What 's next for the Bridgestone brand? Ask Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC.
The company explores one potential answer to that query in a new sports-themed brand campaign, titled "Time to Perform," in which the tire company says it is "poised to utilize the latest tire-derived technologies to singlehandedly change the world of sports as we know it -- with interesting and unintended consequences."
The first in a series of five new television commercials debuted Jan. 2, during the NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic, which aired live on NBC (click here to watch it). This spot sets the stage for future advertisements that feature professional athletes demonstrating specific performance characteristics of Bridgestone tires through their respective sports. They are:
Football: Troy Aikman and Deion Sanders.
Basketball: Tim Duncan and Steve Nash.
Hockey: Drew Doughty.
Bowling: Kelly Kulick.
Two of the sports-themed advertisements will debut during Super Bowl XLVI, which will air live on NBC on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012.
"As the Official Tire of the NFL, the NHL and the PGA Tour, Bridgestone Americas is excited about our new brand campaign, which creatively integrates our sports marketing initiatives with our specific product lines and their unique characteristics," says Philip Dobbs, chief marketing officer.
"We have created an imaginary environment in which our proprietary technologies transcend the traditional bounds of tires, and we investigate the impact Bridgestone performance attributes could have on professional sports."
Dobbs adds that the spots will feature four of Bridgestone's premium lines: Potenza ("tremendous grip"), Turanza with Serenity ("smooth, quiet traits"), Ecopia ("increased fuel efficiency and improved rolling resistance") and Blizzak ("breakthrough performance on snow and ice").
