Founded in 1914, Cooper Tires has built more than a century of trust with drivers worldwide. Known for producing dependable tires that deliver on their promise—from rugged all-terrain products to everyday on-road performance—Cooper has consistently earned loyalty by standing up to the toughest driving conditions. This track record of reliability and performance is the foundation for Cooper Tires to now take on a more prominent role in Goodyear’s strategy in EMEA.

"Cooper Tires has long been known for its strength in the 4x4 and off-road segments in EMEA, and we’re excited to build on that foundation,” said Jan-Piet van Kesteren, Managing Director EMEA & Chief Sales Officer EMEA Consumer. “We are amplifying that success by offering Cooper customers a distinctive value proposition in EMEA, combining heritage, durability, and a renewed focus on market-specific needs.”

This evolution comes as Goodyear continues to refine its portfolio for long-term growth, ensuring every driver can find the right product to meet their needs—whether premium, value, or budget. Cooper’s broadened role underscores Goodyear’s commitment to ensuring each brand plays to its strengths and delivers real performance without compromise.

"Our portfolio is built on proven performance,” added van Kesteren. “With Goodyear prominent in the premium space and Cooper Tires continuing to demonstrate consistent quality and durability, we are confident in our ability to deliver the right products, at the right time, to the right markets across our region.”

Goodyear continues to work closely with its network of distributors and retailers to maximize growth and deliver performance-driven solutions. This announcement highlights the company’s focus on innovation, customer trust, and building on the heritage of its most reliable brands.

“The Goodyear Blimp is a true icon that has captured the imaginations of consumers and enthusiasts in the United States and across the world for nearly one hundred years,” said Mike Rytokoski, Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer, Goodyear Europe, “Its return to Europe has been long-awaited and is the perfect way to celebrate our return to international motorsport, our new media partnership with Eurosport and the cutting-edge additions to our product portfolio.”

The Goodyear Blimp operating in Europe will be a Goodyear-branded, Zeppelin NT airship, operated by Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei GmbH of Friedrichshafen, Germany. This marks the latest chapter in a nearly 100-year relationship between Goodyear and Zeppelin.

The semi-rigid Zeppelin NT airship measures over 75m in length – nearly three quarters the length of a soccer field – and almost 18m in height. It is the same model airship as the three Goodyear blimps operated by Goodyear in the United States. It will act as a stunning brand ambassador for Goodyear as it soars over Europe, providing unique aerial coverage of key racing events and operating commercial (passenger) flights across Germany.

“Zeppelin is proud to be furthering and expanding our long-standing collaboration with Goodyear,” said Eckhard Breuer, CEO of Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei GmbH, “We look forward to adding Europe to our area of cooperation, giving our relationship a new, international dimension.”

More commonly seen flying in the United States at major sporting events including NASCAR races, NBA games and PGA golf events, the Goodyear Blimp is a European icon in its own right. It first arrived in Europe in March 1972, making its maiden flight in June that year in Cardington, England. Christened ‘Europa’, it took to the skies over Europe over the subsequent 14 years, appearing at a number of prominent sporting and cultural events, including the 1985 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, the 1986 French Open at Rolland Garros and even two British royal weddings, before being retired in 1986.

Goodyear blimps have returned to tour Europe in subsequent years, however today’s test flight from Friedrichshafen is the first time a Goodyear Blimp has flown in Europe since 2012.

The Goodyear Blimp will fly in the Friedrichshafen area and more widely around Germany over the coming weeks and is ultimately planned to provide aerial footage of some of the major remaining European races of the 2020 motorsports calendar.

This will add a further, significant boost to Goodyear’s international racing comeback. The company has already been appointed official tire supplier to the LMP2 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the European Le Mans Series as of the 2021 season, and the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and, via a new media partnership with leading European sporting broadcaster, Eurosport, the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) and Pure ETCR, the first all-electric multi-brand touring car series, as of the 2020 season.

When Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon drove to victory in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford wasn’t the only American company making its mark on the world stage. The famous black GT40 Mark II was running on Goodyear tires – even if it had started the race on rubber from the company’s big rival in the so-called tire wars, Firestone.

