

In turn, Chicago-based divine nabbed many of marchFirst's prime engagements, including Harley-Davidson, the venerable motorcycle manufacturer.

"They've stayed with us through several iterations," said Ed Szofer, president of divine's professional services unit. "They've been one of our most noteworthy customers.

"We [develop applications that bring Harley-Davidson's business units together," Szofer said, ticking off the services that divine provides the Milwaukee-based company. "We've hosted their Web site since the marchFirst days, and we recently started using our software as part of the delivery of the solutions we're working on with Harley. We're a solution provider that brings a lot of these pieces together."

Divine sometimes suggests that customers choose its own software over that of vendor partners BEA Systems or IBM, but a client's needs are always the most important consideration and divine never compromises its product-neutral stance, Szofer said.

"We would never have credibility with anybody out there [if we weren't neutral," he said. "We argue that our software is as good as anybody else's. We know [our software products, and we can bundle them into a deal. But if we try to put a square peg in a round hole, we're dead."

Divine's software services group includes call center, e-marketing, content management and other applications among its offerings.

In addition to purchasing divine's software services, Harley-Davidson has also charged divine with helping it prepare for its 100th anniversary in 2003 by revving up www.harley-davidson.com.

The motorcycle maker has about 150 IT professionals of its own, but the divine team brings special skills to the table, said Ken Ostermann, vice president of e-commerce at Harley-Davidson. "We've worked with them collaboratively, and they've also gone off on their own and come up with a number of different ideas," Ostermann said.

A new custom-catalog feature that divine is creating for Harley-Davidson's Web site will let owners of a particular motorcycle model view only the accessories and parts for their bikes, Ostermann added.

In addition, video and still footage of Harley-Davidson's 100th anniversary Open Road tour will figure prominently on the company's Web site in the coming months as the tour progresses, culminating in a party in Milwaukee on Aug. 31, 2003, according to Ostermann.

The slick site is already resplendent with slow, reverent shots that pan lovingly over details of Harley fenders and logos. Visitors can calculate monthly payments for a new bike of their own, order clothing and merchandise emblazoned with the Harley-Davidson logo, and learn more about special motorcycles in limited-edition colors that will be available in conjunction with the centennial celebration.

"When you look at harley-davidson.com, that's the result of the divine team's work," Ostermann said.

The Web is a very powerful medium for the company, he said, adding that as many as 85 percent of Harley owners first research their motorcycles on the Internet.

According to Szofer, about 19 of divine's professional services staffers work on advanced branding strategies, which has been a key focus of the relationship between divine and Harley-Davidson since it began. Seven others handle project management and Web technology.