"The General brand has been very underutilized," Travis Roffler, Continental Tire North America Inc.'s director of marketing, told dealers last week at the company's Gold dealer program group meeting. "We want to turn this brand upside down."
The reinvigoration of General will be a top Continental Tire North America (CTNA) goal during 2007. This will be accomplished through new tires and sizes (see the March 16 moderntiredealer.com report "CTNA will add 200-plus sizes to General, Continental lines").
Roffler says the General brand's new logo, which was unveiled during the San Antonio, Texas, meeting, reflects the label's focus. "We literally went out and surveyed consumers. They wanted 'progressive' but not 'aggressive.'"
He adds that during research CTNA discovered that consumers consider General to be more of a light truck tire brand than a high performance tire brand, "which is something we want to change."
As part of its renewed focus on General, the company is promoting its new Altimax power-line with a sweepstakes and music tour.
The "Take It to the MAX!" Sweepstakes runs through June 14, 2007. the Grand Prize will be a 2007 Ford Mustang GT and a General Tire Custom Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar.
The first-prize winner will receive an all-expenses-paid, three day/two night trip to New York City, a General Tire Custom Gibson Les Paul guitar, and backstage passes to a New York City concert. Other sweepstakes prizes include a Kicker Car Audio system, a Sony Playstation 3 and iPod Nanos.
The Take It to the MAX! Music Tour 2007 will feature three of the best unsigned bands in America: Kalifornium, On a Dead Machine and Martyr Reef. The concert dates are as follows:
March 19: Austin, Texas, at The Ritz.
March 20-21: Houston, Texas, at Fitzgerald's.
March 23: New Orleans, La., at Tipitina's.
March 24: New Orleans, La., at Jimmy's.
March 26: Tallahassee, Fla., at Floyd's Music Store.
Two concerts will be held in Atlanta, Ga., on March 31, one at the Tabernacle, the other at the Blender House.
"The revitalization of the General tire brand stems from an evolution of both mindset and technology that has yielded a re-engineered, redesigned and re-energized brand geared toward today's consumers," says Paul Tecci, manager of programs, promotions and events. "This concert is a natural fit for the new General tire."
For more information on the Take It to the MAX! Sweepstakes and Music Tour 2007, visit www.takeittothemaxtour.com.