“McLaren and Amon’s victory sealed a podium sweep for Goodyear and was our second straight triumph at Le Mans,” explains Mike Rytokoski, Vice-President, Chief Marketing Officer Europe for Goodyear. “Goodyear is particularly proud to have played such a key role in this historic event in motorsports. We’re glad to honor this heritage with a comprehensive association campaign with the Le Mans ‘66 film.”

The Film

Academy Award®-winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale star in Le Mans ‘66, the remarkable true story of the visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and the fearless British driver Ken Miles (Bale), who together battled the laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.

The Race

The 1966 24 hours of Le Mans started in damp conditions and it quickly became apparent that they suited the Goodyears better than the Firestones. Two of the Shelby American racing team cars participating – the #1 of Ken Miles/Denny Hulme and the #3 of Dan Gurney/Jerry Grant – were having no issues with their Goodyear tires, but the Firestone-shod McLaren was losing chunks of tread on the Mulsanne straight at more than 210mph.

When he pitted to hand over to Amon, he sought out the Firestone representative and negotiated a switch to Goodyears.

As the end of the race rolled around the next day, the surviving #2, #1 and #5 Fords – the latter being the Holman & Moody car of Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson – lined up for a staged finish. The manufactured dead-heat between the two Shelby machines continues to be debated to this day, but history records that McLaren and Amon were given the win based on starting further back and therefore having travelled a greater distance in the same time. But for the early switch to Goodyears, they wouldn’t even have been in contention.

Goodyear Racing

In subsequent years, Goodyear would amass a total of 14 wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and become a racing powerhouse with 368 Formula One Grand Prix wins - a record that stands unbeaten.

For the 2019-20 season, Goodyear has returned to international sports car racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship. In 2020, the company will race again at Le Mans in the LMP2 category.

“The story behind the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1966 perfectly captures Goodyear’s spirit of passion, performance and innovation”, said “Mike Rytokoski, Vice-President, Chief Marketing Officer Europe for Goodyear. “It’s with this same spirit that we decided earlier this year to become once again a tire supplier for the FIA World Endurance Championship. We are looking forward to be on the grid again in Le Mans next year.”

Goodyear and Brabham Automotive have announced their partnership to collaborate across racing and road car developments, reigniting a winning partnership that began in 1965.

The partnership coincides with the racing return of the iconic Brabham marque. The Brabham BT62 will make its racing debut at Brands Hatch on the 9th/10th November in the Britcar ‘Into the Night’ race. This event gives a flavour of Le Mans-style endurance racing and appropriately Brands Hatch is the very circuit where Jack Brabham took his Brabham-Repco BT19 to British Grand Prix glory 53 years earlier.

The joint development work rekindles a historic partnership between the two companies, which resulted in 26 Formula One Grand Prix victories. Jack Brabham won the 1966 F1 World Championship in a Goodyear shod Brabham-Repco, the iconic BT19. This was a historic moment as it marked the first, and never to be repeated, title for a driver in a car of his own construction and bearing his own name. Denny Hulme made it a back-to-back championship success for Brabham and Goodyear in 1967, before Brabham stars such as Carlos Reutemann, Niki Lauda and Carlos Pace wore the iconic Goodyear cap on the top step of the podium in the seventies. In 1981, Nelson Piquet clinched the World Championship at the final round in Las Vegas after switching his Brabham to Goodyear mid-season.

David Brabham, son of Sir Jack Brabham and Director of Brabham Automotive said. “Goodyear and Brabham’s combined successes in motorsport are iconic. The partnership historically brought an incredible amount of success in Formula 1 and Endurance Racing and we look to continue this winning legacy through Brabham Automotive, the BT62 and future car variants. The continued commitment shown by Goodyear globally in motorsport means it is perfect timing for the two marques to join forces as we continue our road to Le Mans.”

