Tyres Industry Publications: the next 75 years

Consumer tyre advice site WhatTyre and paywall-free digital archive of Tyres & Accessories magazine lead range of new services

The 75-year milestone for Tyres & Accessories magazine is not just a moment for retrospection. Our industry is in a state of technologically inspired flux. The past 18 months of crisis and upheaval have also been a catalyst for increasing the pace of change. At Tyre Industry Publications (TIP), we have taken this opportunity to consider the role our independent tyre industry media outlets play in the rapidly changing present and future. Our value-added information continues to offer a vital service to the tyre business but presenting this information in the right way for our readers is crucial. It also presents the ideal place for the most targeted advertising to trade buyers and – with our new consumer facing site WhatTyre – in-market audiences.

We are convinced that the magazine – a tangible object that can be passed around workshops and tyre retail outlets, offices and development centres – continues to offer values that online content distribution cannot. Acknowledging this, TIP continues to evolve its existing products, including Tyres & Accessories, while adding future-facing online services to the trade and the modern tyre consumer alike. Overall, the print and digital portfolio offer a full news and analysis service to a professional audience throughout the tyre distribution chain and circular economy.

WhatTyre presents value-added information to tyre consumers

In 2019, TIP launched WhatTyre, a new product comparison website for tyres, with the aim of raising the level of conversation about a highly technical product so often underestimated by the general motorist. This year, we used the site to compile six separate lists of the best tyres currently on the UK market for various segments, culminating in the inaugural WhatTyre Tyre of the Year Awards. This Product rather than Price-focused discussion of tyres on the market demonstrates what the site seeks to do. It also helped WhatTyre to record record-breaking traffic levels, establishing new levels up to 400 per cent higher than in 2020. Its increasingly established position in the market will be supported by new content and features.

WhatTyre presents Tyre Industry Publications’ independent, value-added tyre information to a consumer audience

TIP wants to connect more explicitly with consumers already using Tyrepress – our business-to-business news and analysis website – to research products and the companies supplying them independently. By dividing our online offer between two sites, one subscription-based service for the trade and one fully open service for the consumer, we can tune our information more specifically to each readership.

WhatTyre is designed to be a provider of independent information. Tyre Industry Publications’ vision for the future of this site is as a complementary service to existing retailers. Our ambition is ultimately to connect with the tyre retail sector in the UK more deeply, integrating this more closely with our value-added information for the trade. Therefore, our full service offering for tyre retailers and distributors will increasingly offer new opportunities while continuing to provide our full range of business information, all under a single subscription.

The future of Tyres & Accessories

Over the past year TIP has been refocussing Tyres & Accessories magazine on deeper and more relevant information and analysis, while continuing to update readers on the most important product and business news – all delivered by an independent editorial team. Monthly features provide the opportunity to look at tyre segments in more depth.

In 2020, TIP also undertook new initiatives that demonstrate the strengths of thriving digital and print media. Our 2020 Tyre Industry Conference used Tyrepress.com to debut four in-depth video discussions on the tyre distribution chain – manufacturing, distribution, collection and recovery – chaired by Tyrepress editors. These informative discussions subsequently provided material for several highly informative articles in Tyres & Accessories.

The Tyres & Accessories e-paper system was upgraded in September 2020

Having made the magazine easier to access for subscribers online, with a new and improved e-paper system, we are extending this system to include a comprehensive archive of Tyres & Accessories’ history, with a paywall-free page of back issues. Launching with the 2010-2019 decade, the archive will offer a high-quality, accessible history of the post-war tyre business as the digitisation process continues. The e-paper system also allows visitors to download PDF copies of Tyres & Accessories, enabling readers to pick whatever format they choose to read the industry’s leading magazine.

All of these investments in TIP’s business show how the company has been preparing for the next phase in our history, even in the midst of challenging working conditions. We celebrate our 75^th anniversary knowing that supporting the tyre business with the independent media it deserves will continue to be a process of refinement to move with the times.