AKRON — Goodyear has awarded Publicis Groupe the vast majority of its global marketing business—a sweeping consolidation play that guts a roster of dozens of agencies.
The French ad giant will oversee creative, media, production and digital services through a bespoke team called “Publicis P1T Crew.” There are “few minor exceptions” to Publicis’ remit, according to Goodyear, which did not provide details.
BBH USA, which has already debuted work for Cooper Tires (purchased by Goodyear in 2021), will serve as the creative lead in the bespoke team. Publicis declined to share which other agencies will be included on the roster.
The agency change is designed to establish a “consistent, unified voice” across the Ohio-based tire maker’s brands, which, in addition to Cooper and its namesake Goodyear, include the Mickey Thompson brand, according to the company. (Goodyear is selling its Dunlop brand to Japan’s Sumitomo Rubber Industries for roughly $700 million.)
Goodyear’s move will impact 60 agencies, according to the tire maker, which in a statement said: “We had many disparate vendors and agencies due to operating under regional scopes.” Impacted agencies include Stagwell’s Colle McVoy, along with Omnicom Group’s GSD&M and The Marketing Arm. Colle McVoy referred calls to comment to Goodyear. GSD&M and TMA declined to comment.
Goodyear was close to wrapping a creative review in last May, Ad Age reported at the time, but that review was “not relevant” in the Publicis decision, a spokesperson said, citing that it predated the July appointment of Will Roland as senior VP and global chief marketing officer. Goodyear did not comment on whether there was another, broader review to consolidate under Publicis, stating instead that the holding company was selected based on “global footprint” and “excellence across many disciplines/capabilities.”
“We’re bringing talent from around the world together to re-invigorate Goodyear’s iconic brand, and Publicis has the strategic vision and creative firepower needed to move quickly,” Roland said in a statement.
Roland, who joined Goodyear from automaker Stellantis, headed strategy and analytics for Publicis Media from 2019-2021, according to his LinkedIn profile. Goodyear CEO Mark Stewart worked with Publicis during a prior stint at Stellantis, where he was chief operating officer in North America.
Goodyear reported a net loss of $34 million in the third quarter, compared to $89 million in the year-earlier period. It will report fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 results later today.
Goodyear’s advertising costs, including cooperative programs with franchisees and dealers, totaled $364 million in 2023, $375 million in 2022 and $382 million in 2021, according to the company’s 2023 annual filing. The company spent $36 million on U.S. measured media in 2023 and $15 million through the first three quarters of 2024, per MediaRadar.