Spearheading the return of the Brabham and Goodyear story is the Brabham BT62. This is an unrestricted, thoroughbred track car that is limited to a production run of just 70 vehicles. Weighing in at 972kg (dry) and with 700bhp from its 5.4-liter V8 engine it offers stunning performance that’s already shattered GT3-class lap records. With over 1200kgs of downforce, a motorsport-derived tire development program is crucial as Brabham continues to have a performance-based approach to their track and road ambitions.

Dan Marks, Commercial Director at Brabham Automotive said, “Goodyear and Brabham enjoyed success together over four decades in F1. To reignite this technical collaboration is exciting. We’ve chosen to work with Goodyear as they have the tire technology to support our goal of achieving the highest levels of performance on both the road and track.”

In addition to supplying Goodyear Racing tires for the track only BT62, the car is also available with Brabham’s road compliant conversion option, which will include tires from the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport range which was launched earlier this year. It combines Goodyear’s racing experience and award-winning road tire technology to provide superior grip and handling. It has already been declared an outright test winner, topping the first-ever Ultra Ultra High Performance (UUHP) tire test conducted by Tyre Reviews, the number one online tire review website.

The Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport range’s performance is enhanced through the use of a motorsport-derived high-friction compound, providing exceptional lateral grip and traction. This compound technology is closely related to Goodyear’s FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) tires that will be used in the 2019/20 season, beginning at Silverstone on September 1st. The track-only version of the BT62 will be fitted with similar Goodyear Racing tires to the WEC cars.

Brussels, August 2017 –  In 208 magazine tire tests, carried out by 37 European reputable automotive magazines – including ADAC, Auto Bild, Auto Bild Allrad, Auto Zeitung, Auto Express, Gute Fahrt, Auto Moto and ACE/GTÜ – Goodyear tires have been recommended* in more than 80% of their tests in the last 5 years. Goodyear ranked 1st in 43 of these tests.

Every time a new tire is designed and developed, Goodyear’s engineers test it against more than 50 performance criteria before it goes into production. This ensures that each new Goodyear tire meets the highest demands and ultimately leads to better driving experiences.

“We are very proud to be able to announce this great accomplishment. It highlights once again Goodyear’s commitment to continuously deliver stand-out performance when it comes to product excellence and innovation” says Martijn De Jonge, Brand Director Consumer PBU EMEA.

About Goodyear

Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies. It employs about 65,000 people and manufactures its products in 47 facilities in 21 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.eu.

For additional pictures, visit the online newsroom: http://news.goodyear.eu​. 

You can also follow us on Twitter @GoodyearPress​ and join our ThinkGoodMobility group on LinkedIn. 

* Based on 208 magazine tests, since 2013, performed by 37 independent European tire magazines. Taken into account are only tests in which Goodyear has participated in. Further information available under http://https://www.goodyear.eu/en_gb/consumer/legal-disclaimer-80-claim.html​​. The term “recommended” is based on the individual ranking systems of the different magazine publications and is defined as tests in which Goodyear tires have achieved either ranks between 1 – 3 or a nomination of “very recommendable”, “recommendable”, “very good”, “good”, “exemplary” or “satisfying”.

The recommendation refers to the Goodyear consumer brand as a whole and covers Summer, Winter and All Seasons segments.

Geneva, March 7th - Goodyear has revealed its long-term vision for future smart, connected tires. In an evolving mobility ecosystem defined by the transition to driverless vehicles and shared mobility in urban centers, Goodyear aims to revolutionize the interaction between tires, vehicles and their surroundings. Goodyear unveiled the Eagle 360 Urban, its latest concept tire, at the Geneva International Motor Show. This 3-D printed sphere is the first concept tire to be powered by Artificial Intelligence and able to sense, decide, transform and interact.

“A revolution will take place at the intersection of autonomy, mobility and connectivity. As this unfolds, tire technology will be even more important than it is today. To safely navigate their surroundings, the autonomous vehicles of the future will need to learn to cope with the millions of possible unknowns we face in every day driving scenarios. To do so they will need access to data and the ability to learn and adapt,” said Jean-Claude Kihn, president of Goodyear Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Last year, with the Eagle 360 concept tire, Goodyear presented a unique, multi-directional sphere to match the demands of autonomous driving through increased levels of comfort, safety and maneuverability. The positive feedback received encouraged the manufacturer to take this concept even further.

