Falken first tyre company on Google+

New social network site Google+ expanded its social net to include brands and companies this week, and Falken Tire Corp. staked a claim to being the first tyre company to inhabit the online space, reports Tire Review. The company has already garnered 320,000 “Likes” on its Facebook page, and sees the addition of Google+ as “an extension of its consumer allegiance strategy.” The brand has been particularly vocal about its use of social networks in conjunction with motorsport activities to such an end this year.

“It is absolutely critical in today’s marketplace to connect with Falken’s core fans who are living and breathing everything via the Internet,” said Andrew Hoit, Falken vice president of marketing. “We are focused on reaching a wide range of customers through as many media avenues as possible, and based on the rapid success of the Google+ concept, we believe it is important for Falken to have an important presence there. Like other services, these users are speaking to us about our brand and what they like. We definitely want to hear from them.”

According to Google, Google+ Pages allow companies to specify a category (local business, product or brand) and note the kind of company it is. The pages can host video for face-to-face conversations between followers, as well as the creation of smaller groups within a main group.

Launched in June, Google+ now has an estimated 40 million users and 3.4 billion photos uploaded.

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