The bigger the tyre brand, the more important marketing becomes in order to communicate its values and its worth. With this in mind, the “marketing” tag collates all the latest marketing-related news and analysis into a single place. This reverse-chronological list of thousands of articles is your go-to source of tyre industry, marketing-related news and information.
"The Independent Garage Association (IGA) has now launched its website building service to its members, helping to bring additional business into their workshops and an opportunity to market their garage to the modern consumer" said Stuart James, RMI IGA Director.
Michelin has marked the 60th anniversary of the introduction of radial truck tyres in 1952. The company says its first Michelin X Radial truck tyre helped to transform the road transport industry, which until then was using cross-ply tyres. The company says radialisation made trucking safer and more efficient. Of course, following the innovation, other manufacturers pursued the same path, meaning that radial tyres accounted for 100 per cent of the Western European truck tyre market in 2011. Michelin now estimates that radials account for 73 per cent of truck tyres worldwide.
Ladybank Tyres in Fife, Scotland has become the latest garage to sign-up to the revised GT Radial Performance Centre (GTPC) programme. The company’s Target Tyres subsidiaries in Blairgowrie, Glenrothes and Perth have also become GTPCs in a deal secured by the brand’s exclusive UK distributor, Micheldever. All four sites have been placed on the revamped Passport to Profit programme, which allows them to access tailor-made marketing initiatives, training, merchandising and ride and drive events designed by GT Radial to increase footfall and profits.
Metzeler tyres have had a successful year both around the World and in the UK in Enduro. In the World Enduro Championship, Metzeler’s Six Days Extreme tyres proved a stand out choice for successful competitors with podiums across four classes. Meanwhile in the UK long time Metzeler rider David Knight powered his way to an unsurpassed tenth British Enduro Championship. The Manx resident is now 34 years old, but was able to show his young competitors controlled aggression and pace as he took a double victory in the final round in Hampshire.
To ignore the old adage about books and covers, the latest manual to support the Micheldever Tyre Services exclusive brand, GT Radial says something about the support the brand is now receiving. When Tyrepress.com spoke with general manager at GiTi Tire UK, Brian McDermott and Marketing manager & European brand manager, Jenny Leeson about the new GT Radial Performance Centre initiative – supported by Micheldever – the first thing to be noted was the dynamic presentation materials, led by the latest version of the brand’s marketing manual. Where before, the relatively young brand was represented by a modest A5 booklet, the latest edition, ring-bound to allow for anticipated new products and announcements is “streamlined for personal selling”, says Leeson.
The fact that Tyre Bay Direct’s NitroFill Auto Club was a contender the TAFF Innovation award that was announced during the course of Brityrex week is likely to promote both the nitrogren inflation brand and the “club” concept. Tyre Bay Direct (TBD) may not have won when the awards were announced on Wednesday 10 November, but as the saying goes “all publicity is good publicity.
John Ellis, managing director of Motor Wheel Service Distribution has been presented with the Northwest Automotive Alliance’s Business Excellence Small and Medium Enterprise Project of the Year Award. The company has been highly commended for its work on the issue of commercial vehicle wheel safety with the Department for Transport, European Union and main CV industry bodies. While Tyrepress.com has followed MWSD campaigns on other issues, such as the presence of unchecked take-off wheels in the marketplace, the company’s current campaign focuses on the early fatigue of wheels operating on non-circumferential hubs.
When Itochu completed its purchase of the UK’s largest tyre retail operation, Kwik Fit in June 2011, the corporation underlined the separation of the retailer and its wholesale operation, Stapleton’s. A year on, and the latter company has renewed its focus, in its words; the STS, Tyre Pros and Central branded shops are no longer within Stapleton’s remit, meaning that the UK’s largest tyre distributor now has a clear single focus on distribution. “By taking our own retail operations out of the Stapleton’s arena this year we’ve been able to concentrate all our investment, effort and expertise on delivering a doubly effective response to our retail customers’ requirements, building those needs into every strategic move we make to offer real, tangible benefits to our customers’ business,” says Stapleton’s managing director, Yutaka Kimbara.
Phil Kortokrax has been appointed vice president of manufacturing for North American tyre operations at Cooper Tire. Kortokrax joined Cooper more than 20 years ago, beginning in Information Technology and moving into manufacturing leadership roles at the company's Findlay plant. In 2000, he returned to Cooper corporate offices as manager, and then director, of internal auditing. Five years later, Kortokrax became general manager of Max-Trac Tyre Co. Inc. (Mickey Thompson), a subsidiary of Cooper. In 2008, he returned once again to Cooper's corporate offices as VP of dealer channel sales.
Cooper Tire has appointed Michael Simon to the post of Vice President – Strategic Marketing and Planning, North America Tire Operations. With a career in the automotive sector that spans nearly three decades, Simon spent 20 years with Goodyear, starting as a new college graduate in 1985, and through a number of increasingly responsible positions. Following Goodyear, Simon joined Eaton Corp. as Director of Sales, Performance Products and Aftermarket Division, where he focused on the $2 billion Automotive Group's non-traditional growth segments.
GiTi Tire has appointed Michael Kaletta as national Sales and Marketing manager for truck and bus tyres. Kaletta will be responsible for all aspects of the commercial vehicle tyre market, including the formulation and delivery of growth targets through a dedicated sales team. The appointment is designed to strengthen GiTi Tire’s German operation significantly, though the five members of the sales team already possess over 100 years of collective experience in the sector. Kaletta will report directly to Richard Lyons, managing director – GiTi Tire Germany, and play a key role in further establishing the profile of GiTi Tire’s leading brand, GT Radial as a “leading mid-tier proposition with an excellent price per kilometre delivered through a seamless buying experience”, GiTi Tire said.
GiTi Tire (Europe) reports that it is aiming to increase market share in Portugal with a new distribution structure for the GT Radial brand. From this month Tiresur, which already controls the brand’s Spanish distribution, will be responsible for the passenger car, 4×4 and light truck tyres, while SEA will continue to control the commercial vehicle segment including medium and heavy truck and bus tyres.
The HiQ fast fit network is switching its colours to pink this October as centres all over the country aim to raise £100,000 for Breast Cancer Care. HiQ has been a sponsor of Breast Cancer Care for three years, and in that time has raised over £87,000 for the charity. Its push to hit the £100,000 target sees franchisees across its 140 centres taking part in various ‘Project Pink’ activities this month.
A hot topic at the recent Automechanika trade fair was the significant battery support needed to program the increasingly complex activities coordinated by engine control units (ECUs) in vehicles, says CTEK, a global leader of smart battery charger development.
Independent tyre wholesaler, RH Claydon may have built a name for itself as a distributor of larger agricultural and commercial vehicle tyres, with the longest authorised distributor deal for BKT in the UK, but the company also sees itself as a true “one-stop shop”, whether the customer needs consumer, off-highway or truck tyres. Business director, John Parker explains the company’s wide range of brands and fitments allows it to meet the requirements of the distributor/service provider and end user alike for the UK and Northern Ireland market place.
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