This year, with the Eagle 360 Urban, Goodyear is pushing the boundaries again, aiming to illustrate a vision of how the future could look. Powered by Artificial Intelligence, Goodyear is giving the concept tire a ‘brain’. Combined with a bionic skin and morphing tread, the Eagle 360 Urban has the ability to put knowledge into practice. The tire will become part of the vehicle’s ‘nervous system’ and the connected world of the Internet of Things. That way, it is ready to rapidly adapt to changing circumstances, as well as the evolving needs of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) for fleets and their users. 

Goodyear’s Eagle 360 Urban features bionic skin with a sensor network that allows the concept tire to check on its own status and gather information on its environment, including the road surface. Via connectivity with other vehicles as well as infrastructure, traffic and mobility management systems, the Eagle 360 Urban also captures information on its surroundings in real-time.

By combining these sources of information and processing them instantaneously using neural networks trained with deep learning algorithms, the Eagle 360 Urban decides the most appropriate course of action. And, powered by Artificial Intelligence, the Eagle 360 Urban learns from previous actions how to optimize future responses.

Made of super-elastic polymer, the tire’s bionic skin has a flexibility similar to that of human skin, allowing it to expand and contract. This outer layer covers a foam-like material that is strong enough to remain flexible despite the weight of a vehicle. Thanks to this flexibility, actuator elements beneath the tire’s surface, which are components that change shape with an electrical input, working like human muscles, can re-shape the individual sections of the tire’s tread design, adding ‘dimples’ for wet conditions or smoothing the tread for dry conditions. A new tread with a safer contact patch is thus deployed.

Using this morphing tread, the Eagle 360 Urban transforms and adapts to changing road and weather conditions.  The concept tire can then interact to share the information it has captured, the related action and its success with other vehicles and all of the elements making up the Internet of Things.

When the tire’s bionic skin is damaged, the sensors in the tread can locate the puncture. The tire then rotates to create a different contact patch. This reduces pressure on the puncture and allows the self-healing process to start. The self-healing works thanks to materials which are specifically designed to be able to flow towards the puncture. They react physically and chemically with each other to form new molecular bonds, closing the puncture.

This new generation of tires will create added value for OEM partners and the evolving providers of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) by maximizing uptime and providing proactive maintenance. For the everyday commuter they will offer an improved experience by adding a new dimension to the safety performance and learning capabilities of autonomous driving.

This year Goodyear invited students from French design school ISD RUBIKA​ to envision and develop a concept vehicle tailor-made for the Eagle 360 Urban concept tire. Working closely together with Goodyear’s designers, the students created Vision UMOD, a vehicle for future cities and adapted to the needs of future mobility.[1]

KEY FEATURES AND BENEFITS

1. The Artificial Intelligence unit serves as the ‘brain’ of the tire and enables the tire to:

• Continuously sense the road condition and the surrounding environment in real-time and check on its own status in real-time.
• Process the information it captures using neural networks trained with deep learning algorithms to decide what to do and learn for the future.
• Transform using its own morphing tread and tire/vehicle interface.
• Interact with other vehicles and all of the elements making up the Internet of Things to share the information it has captured and lessons learned.

2. The bionic skin’s high-sensory capacity tread, with its sensor network, captures information on road and weather conditions and transmits this input to:

• the tire to optimize the morphing of the tread.
• the vehicle’s ‘nervous system’ to improve the car’s braking, handling and efficiency.
• all of the elements making up the Internet of Things to inform other tires and vehicles expected to take the same road.

3. The intelligent morphing tread prepares the vehicle for the unexpected by proactively providing safety under all conditions. Depending on the road and weather conditions, the most appropriate tread pattern appears autonomously with the help of the bionic skin of the tire. 

4.The bionic skin allows self-healing repair. And, in combination with the Artificial Intelligence unit, it measures current and predicts future tire wear to allow automated tire management, enabling predictive and proactive maintenance. This maximizes uptime and safety, offering an improved mobility user experience at all times for Mobility as a Service (MaaS) providers.

