AKRON, OHIO — Goodyear Tire & Rubber has launched an aggressive media campaign in support of its new Assurance brand of tires.
Goodyear’s 30-second television commercial for Assurance debuted yesterday on both network and cable television. The commercial is being aired on ABC, CBS and NBC, along with ESPN, MSNBC, TBS, CNBC, The Discovery Channel and The History Channel.
The television spot, highlighting the any-weather capabilities of Assurance featuring TripleTred Technology, will run most often during prime-time programming hours. During the week, it also will be seen during the time slots of such popular late-night programs as “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Saturday Night Live” on NBC, “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS and “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC. It will also run during NBC’s coverage of the Kentucky Derby on May 1.
On cable, the ad will appear on programs including SportsCenter and the NBA Playoffs on ESPN, “Automobiles” on The History Channel, “American Chopper” on Discovery, “The Dennis Miller Show” on CNBC, “Seinfeld” and “Friends” on Turner Broadcasting and “Hardball” on MSNBC.
According to Mike Kitz, Goodyear’s vice president of marketing and brand management, this is Goodyear’s biggest advertising campaign since the launch of the original Aquatred tire in 1992. “The significance of two breakthrough tires and the introduction of a new Goodyear sub-brand – Assurance – certainly merits this kind of investment,” said Kitz.
In addition to the TV spot, a related mini-film was created, which is slated to be shown as a pre-movie clip in select cinemas. The film was developed by Akron, Ohio-based agency, Hitchcock Fleming & Associates, with which Goodyear has been doing business for more than five decades.
Both the 30-second TV commercial and the 90-second film were shot on location in Iceland and directed by critically acclaimed film director Jan De Bont, best known for such action-thrillers as “Speed;” “Speed II: Cruise Control;” “Twister;” “The Haunting;” and “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.” Both the Goodyear TV commercial and the cinematic film feature the voice of Patrick Stewart, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard on the hit TV series “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and Charles Xavier in the feature film “X-Men.”
The mini-film will debut nationally on May 7, marking the first time Goodyear has used movie theaters for national advertising.
The television commercials and cinema preview – Goodyear’s first product-driven advertising in five years – are part of a major print and electronic marketing campaign supporting the launch of Assurance.
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