Goodyear

: a rebranding strategy made to feel good

Abstract

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 and ever since has been one of the most important players of this concentrated industry. However, since the economic crisis of 2008, this industry has suffered some changes. With a lower disposable income, many consumers started to shift their attention to brands and products with lower prices, often ignoring the important role of tires and its safety. With this trend in consumers’ behavior, budget brands started to gain a relevant stake in the market which began to worry the major players. Feeling that its value proposition and consequent communication standards were too aligned with the industry’s traditional patterns, Goodyear recognized it was time to change the strategy. To fight the worrying trend of customers choosing “price” over “value”, Goodyear had to show why it was worth choosing their products over the competitors’. Braking the tradition of advertising tire specs, the American brand proposed to start a relationship with customers by taken as given the reliability and safety of its products and giving the riders the possibility to enjoy the journey. The rebrand strategy headed by the new slogan “made to feel good” was planned and designed at a global scale, but it had to be implemented and adapted at local level. After giving a deeper understanding about what were the main reasons behind this rebranding strategy and the key registered changes, this dissertation strived to comprehend if the new proposed value was already perceived by the Portuguese consumers. It also collected important information about the key criteria for the decision of purchasing tires and its recent evolution.

Date of Award	20 Feb 2014
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Pedro Celeste (Supervisor)