5. The spherical shape moves in all directions and contributes to comfort, safety and maneuverability to match the demands of autonomous mobility and mobility as a service. The shape also copes with space limitations in smart cities (smaller parking spaces, platoon driving, maneuvering, easy to replace...).

Connect & Download

Visit our stand at Geneva International Motor Show: Stand 2056, Hall 2 or visit our EMEA newsroom​

Goodyear Eagle 360 Urban and RUBIKA Vision UMOD video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAdw09M-F-g​

[1] Created by: Laurent Cariou, Mathis Cosson, Hugo Glorennec & Alexandre Moulin 

ON THE ROAD
The technology behind Goodyear tires addresses evolving societal challenges and ensures optimal performance on the road.
Whenever you are driving and being driven, Goodyear is there.

I N THE MARKET PLACE
From its start in 1898, Goodyear has continually embraced the needs of drivers, growing to become one of the world’s largest tire companies. Goodyear is driven to deliver sustainable revenue and profit growth while increasing the value of its brands, including Goodyear, Dunlop, Fulda, Sava and Debica.

THROUGHOUT THE COMPANY
Goodyear believes innovation flourishes in a fair and agile environment where a diverse team drives the brightest ideas to move customers and consumers now and in the future. At Goodyear, innovation is not just what we do, it is who we are.

 Our vision is to continue being a valued partner and innovation thought leader that contributes to smart, safe and sustainable mobility.

OUR BRANDS

Goodyear is one of the world’s leading premium tire brands with the expertise of more than 115 years of tire engineering. The brand’s “history of firsts” is proof that it always was at the pulse of innovation, while current partnerships with many leading car manufacturers show it still is.
The uncompromising focus on safety as well as performance leads to excellent test results. No matter which road drivers take and what their journey will be, Goodyear offers peace of mind to make them feel good along the way.

Dunlop has built a reputation as one of the top brands for high and ultra high performance tires with over 125 years of motorsport experience and success, Their extensive knowledge of racing technology and commitment to innovation is part of the reason for countless outstanding test results and why leading car manufacturers have made them their Original Equipment partner. 
Whether driving on the track or the road, Dunlop provides drivers the chance to be Forever Forward on their personal road to success.

Fulda is a rewarded and popular German tire brand, offering high-quality car and truck tires. Each of the products offer a balanced performance across key criteria: safety, mileage, fuel efficiency and the best possible value for your budget.

Sava offers a range of wallet friendly car and truck tires designed in Europe, key criteria are good quality, peace-of-mind and value for money.  

Dębica tires are developed and manufactured in Europe. The product portfolio consists of all-steel truck tires, passenger car tires, off-road tires, as well as other products for the tire industry.
 

To celebrate the great partnership, Goodyear and FC Bayern Munich have produced a video TV spot featuring the greatest names of the famous German football club and which underlines the motto that both brands have in common: “To become the best, you have to go the extra mile”.

The video emphasizes Goodyear’s and FC Bayern Munich’s determination and their teams’ efforts to work towards one goal. “It shows the hard training of the German club’s players, determined to conquer the pitch, as well as the passion of Goodyear’s Research & Development team, focused on delivering award winning high performance tires”, said Martijn de Jonge, Goodyear Brand Director EMEA. Goodyear and FC Bayern Munich are both centenary brands, whose passion for winning has made them internationally-known and respected.
The platinum partnership had been announced end 2015, in the presence of key players of FC Bayern Munich.

Discover the TV commercial video: in English​​ , in German​ and in Spanish​​.

And watch the making-of video: in English​, in German​ and in Spanish​​.

Brussels, June 2016 - On www.dunlop.eu, driving enthusiasts will find – at the click of a fingertip – their tire type & size match, test magazine ratings, Original Equipment, recommended retail prices as well as the nearest tire dealer.

