GREENVILLE, S.C. (July 31, 2002) — Michelin North American Inc. has launched a new Michelin Man television and print advertising campaign that mixes humor, scientific advances and engineering. The ads began airing in July and concentrate on the Cross Terrain SUV and Pilot Sport A/S tires.
Entitled “Bobblehead,” one ad features a man driving a sport-utility vehicle holding a Michelin Man bobblehead doll. The doll, thanks to the smooth-riding tires, barely bobbles, even after the SUV plows through a pothole. As the frustrated driver shakes the apparently malfunctioning doll, Bib himself drives up next to him. The driver puts the doll back on the dashboard and slinks away.
A second spot, called “Rocket Science,” features a shot of an empty classroom where boards and computer screens reveal endless equations. The camera pans to the Michelin Man working on an equation. The tagline: Designing an all-season tire that outperforms performance tires wasn't rocket science. … then again, maybe it was.”
Each ad ends with the company's famous “because so much is riding on your tires” slogan.
The print campaign was already on newsstands in the July issues of Automobile, Car & Driver, Road and Track, GQ, Men's Health, Sports Illustrated and Outside magazines, among others.