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.
Three new radial implement tyre ranges for the North American market have been introduced by Titan Goodyear Farm Tires. Known as the FS34, the Muck Master Radial and the Super Flot Radial, all three offer the usual benefits of radial construction plus a large contact area for better flotation and less soil compaction.
A new General Tire application giving its North American customers quick access to an arsenal of product information and a database of pictures and videos has been approved by Apple and released into its iTunes Store, where it is available for free download. Within the General Tire app are five key functions, including Tire Descriptions, which feature sizing and pictures to help customers find the right tyre for their passenger car, light truck, off-road or commercial vehicle; Dealer Locators with maps to assist customers in finding the most convenient location to purchase General Tires; Team GT Race Videos; a Photo Gallery and a News/Promotions section. Off-road enthusiasts can watch the latest and greatest from Team GT and consumers can research the right General Tire for their car or truck.
Balkrishna Tyres will be exhibiting its latest range of All Steel Radial Tyres when it appears for the first time at this year’s Automechanika Middle East (7 – 9 June at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre). According to the show’s organisers, a full hall at Automechanika Middle East will be dedicated to. Along with the company’s recently launched all steel radials, which are sub-branded Earthmax, BKT will also display its range of branded industrial, construction, earthmoving, port and agricultural application tyres.
According to Continental, the cost of natural rubber rose fourfold between January 2009 and February 2011 to a record high of more than US$5.60 per kilogram and the current yearly average price has remained at $5.40. Due to this ongoing increase and the rise in other raw material costs, the tyre maker will increase its prices for commercial vehicle tyres in Europe on May 1.
UK distributor of the xlite wheel brand Motor Wheel Service has reported a milestone with its customers Montracon and Wilcox, both commercial vehicle body designers. MWS has received an order for the companies’ hundredth set of xlite forged aluminium truck wheels for use on their tipper and walking floor trailers. The two companies work together on the production of the trailers, with Montracon providing chassis and Wilcox supplying aluminium tipper body requirements.
Continental’s Commercial Vehicle Tires division has a new head of global public relations. Dr. Christiane Pfeiffer, formerly in charge of international marketing communications for truck and bus tyres at Continental, has replaced Udo Brandes in this role. Brandes, aged 64, intends to retire in May after six years at Continental and until this time will work for the Commercial Vehicle Tires division in an advisory role.
Automotive industry charity BEN has appointed Ray Diggins as its new head of marketing. Diggins has spent 30 years in the industry, with the last 20 as group marketing manager for two of the UK's largest motor groups. BEN says this appointment is “central to BEN's awareness-raising strategy” – Diggins’ primary focus will be on increasing the charity's visibility throughout the automotive and related industries and heightening understanding of the scope and scale of its work. He joined the team on 8 March and will be based at the charity's headquarters in Sunninghill, Ascot.
Six-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi has signed on as a motorcycle tyre development advisor for Bridgestone following the finalisation of a Marketing Service Agreement between the Italian rider and Bridgestone Europe in February 2011. Under the agreement, Rossi and Bridgestone will, as the tyre maker explains, “work together to promote the passion of motorcycling to end users and enthusiasts throughout Europe.” Rossi will act alone as a professional rider; his MotoGP team and sponsors are not involved in the deal.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe has announced the appointment of Nigel Hampson as its new sales and marketing director, which took effect at the beginning of this year. He had previously held the post of European major account manager, having worked for Cooper Tire since 1996, as an export sales executive. He became marketing services manager in 2004, before switching to subsidiary sales manager for France, Germany and Switzerland in 2006.
Brisa’s Lassa brand is presenting its Competus HP and Phenoma tyres at the 81st Geneva International Motor Show, on an 80sqm stand in Hall 7. The Competus HP is the latest edition to the Lassa Competus family, and the new sports tyre, Phenoma, have been tested and approved by Germany’s TÜV SÜD Automotive. The show continues until 13 March.
Goodyear has announced a new farm tyre in its Optitrac range specifically developed for harvester machines: the Optitrac H+. The H+ range will include tyres designed to operate at higher deflection levels, signified by the addition of the letters IF as a prefix to the size and CFO as a suffix. Goodyear says these tyres have been designed in line with a four-year 2009 ETRTO experimental standard which allows a “load bonus of up to 55 per cent for cyclic field operations without the need to increase the inflation pressure”. This new range was shown on Goodyear’s stand at the 2011 SIMA show held in Paris with the introduction of the first two sizes: IF800/70R32 CFO and IF800/75R32 CFO. It was developed by the Goodyear Innovation Centre – Luxembourg (GIC*L) and has been tested and approved by harvester manufacturers in Europe.
Antwerp, Belgium based wholesaler Deldo reports the addition of light commercial vehicle tyres to its Minerva and Rockstone private brand line-ups. The Minerva light truck tyre range currently includes 20 fitments for 12 to 16-inch rim diameters, and Deldo international sales and marketing manager Rutger Veerman reports that a similar size range is also available for Rockstone. The new additions increase the Minerva range to 138 sizes and Rockstone to 254 sizes.
Vredestein has announced a new collaborative partnership with Belgian body styling equipment designer Caractère. The two companies will collaborate in development and advertising along with media activities and trade fairs under the tyre maker’s ‘Premium Styling by Vredestein’ concept. The latest deal adds to similar partnerships Vredestein has already formed with Arden, Carlsson and Lumma.
Titan International’s acquisition of Goodyear’s European and Latin American agricultural tyre business has given the US tyre maker access to agricultural products designed at the Goodyear Innovation Center in Colmar Berg, Luxembourg – including the Goodyear Optitrac R+. In March 2011 Titan Goodyear Farm Tires announced its introduction of a tyre that has proven popular with European farmers during the past five years.
The HiQ fast fit network has launched a new sales campaign aimed at aligning it with many popular high street fashion chains and outlets. Known as the ‘Big Deal’, the promotion will tempt customers with “eye catching offers and discounts.” HiQ's marketing manager Geraldine McGovern says the new retail programme – which gets under way with an MoT programme that runs until the end of April – will “steal a march” on the fast fitter’s competitors.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