Dunlop customers know what they want: the best tire, offering ultimate driving pleasure, and they will rely heavily on the Internet to find it. Nieves Fuentes, Dunlop’s Director Digital Marketing EMEA, comments: “Our research shows that nearly 70% of Dunlop’s target customers in Europe inform themselves before their purchase. And 75% opt for the Internet as their main source of information – using search engines and manufacturer websites.”

To meet the needs of the digitally oriented, tech-savvy Dunlop fan base, Dunlop invested in the development of a more intuitive website design, including advanced tools, enriched tire and dealer information and compatibility with smartphones, tablets and PC.

Looping the loop of the tire purchase journey
“Our goal is to give Dunlop customers access to a complete variety of information. From their first explorations on the Internet up to the point that they arrive at the dealer store”, explains Nieves Fuentes: “The new digital platform will allow us to go the extra mile and help consumers looping the loop. Today, the tire finder tool provides more relevant info and will enable consumers to easily understand which tire they need, in accordance with their driving style. Moreover, additional dealer’s information is provided and the consumers now have the possibility to directly call the dealer when conducting their research on a mobile device.” Thanks to all these features, the way to new tires has never been easier.

The new digital platform has been successfully implemented in a German pilot project in 2015, demonstrating an enhanced interest and added value for customers. The usage of the tire finder tool, in the new version of the site, increased with 903% in comparison with the previous Dunlop website, and the new dealer locator tool saw an increase in usage of 243% .

Travelling has become more and more accessible, especially within Europe. But the current ease of reaching a holiday destination has also sparked a newfound demand for authentic and unique travel experiences. Think beautiful sceneries, mesmerizing cities or unexpected places. Starting June 22nd, Goodyear, one of the world's largest tire companies, will give adventurers the opportunity to stay the night at unique and usually unattainable places in a caravan. With Goodyear’s slogan ‘Made to Feel Good’ in mind, Goodyear expands with this campaign its mission of giving people the experience of a comfortable journey to their inspiring destination.

A person’s feel good place is not only that which feels familiar, but also new experiences and discovering beautiful places can make someone happy. And travelling by caravan has become increasingly popular to reach these authentic places. Dr. Dimitrios Tsivrikos, Consumer and Business Psychologist at the University College of London, explains: “Caravans are increasingly becoming consumers' vessels for a bespoke and authentic journey. In this vein consumers are fully in control of their surroundings and path, which creates a sense of freedom and excitement that few other travel means can create.”

“This campaign embodies the essence of Goodyear’s ‘Made to Feel Good’ credo by offering unique experiences to never forget. Goodyear wants to inspire consumers to enjoy adventures that they haven’t encountered before, all the while providing them with the peace of mind of a safe and reliable journey”, says Alexis Bortoluzzi, Marketing Director Consumer EMEA Goodyear Dunlop.

Consumers across Europe have the opportunity to stay in this unique feel good place via https://goodyear-feelgoodplaces.com and spend the night in a furnished and decorated caravan specifically designed to provide a refreshing holiday. People can follow the mobile feel good place on its six-week adventure on Goodyear’s social media channels http://www.facebook.com/goodyear, www.instagram.com/goodyear_emea and http://www.twitter.com/GoodyearPress) and book an overnight stay, free-of-charge. Each location will only be revealed a few days before arrival, on social media and on Goodyear’s travel blog, which will be integrated on Goodyear’s Facebook page. Those interested in the Goodyear experience will have to act fast and book their overnight stay on Airbnb, first come first serve.

Generating high-quality customer leads for tire dealers in a digital world
The increasingly digitalized society impacts all aspects of the business world. The combination of both a strong digital presence and local stores is broadly recognized as the key to business success. Today’s most successful companies excel in their capability to connect consumers and retail with each other. The “Connection Economy”1 presents a wide array of opportunities, which Goodyear is seizing with both hands. Nieves Fuentes, Goodyear’s Director Digital Marketing EMEA, explains: “Our research shows that the web is increasingly becoming the key source of information for European drivers. Nearly 63% inform themselves before buying. Of those, 91% opt for the Internet as their main source of information – using search engines and manufacturer websites .”
Goodyear responded to these new consumer needs and behaviors by updating its digital strategy, including an enhanced platform and a new media approach to improve and increase traffic to dealers’ websites, thus fostering direct contacts with the customer. A strong SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy and the use of smart data signals to identify potential customers are among the cornerstones of this new media approach.

