Falken TV Brings Custom Content to Dealer Showrooms

Oct. 23, 2020

Sumitomo Rubber North America (SRNA) is helping Falken dealers maximize the impact of one of the most common and underutilized showroom assets: the flat screen TV.

The company’s Falken Digital TV platform provides dealers and consumers with custom-made, streaming content through a device that plugs into screens

Information can vary from a 30-second commercial spot to a 15-minute-long training session about a particular Falken product, says Nick Fousekis, director, advertising and promotions, SRNA.

“The content on Falken Digital TV is constantly changing,” notes Fousekis, who plays a key role in conceptualizing and developing material for the platform, which was introduced in 2018. “Viewers could watch our service for over 20 days straight and not see a replay.”

Popular content includes vignettes in which SRNA executives discuss industry trends, market developments and news, plus content created for Falken’s popular Dealer Resource Forum series, which SRNA implemented immediately after COVID-19 struck.

“Some content is fully created in-house by our creative team, while other projects are outsourced.”

Care is taken to maintain a consistent level of useful information, adds Fousekis - and not all of it is solely focused on products. Falken Digital TV “isn’t a Falken infomercial from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. That’s the beauty of it.”

Feedback from dealers has been “very positive,” he says.

“On more than a few occasions, dealers have reached out to us, sharing their experiences on how the information shown on Falken Digital TV helped them sell Falken.

“We will continue with programming that dealers have grown to love,” and will integrate even more content in the coming year.

"But the overall feel of Falken Digital TV will stay true to the original concept of it being automotive-minded. And we’ll mix in some outdoor adventure content, which I’m sure will be welcomed” by both dealers and customers “after a year of being cooped-up at home” due to the pandemic.

About the Author

Mike Manges | Editor

Mike Manges is Modern Tire Dealer’s editor. A 25-year tire industry veteran, he is a three-time International Automotive Media Association award winner and holds a Gold Award from the Association of Automotive Publication Editors. Mike has traveled the world in pursuit of stories that will help independent tire dealers move their businesses forward. Before rejoining MTD in September 2019, he held corporate communications positions at two Fortune 500 companies and served as MTD’s senior editor from 2000 to 2010.