A new advertising campaign featuring the Goodyear blimp was well received by dealers attending the Drive '07 Dealer Conference in Kissimmee, Fla.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. introduced the "Get There" consumer ad campaign with the help of television commercials featuring its iconic blimp symbol. According to Larry Mason, president of consumer tires for the Goodyear North American Tire business unit, creating the campaign required three key steps.
1. Defining the "essence" of the Goodyear brand, which plays on innovation and the simple fact that "there" is where Goodyear tires take you.
2. Boiling the essense down to core messages that represent Goodyear's values. "Speed, getting there, doing what it takes to get to your destination," those are the core values, he said.
3. Creating advertising based on both.
The first television ad shown to the attendees focused on brand awareness through the eyes of two Goodyear blimp pilots, a recurring theme. There also will be a related series of product-specific commercials and, when necessary, "special promotion" ads.
"This is more than a one- or two-year campaign," said Mason, who hopes to capitalize on the concept "for years to come."
The television spots will make their first appearance at the Daytona 500 later this month. (Earlier in the day, Goodyear and NASCAR announced an exclusive five-year extension that will keep Goodyear as the sole tire sponsor through the 2012 Nextel Cup season.)
Bill Simon, owner of Simple Simon Goodyear Tires and Car Care in Baton Rouge, La., may have summed up the general feeling among the dealers in one word: "Outstanding!"