Enhanced digital platform for connecting faster and more easily with consumers
In its efforts to make the customer journey from the Internet to the dealers’ shop as easy and short as possible, Goodyear has enhanced its digital platform, www.goodyear.eu, to deliver an even more user-friendly design across various devices (smartphone, tablet and pc), enriched with additional information about tires and dealers.
What’s more, the new website allows consumers to directly call dealers, and helps them reach their stores easily by providing directions.
The new www.goodyear.eu platform has already been successfully deployed in the UK, with significant results. The new website showed a potential increase of 380% in traffic for dealers’ sites coming from the new Goodyear site – in other words, potentially three times more customers for the dealers.

On www.goodyear.eu, consumers will find the right Goodyear tire, test magazine ratings, the recommended retail price, as well as the nearest tire dealer.

Goodyear observed consumers’ increased eagerness to find tire information at an early stage of their purchase journey and wanted to empower drivers to make better informed decisions. The brand therefore invested in the development of a more intuitive website design, including advanced tools and enriched information.

Consumers empowered to meet their match

Choosing the right tire and finding the right dealer can be a challenge sometimes. Willing to support consumers in finding their right tire match, Goodyear has decided to shed light on tires by enriching the information provided on its website and by facilitating its presentation thanks to a user-friendly design.

Nieves Fuentes, Goodyear’s Director Digital Marketing EMEA: “Our research shows the web is increasingly becoming the key source of information to consumers when searching tires. Nearly 63% of consumers purchasing tires in Europe are informed before buying. Of those 63%, 91% opt for the Internet as their main source of information – using search engines and manufacturer websites. Our research also showed consumers’ interest to find recommended retail prices.”

As such, the new website features information on Original Equipment, automotive magazine test ratings, nearby dealers, recommended retail prices... and is compatible with smartphones, tablets or PC.
The result? Consumers remain in control of their tire purchase journey, at all times.

Looping the loop of the tire purchase journey
“The new digital platform will allow to go the extra mile and help consumers looping the loop”, explains Nieves Fuentes. “The tire finder tool provides today more relevant info and will enable consumers to easily understand the tire they need according to their driving style. Also, additional dealer’s information is provided and the consumers now have the possibility to directly call the dealer when the research is made on a mobile device.”

Thanks to all these features, the way to new tires has never been easier.

Pilot projects across a number of EMEA markets in 2015 demonstrated an enhanced interest and added value of these tools for consumers. The tire finder tool in the new version of the website was used 20 times more often when compared to the previous version of the website, and the new dealer locator tool - allowing consumers to locate the tire dealer closest to them - showed a six-fold increase in usage in comparison to the previous version of the website.

#DunlopRoadtrip will give riders the opportunity to share videos and images of their ‘Ultimate Road Trip’ across the summer, with each month’s top three winning a brand new set of RoadSmart III tyres to be fitted to their bike.

The pan-European social competition will be fronted by legendary 23 time TT winner John McGuinness and will take place on the official Dunlop Moto Facebook and Twitter pages using the #DunlopRoadtrip.

From May 25th – September 30th, bikers will be encouraged to upload videos and images of their summer road trip giving them the chance to upgrade to a set of Dunlop RoadSmart III tires. To coincide with the campaign launch, John McGuinness will lead the way in releasing a stunning video of him riding his favourite routes.

The innovative new RoadSmart III has achieved some impressive stats in independent Motorrad testing* including 10.3% better performance in the dry, 4.4% better performance in the wet and an outstanding 82%** better front tyre mileage than the competitor average making it the perfect tire for touring. The RoadSmart III features a revolutionary interconnecting groove tread to offer enhanced wet performance along with a nano-technology compound delivering improved mileage. A new carcass and front profile means reduced warm up time for cold morning starts and an innovative tread delivers more even wear across the life of the tire.

