February 03, 2012
The economy, OE tires and Sears: final notes from the Goodyear Dealer Conference
By: Bob Ulrich
The company has had fun with the Goodyear logo in its ads.
Following what appears to be a record year, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. held its 2012 Dealer Conference in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 29-31. I was on hand for all the new product announcements, plus some fleet HQ announcements.
Links to those stories can be found below. Here are more news and notes from the conference.
* Jack Williams Tire Co. Inc., 47th on the Modern Tire Dealer 100 list, ended 2012 with 26 stores. President Scott Williams says another four stores are under construction.
* Remember the ad campaign last year in which Goodyear replaced the “Good” and “Year” on either side of the Wingfoot symbol with other, ad-specific words? Often clever and/or sometimes whimsical (see photo), the campaign continues this year. Wendel Burt, for one, likes the campaign. The co-owner (with his brother, Ron) of Burt Brothers Tire & Service, a seven-store dealership based in North Salt Lake, Utah, Burt told me he thought the move was a great example of Goodyear thinking outside the box.
* The mild winter -- and I use that adjective mildly -- was a hot topic among the dealers. They were complaining about the lack of snow, but still seemed satisfied with January sales (tires and service). Sears Holdings Corp., which depends on snow and winter tire sales in the Northeast, was one of the dealers.
* There were 70 Goodyear vendors at the trade show. American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD), which Goodyear described as “America’s first choice for tires, wheels and related products and services,” was one of them. Ron Sinclair, senior vice president of marketing, said ATD has sold Goodyear truck tires for years, but now is a G3 truck tire dealer program member.
* Goodyear singled out one area that should welcome the new Goodyear G741 MSD severe service tire -- western Canada. Jim McKenzie, manager of Fountain Tire in Manitoba, told me it would be welcome in western Canada. Fountain Tire is based in Edmonton, Alberta.
* Nick Mitsos, CEO and president of Mountain View Tire and Service Inc. in Southern California, received a call-out from Goodyear for being named Modern Tire Dealer's 2011 Tire Dealer of the Year.
* Based on economic statistics provided by Goodyear, 2014 may be a big year for our industry. The real GDP (gross domestic product) year-to-year percentage change upward will be its highest since the recession hit in 2008. The company also predicts 15.6 million new vehicle sales in 2014, a 22% increase compared to 12.8 million in 2011.
* Goodyear said more than 24 million Assurance tires have been sold worldwide since the line was introduced in 2004.
* Scott Rogers, chief marketing officer, consumer tires, for Goodyear North American Tire, talked about original equipment strategy. “You hear us talk about a ‘selectivity’ strategy. This is not code for getting out of OE. This is all about having the right fitments that support the equity of the Goodyear brand, are profitable for Goodyear and drive consumers to you for replacement pull through. OE remains a key part of our new product plans and our business with OEM's will grow in 2012.”
For more information on the conference, check out these links:
"7 megatrends from Goodyear's Rich Kramer."
"Goodyear adds member to Eagle F1 family."
"Goodyear targets CUVs and SUVs with new tire."
"New Dunlop Signature replaces three lines."
"Two Goodyears, a Dunlop and retread innovation."
Sign up for our Enews and receive the latest news, trends, and product information right in your e-mail inbox.