Bridgestone Americas, the Official Tire of the National Football League (NFL), has recruited former football coach and analyst Jon Gruden to star in its latest commercial for its DriveGuard line. The new commercial “Pep Talk,” will debut during Thursday’s NFL Kickoff broadcast.
“Bridgestone DriveGuard tires are engineered to come through in the clutch, which is something that legendary NFL coach Jon Gruden knows all about,” said Philip Dobbs, chief marketing officer for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. “Coach Gruden is famous for his inspiring speeches when the game is on the line, so it was fun to see him get in that zone to coach up our DriveGuard tires – especially when he realized they don’t need any motivation to deliver elite performance.”
In addition to the television spot, Bridgestone is launching an “Elite Performance with Jon Gruden” a digital extension of the “Pep Talk” concept. The short web series will provide inspiring messages from the coach to help fans overcome everything from fantasy football pitfalls to the struggles of Monday mornings.
“The game of football means a lot to me,” said Gruden. “To work with a company like Bridgestone, that’s aligned itself with the sport at the highest level, makes me very proud to participate in this campaign. Football is about discipline, execution, and performance — all things that Bridgestone tires are all about, too. Plus, it was a lot of fun to get after that tire!”
