Three years ago, Uniroyal dealers told Michelin North America Inc. the Uniroyal brand needed to be strengthened and refreshed. Based on the feedback, Michelin started a series of initiatives that have come to fruition this year.
The most recent is a five-year partnership between the Uniroyal brand and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Partially inspired by the Uniroyal Tiger Paw tire line, the Michelin initiative is part of the global effort to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022.
Consumers who buy four Uniroyal passenger car or light truck tires at participating dealers in October will not only be eligible for a $40 mail-in rebate, but also receive a co-branded “Save the Tiger” kit, which includes a plush tiger toy, a species card and a reusable tote bag.
“Dealers wanted to see a new program -- a replacement for the soccer program Uniroyal had -- that was a turnkey and easy to deploy for them,” said Phil Watson, consumer public relations director for BFGoodrich and Uniroyal brands.
Michelin also will donate $20 to the WWF’s Tx2 program for every Uniroyal tire rebate redeemed during the promotional period, with no set limit and a minimum commitment of $150,000 a year for five years. The Tx2 program’s goal is to increase the dwindling count of wild tigers
There are 13 countries that host wild tiger populations. The WWF estimates there are as few at 3,900 tigers left in the wild from 100,000 a century ago. The Tx2 initiative hopes to reverse that by reducing poaching, habitat loss, and illegal trade in tiger parts.
“The initiative is just a fun way to engage our dealers and consumers in inviting everyone to help save the wild tiger population, and… help further strengthen the Uniroyal brand,” said Alonso Tiscareno, Uniroyal brand director.
The new Uniroyal marketing program follows two products launched earlier this year: the ultra-high performance Uniroyal Tiger Paw GTZ All-Season 2 and the all-terrain Uniroyal Laredo AWT 3.
“All the initiatives that… we’re starting to deploy now, and there’s more to come in the future, are in direct relation to the feedback that we got from our dealers,” said Tiscareno.
To learn more about Uniroyal’s World Wildlife Fund partnership and promotion, visit www.uniroyaltires.com.
