Goodyear Expanding Brand Presence Through Licensing

These days there’s much more to Goodyear than simply tyres. The US tyre major has become a major player in the world of product licensing, and in early June, it attended the annual Licensing Expo in New York. Attendance at such shows is, says Goodyear, part of its global licensing strategy to help extend the brand’s reach into new and different product categories.

The company already has partnered with nearly 70 licensees worldwide, reports Bob Paciulan, Goodyear manager of licensed products. These licensees, producing products carrying the tyre major’s brand, contribute to a growing stream of royalties received by Goodyear. Paciulan adds that Goodyear, through its presence at shows such as the Licensing Expo, is particularly interested in licensees that produce premium products in the automotive, home/garage, apparel, travel and leisure/recreation areas.

“Our goal this week is to learn more about the licensing opportunities that are out there for Goodyear,” said Paciulan. “It also allows us the chance to outline our licensing strategy. Those who we identify will obviously understand what the Goodyear brand can mean for scaling their businesses. What Goodyear is looking for are companies that make very high quality and in many cases leadership products in categories where we have ‘permission’ to play, but where we don’t choose to make a ground up investment.

“Despite the fact that we’re one of the top one hundred licensors in the world today, we’re relatively new to the whole world of licensing,” added Paciulan. “However, we’re very optimistic that we will draw attention from companies that can significantly benefit from the strength of the Goodyear brand. We’re serious about growing this area of our business.”