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.
Cooper Tire & Rubber has launched a new-look and easier to navigate website (to be seen in all its splendour at www.coopertire.com, in case you were wondering) and this main site is supported by two new microsites dedicated to recently-released tyre ranges. The microsites, CooperZeon.com and CooperDiscoverer.com, support the Cooper Zeon RS3-STM and RS3-ATM, and Discoverer A/T3TM with technical, size and dealer information.
As a tyre supplier to Formula One for the last 14 years, Bridgestone has been developing ultra high performance technologies at the pinnacle of motorsport. While the technologies used in the development of F1’s slick, wet and intermediate tyres clearly do not cross over to road-going equivalents immediately, Andy Dingley, communications manager at Bridgestone UK, argues that the Japanese manufacturer’s experiences have given it a significant fillip in terms of the technologies available to its road-going UHP Potenza range, in addition to the marketing benefits associated with the brand’s exposure.
Alcar Wheelwright UK has launched a new ‘Dealer Tools’ website, and the Kent-based wheel distributor is now encouraging its network of retailers to sign up. The improved site includes product search by vehicle, wheel or size plus an advanced search that utilises PCD, offset and size. This will then display a list of wheels based on the search criteria, and show prices and stock availability not only in the UK, but also in the company’s German warehouse. A number of sales-driving tools are also available, including catalogues, special offers and images for use on dealers’ customer websites.
Michelin reports the recent UK release of its latest truck tyre, the X MultiWay 3D, a product that gets its name from the three-dimensional nature of its tread sipes. These namesake sipes, incidentally, are designed to generate grip in difficult climatic conditions. Michelin says it is primarily aiming the tyre at ‘regional’ hauliers – those operating vehicles which typically spend around 60 per cent of time on local roads and 40 per cent on dual carriageways and motorways.
During last month’s 55th China International Trade Fair for Auto-Aftermarket (Automaintech), in Beijing, Corghi’s Artiglio 50 was awarded the best tyre changer exhibited at the show. Automaintech is the most important exhibition in China for Automotive Service Equipment and Corghi participated with its own stand, showing its most technologically advanced machines.
A new position – chief marketing officer – has been created at Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, and as of June 6 Philip Dobbs is serving in this role. Dobbs takes on responsibility for leading the development and implementation of an integrated marketing strategy for the company’s U.S. & Canada Consumer Tire division and for ensuring consistency between the strategy and Bridgestone’s brand image.
Motorists who dawdle at traffic lights annoy more people than bullying bus drivers, middle-lane motorway hoggers and caravans, a HiQ survey of 500 motorists has suggested. The fast fit network asked drivers what most frustrates them about life on Britain’s roads. Somewhat surprisingly, twee car stickers – including the slogans “sprinkled by fairy dust” and “cheeky monkey on board” – came third in HiQ’s Driver Frustration survey.
Dunlop Motorsport, IRTA and Dorna Sports have signed a contract for the exclusive supply of tyres to the Moto3 Championship, a deal which will run from the introduction of the new category in 2012 until the end of the 2014 season. An agreement has also been made to extend the existing Moto2 Championship contract until at least the end of 2014. Dunlop will supply tyres and technical support to every competitor in Moto3, the replacement for the 125cc World Championship. Dunlop has exclusively supplied tyres to Moto2 since its inauguration in 2010. Dunlop’s supply has been ratified by Dorna and the International Road Racing Teams Association (IRTA).
Iowa-based Thombert Inc says it has developed a new forklift truck tyre for better operation in areas with moisture on the floor. The THp-GripTM tyre has a special hole pattern to give operators better grip in produce areas, cold storage facilities, ramps, or any other place where moisture or traction are issues. According to Reggie Collette, sales marketing manager at Thombert, the tyres offer better traction, better braking and improved safety. In addition, he says, “siped tyres may have a tendency to chunk out in the centre after some use, but the THp-GripTM tyre averages more hours of use with no chunking.”
Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has announced that its racing team will use an electric vehicle (EV) in the 2011 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The event will be staged on 26 June in the state of Colorado, USA. The team refers to the race as the "Team Yokohama EV Challenge." The team's original EV racecar is equipped with prototype BluEarth tyres incorporating various environmental technologies, including orange oil compounding techniques. BluEarth tires deliver high levels of both fuel-efficient performance and gripping power.
As part of what it calls “an overall corporate strategy aimed at enhancing customer engagement opportunities,” Yokohama Tire Corporation has appointed United Future its digital marketing agency of record. In this new role, the California-based agency will work together with Yokohama to develop strategies, implementation tactics and business analytics.
When Tyres & Accessories spoke to Starco at last year’s Reifen trade show in Germany, it was apparent from the products the Danish company had on display that it was moving away from its traditional role as solely a tyre wholesaler to also being a manufacturer of wheels and assemblies with an increasing focus on specialty wheels. Starco has now broadened its activities in this direction with the release of a further development of its Flex range – the Flex lite.
Titan International has announced the resignation of its vice-president of Sales and Marketing, Jeff Vasichek, effective May 31. Vasichek joined Titan in 2005 when the company purchased Goodyear’s North American agricultural tyre business. Commenting on Vasichek’s departure, Titan International chairman and CEO Maurice Taylor said “Jeff has been with Titan as we have grown in business, and everyone at Titan wishes Jeff all the best in his next venture. He will be a great asset for his next employer.”
Takao Oishi, who has headed up Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) in the US since April 2008, is returning to Japan to take up the position of general manager of Yokohama Rubber’s Industrial Products business group. Taking his place as president and CEO of YTC is Yasushi Tanaka, who begins in the role on June 29. Tanaka, previously in charge of corporate planning within Yokohama Rubber’s GD100 Promotion department, will be based at YTC’s corporate headquarters in Fullerton, California. His promotion also includes being named president of Yokohama Corporation of America and president of Yokohama Corporation of North America. Tanaka remains a Yokohama Rubber corporate officer.
It is five years today since the death of Edouard Michelin. The then 43-year old company chief executive lost his life in a boating accident along with Guillaume Normant, an experienced deep sea fisherman. Although the seas were calm that day, it appears their boat became enveloped in rapidly forming fog. Edouard Michelin drowned and his body was discovered later that same day near the Isle de Sein off the northwest coast of France; his fishing companion wasn’t found. Upon the discovery of the sunken boat on the Atlantic sea floor it became apparent that a thick cable had tangled around its propeller. Non-subscribers can view the full text of this article, by copying this URL into your browser's address bar: http://magazines.tyrepress.com/InmemoriamEdouardMichelin.html
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