Bridgestone rolls out Olympic-sized ad campaign

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 9, 2016) — Bridgestone Americas has launched a television advertising campaign in conjunction with the Olympic Games and parent Bridgestone Corp.'s role as one of a dozen TOP Olympic Partners.

The company's new “Built to Perform” campaign highlights the parallels between elite athletic performance and the innovation of the tire maker.

“It's obvious to us that Olympic athletes, just like Bridgestone tires, are built differently — they're built to perform at the highest level,” said Philip Dobbs, chief marketing officer, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. “Our tires are built to move, grip, stop on a dime, endure and finish strong in a variety of conditions.

“That's a story we are very proud and very excited to illustrate through the precision and performance of elite athletes during the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

An anthem spot, entitled “Road to Rio,”  will lead the television advertising campaign on NBC in the U.S. and SportTV in Brazil. The U.S. campaign also will feature three product spots for the company's DriveGuard, Dueler and Potenza tire lines that will run through the Paralympic Games, which culminate Sept. 18.

The “Built to Perform” advertising campaign serves as a centerpiece to a fully integrated marketing program intended to drive viewers and fans to the Bridgestone Performance Institute, a new digital brand experience that creates interactive opportunities that link athletics and tire innovation. The site offers videos and inspirational, first-person insight from some of the world's best athletes while allowing visitors to interact with the Bridgestone brand and its products.

Bridgestone Corp. secured a deal in 2014 to become part of The Olympic Partners program, which gives it exclusive global sponsorship rights. The company joins Coca-Cola Co., McDonald's Corp., Dow Chemical Co., Omega Ltd., Panasonic Corp., Visa Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., General Electric Co., Proctor & Gamble Co., Atos S.E. and Toyota Motor Corp. as TOP sponsors of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Earlier this year, Bridgestone launched an Olympics-themed marketing campaign to inspire and engage employees, dealer sales associates and tire buyers on the Road to Rio.

The campaign includes internal training platforms and sales incentive programs in retail and Bridgestone's affiliated dealer network locations throughout the U.S. It also involves a promotion which rewards customers with daily gold, silver and bronze level prizes for purchasing select Bridgestone tires.

Bridgestone also is supporting five U.S. Olympians and one Paralympian on Team Bridgestone:

•  Aly Raisman, gymnastics;

• Kelley O'Hara, soccer;

• Meb Keflezighi, marathon;

• Will Groulx, para-cycling;

• Khatuna Lorig, archery; and

• Cullen Jones, swimming

Bridgestone's global manifesto for the Olympic Games, “Chase Your Dream,” was revealed last year and will continue to guide the company's efforts around its Olympic partnership for the next eight years.

The manifesto will be visible during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games through television advertising spots — airing in Japan and Korea — and out-of-home placements, as well as on digital and social media channels in Brazil and the U.S.