Goodyear Dunlop Wins Top PR Awards

Two PR campaigns by tyre company Goodyear Dunlop have been commended by industry experts, having been awarded three gold awards for its commitment to corporate social responsibility and use of photography, as well as receiving the prize for best publication.

The 2008 Goodyear Playground Appeal, which saw the tyre giant grant a needy playground a £10,000 makeover, has been deemed a worthy winner in the Midlands CIPR PRide Awards which recognise outstanding work in the field of communications and public relations. The accolade, which was awarded in the corporate responsibility category, was given to Goodyear for successfully executing the campaign and communicating the brand’s continued commitment to family safety through the Playground Appeal. Using an intensive media relations strategy, the campaign successfully positioned the brand as champion in the family safety arena whilst taking a responsible stance on the environment through recycling.

Goodyear Dunlop corporate communications manager James Bailey said: “The Playground Appeal successfully achieved Goodyear’s objective of communicating how used tyres are recycled, providing a basis for Goodyear’s campaign in building safe play areas. By undertaking projects such as this, we’ve been able to construct a platform from which to highlight and discuss the important issue of road safety.”

Dunlop claimed top honours in the categories of ‘Best Use of Photography or Design’ and ‘Best Publication’ for the ‘Thrill of the Drive’ photo-book at the same awards. The ‘Thrill of the Drive’ is the limited edition coffee table book that was the culmination of a PR campaign urging motorsport devotees to encapsulate what exciting driving meant to them. To do this, Dunlop asked drivers to upload their own images on its drivers’ club website, using the submissions as content for the specially commissioned book. As driving enthusiasts and motorsport fans are equally passionate about their own cars and the road, Dunlop wanted to give them an outlet to express their feelings with the Dunlop Tyres brand at the forefront. The campaign included a local and national press appeal calling for enthusiasts to submit images; this received widespread coverage, with a total of more than 500 images eventually being uploaded to the site.

Dunlop teamed up with Photography Monthly magazine to assist judging the entries. The overall winner accompanied the official photographer of the publication during the final round of the HiQ British Touring Car Championship. Proceeds from the ‘Thrill of the Drive’ coffee table book are also donated to the Motorsport Safety Fund.

The judges for the PRide awards praised the campaign for creating “a truly professional ‘coffee table’ collection with high retention value”, saying that “the combination of fantastic photography and excellent execution of great PR ideas won through.”