At a lively general session during its annual Consumer Tire Business Meeting, Bridgestone executives informed dealers the company is now answering to a new boss.
“In the end, if we don’t please the boss and you don’t please the boss, neither one of us is going to be successful,” John Baratta, president of Bridgestone’s U.S. and Canada consumer replacement tire sales division, told the crowd of about 500 tire dealers and their guests.
So who is this new boss? The consumer. And according to Baratta and other speakers at the event, held Oct. 17-18 in Nashville, Tenn., Bridgestone is shifting to look at things from the consumer’s point of view. Primarily, the tiremaker aims to excel in “moments of truth,” a term borrowed from Procter & Gamble.
The first “moment of truth” is when the customer selects a product at a store, and the second is when that customer tries out the product and decides whether it passes muster. But even before that, according to Baratta, there is a “zero moment of truth” – when consumers peruse the Internet for product information, locations, social media buzz, reviews and more to decide what options they’ll even entertain.
“The zero moment of truth is the perception that consumers have before even setting foot in a store,” Baratta said. “It isn’t about what the competition is doing, it’s about what the consumer is doing. We must focus on all three of these moments.”
Through product innovation, increased production (the tiremaker’s Aiken plant expansion is on-track, with the first phase slated for completion in April 2013), revamped marketing campaigns and a stronger digital media effort, Bridgestone said it will target consumers in an all-encompassing, comprehensive way.
On the innovation front, Gary Garfield, Bridgestone Americas president and CEO, overviewed the tiremaker’s pending developments, including the use of alternate materials; a tire made of 100% sustainable materials (slated for commercial sale in 2020); color sidewall printing technology; and an airless concept tire, among others.
Brand Strategies
To help simplify and streamline things for “the boss,” both the Bridgestone and Firestone brands will be enhanced with clearer brand positioning to increase brand familiarity, according to Larry Magee, U.S. and Canada consumer tire president for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations.
The tiremaker will continue to build on the Bridgestone brand’s “Time to Perform” campaign. In addition, an adjusted sponsorship deal with the NFL will see more mention of the brand throughout the year, noted Phillip Dobbs, Bridgestone’s chief marketing officer.
A renewed effort for the Firestone brand includes an all-new campaign that tells consumers “Firestone is a car company,” and features the return of the iconic Firestone shield, which was first introduced in 1922 to symbolize the company’s “mark of quality.”
New Products
Also previewed at the dealer meeting were several new products:
• Potenza RE97AS, described as a performance tire blended with touring attributes, that the tiremaker said offers rolling resistance and fuel efficiency, as well as wet performance and excellent steering feel and response. Available in March in 22 V and W speed rated sizes ranging from 16- to 18-inch wheel diameters, the tire targets performance vehicles such as the Acura TL, Nissan Maxima and Mazda 6.
• Potenza RE-11 A, a UHP tire Bridgestone said offers cornering performance, wet performance and outstanding grip. Offered in 10 V and W speed rated sizes ranging from 15- to 17-inch wheel diameters, the tire will launch in March and is targeted for performance vehicles such as the Mistubishi Lancer Evo, Subaru WRX and Volkswagen GTI.
• Dueler H/P Sport AS, a performance tire for high-end crossover vehicles. Due out in April, the tire is geared for CUVs from Lexus, Acura, Audi, BMW, Mazda, Lincoln, and Mercedes, among others.
• Blizzak LM-32, a V and W rated winter tire for European luxury sedans. The tire will be available in July 2013 in 33 sizes ranging from 16- to 20-inch wheel diameters.
Dealer Program Additions
Also revealed at the meeting, the recently created Affiliated Retailer program now focuses even more on the consumer – as well as the dealer – with additions including a reissued credit card, a road hazard warranty accepted by members nationwide, and a scrap tire recycling program. The program also will offer an enterprise software system that will allow dealers to communicate with customers between appointments, and will offer consumers a personalized vehicle records webpage where they can log in to view their vehicle history and make appointments. The software is due out the first quarter of 2013.
