How to leverage Bridgestone’s new ads to boost business

Last week Bridgestone Americas launched a new advertising campaign, featuring NFL star Larry Fitzgerald and National Hockey League All-Star P.K. Subban.

The ads, which you can see below, are designed to help the manufacturer leverage its Official Tire status with the NFL and NHL. But their release also provides tire dealers with a great opportunity to leverage Bridgestone’s marketing investment to sell more tires themselves.

More on that in a moment. First, let’s have a look at the ads.

This one stars Arizona Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald.

And the second features hockey star P.K. Subban.

The idea behind the Bridgestone ads

The ads are designed to showcase the innovation and trusted performance delivered by Bridgestone tires. The campaign, which also includes a series of digital videos, is meant to engage and entertain the driving public, “while also educating them about the safety and performance benefits of the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus tire and the Bridgestone Blizzak winter tire line.”

Fitzgerald’s ad shows the long-lasting durability of the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus tire, which is backed by an industry-leading 80,000 mile limited treadwear warranty. It debuted on Thursday night in primetime during the NFL season-opening game between the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos.

Subban’s commercial puts the Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 winter tire to the test in a winter obstacle course. Testing shows the Blizzak WS80 tire stops 33 percent faster on ice compared to an all-season tire. They have special rubber and tread compounds that maintain grip in cold temperatures, giving the driver more control in winter driving conditions.

How can dealers leverage Bridgestone’s new ads

Bridgestone is spending millions of dollars pushing its new ads out on primetime TV. Their goal is obvious: They want to sell more tires. And you do, too.

Bridgestone provides its affiliated dealers with marketing materials and collateral each season to help with their in-store and online digital marketing efforts. Make good use of them!

Bridgestone representatives told Traction News for Fall/winter 2016, materials include customizable flyers, web banners and E-Z ads — a single page ad retailers can customize and place in a newspaper, have available at their store or use as turnkey flyers that can be mailed directly to their customers.

Here are some tips to support Bridgestone’s campaign and leverage their ad spend to get customers into your dealership:

Post the ad on your social media

Post links to the ads on your Twitter and Facebook feeds, with a message to customers that you carry Dueler H/L Alenza Plus and Blizzak tires. Don’t just do this once; schedule a series of posts to publish at different times, focused on the different tires. Keep posting regularly.

Embed the ad on your website home page

Let customers visiting your website know you carry the Dueler H/L Alenza Plus and Blizzak tires by placing the ad prominently on your homepage. Include a message to that effect and a link to your online appointment scheduling page.

Mention the tires prominently in your regular advertising

Don’t let the opportunity pass to include a mention of the Dueler H/L Alenza Plus and Blizzak tires in your regular radio and print advertising. Bridgestone also offers customizable radio ads and taggable TV spots.

Point-of-sale

Have Dueler H/L Alenza Plus and Blizzak tires on display in your reception area to make it easier for your team to promote them to walk-in customers. Put an “as seen on TV” sign on the display — perhaps with a photo of Fitzgerald or Subban, or some of Bridgestone’s supplied collateral.

Mentioning to customers that they might have seen the tire on TV in an ad featuring their favorite sports star might be enough to steer them away from a value brand and towards a quality tire. Similarly, mention the tires and the ads when you’re talking to customers on the phone if there’s a chance it might help clinch the sale.

Tagged: advertising campaigns

How to leverage Bridgestone’s new ads to boost business