RAC Shares Comments from Members On Decision To Rebrand

The Rubber Association of Canada staff put forward a proposal to rebrand the association “to better reflect who they are and what they do for their members.” According to the association, the rebranding may involve changing the organization’s name and logo.

In order to engage its membership on this process, RAC circulated a survey to ask for thoughts on the possibility of a name change. To keep its members informed of the process as it evolves, RAC shared some of the comments that they received. Below are a few from RAC members:

The use of the word “tire” in the association’s name more accurately reflects the scope of this association.
Some member companies do not actually manufacture tires in Canada, so we ought to refrain from using the word “manufacturers” in the same.
Companies and organiza¬tions are used to saying “the RAC” when referring to the association as it is cur¬rently named. It’s familiar, it’s recognizable, and most companies will still refer to it as the RAC, even if the name is changed.
Tire & Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) provides both a link to the current name as well as being an easy, “catchy” acronym
It would be simpler to keep the name the same and up¬grade the logo but it is under¬standable that tire members pay most of the dues, so TRAC works, too.
Adding “tire” to the exist¬ing name is a benefit for increased consumer aware-ness and recognition.
There may be some benefit to keeping the RAC designa¬tion as it is recognized as the representative organiza¬tion of the rubber industry. However, there is a strong branding initiative to include “tire” in the naming.
Very happy you are doing a re-brand!
The name should include the word “tire” as that’s what the focus of the association is.

At this juncture, no decision has been made as to whether the RAC will change its name. The RAC board of directors will meet early March to further discuss the rebranding project, at which point a final decision will be made. The RAC plans to unveil any rebranding efforts at its Annual General Meeting to be hosted in June.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has named Ryan Waldron as president of the company's Americas business unit, reporting to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart. He succeeds Steven R. McClellan, who retired on April 1.

"At Goodyear, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and in Ryan Waldron, we have a customer-centric, execution-focused business leader with a deep understanding of both the marketplace and all aspects of our business, as well as a proven track record of delivering results," Stewart said. "I am thrilled to announce him as president of Goodyear's Americas business and have enormous confidence that under his leadership, both the company and our customers will reach even greater levels of success."