ATD rebranding Hercules, Ironman brands

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Hercules Tires is throwing itself a rebranding party as part of its 70th anniversary celebration.

The subsidiary of American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD) is rebranding its two main brands — Hercules Tires and Ironman Tires — in three areas: Brand identity, brand position and product innovation.

In addition, ATD promises that Hercules will continue to grow into 2022 and beyond, launching several new productions this year that include innovations in new market segments.

The Hercules identity rebrand features an updated look, with new typography, colors and an updated graphic of the Strongman logo. Hercules has retained its "Ride on our Strength" tagline, with the changes updating the brand "as passionate, dependable partner that consumers can trust to conquer the trail ahead," according to ATD.

The Ironman brand also features new typography and colors, along with updated Ironman icon and tagline, "Tires to Trust," which the company said is designed to position Ironman as a brand that offers customers a "no second-guessing, trusted way to get back on the road."

Josh Simpson, senior vice president of proprietary brands for ATD said the anniversary "is the perfect time to update our two core brands to reflect their evolution and reinforce the positioning of each, along with the strength of our product lineup."

Simpson said that the Strongman logo "will continue to symbolize the strength and high quality of Hercules' broad range of products. At the same time, we have rebranded Ironman as part of a renewed emphasis on one of the most popular reliable, affordable tire brands in North America."

The first launch of a new product for the Hercules brand this year is the Hercules TIS UT1 Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) tire, which will be available to consumers in mid-March.

Also, the revised Ironman brand will be used on two new products: A new light truck product, the Ironman All Country HT; and the Ironman I-Series Gen 2, a product for the truck/bus radial (TBR) segment.

"The new Hercules additions are great examples of how we are leveraging our expertise in product development to provide our core dealers with an expanded product portfolio," Simpson said. "At the same time, we see an opportunity to invest in the Ironman brand to broaden our appeal and reach people who want a simple and smart solution at an affordable price."

By emphasizing marketing for its brand of the same name will strengthen Hercules' position as the premium value brand of choice for consumers, the company said. The marketing program will include sports sponsorships, social media, influencers, B2B marketing, Google ads and televised product placements,.

According to ATD, the Ironman brand will be more basic, using a "simple yet effective" focus, using targeted digital ads, social media and search engine optimization to engage "time-strapped customers looking for a tire that gets them back on the road quickly."