All submissions entered will be judged every month by John McGuinness, with the top posts winning a set of the new Dunlop RoadSmart III tires. In addition, at the end of the summer, all the best images and videos will be collated into a single film with an online premiere.

*Compared to average performance of 4 leading competitor products in Sport Touring Radial segment (Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT, Bridgestone T30 Evo, Pirelli Angel GT and Metzeler Roadtec Z8 MO). Tested by Motorrad Test Center in January 2016 by order of Goodyear Dunlop. Tyre size Front 120/70ZR17 front and rear 180/55ZR17 rear. Test Bike: Yamaha FJR 1300A; Testing took place on test track at Goodyear Dunlop's Mireval Proving Ground, France

**Calculated against the German legal limit of 1.6mm minimum tread depth. Compared to average performance of 3 leading competitor products in Sport Touring Radial segment (Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT, Bridgestone T30 Evo, Pirelli Angel GT). Tested by Motorrad Test Center in November 2015 by order of Goodyear Dunlop. Tyre size Front 120/70ZR17 and rear 180/55ZR17 rear. Test Bike: Yamaha FJR 1300A; road testing took place on mixed surface roads around Almeria, Spain

Competition Terms and conditions at news.goodyear.eu

About Dunlop Europe

Dunlop Europe is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high and ultra high performance tyres with an impressive track record of motor sport successes. Dunlop Europe is a technical partner of Suzuki Endurance Race Team, Honda Racing and GMT94 Yamaha in Endurance Racing, Kawasaki and Team HRC in MXGP and the Official tyre supplier to the FIM Moto2 and Moto3 World Championship.

In the newest video, the tone once again embodies the Goodyear tagline “Made to Feel Good” with a humorous and upbeat tone, while drawing an analogy between safety on the field and safety on the road. Just as Juventus is concerned with the safety of its players, Goodyear is concerned with the safety of its drivers. The right tyres contribute to ensure safety, comfort and optimal performance, especially with winter on the horizon.

"We are proud to partner again with a prestigious club like Juventus to highlight the core elements of our products. Safety has always been a fundamental topic for Goodyear as outlined in the film with Juventus champions,” said Matteo Castelli, Marketing Consumer Director of Goodyear Dunlop in Italy.

The video, filmed on location at the Juventus Training Centre, will be aired on December 10 in 90 second and 110 second length versions on YouTube ​ and http://www.goodyear.eu. The partnership between Goodyear and Juventus also entails advertising channels such as pitch-side LED boards, logos on podium backdrops and co-operation between the digital and social platforms of the two companies.

People can submit pictures to the platform by posting a photo or video on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with #MyWinterFeelGoodPlace and may be eligible to win a few prizes, including a grand prize for a Goodyear-sponsored winter trip to a destination of choice[1].

Furthermore, Goodyear has kicked off the campaign in Germany by bringing the magic of winter to life with a giant snow globe that everybody passing by on a crowded city square could walk though and create unique feel good moments to share!

The importance of a ‘feel good place’ can hardly be overestimated. Dr Tsivrikos from University College of London[2] says, “Locating one’s feel good place can have important psychological benefits for their mood, feeling and overall performance. Because while immersing ourselves in spaces/environments that we consider psychologically safe, people can revitalize their body and mind by distancing themselves from any work related or personal stressors.”

“Next to empowerment, more than anything, this campaign is meant to capture the essence of “Made to Feel Good” and the idea that Goodyear gives you peace of mind wherever you want to go, regardless of the circumstances”, says Alexis Bortoluzzi, Marketing Director Consumer EMEA Goodyear Dunlop. “Especially since we are already seeing signs of early winter across Europe, we are looking forward to all of the beautiful images this year’s winter will bring.”

About Goodyear
Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies. It employs about 66,000 people and manufactures its products in 49 facilities in 22 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

[1] Round trip to a winter destination for two people, including accommodation, full board and transfers, to be started within maximum 12 months from the date of the award and provided that the total value of this round trip for two people will be limited to a maximum of 6000,- EUR. 

[2] As said by travel psychologist Dr. Tsivrikos Consumer and Business psychologist from University College of London.