Focus on industry
Online marketing strategy Continental has one goal: to drive consumers to its dealers By Bob Ulrich
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n the last 10 years, Continental Tire the Americas LLC has increased its consumer tire market share dramatically. The result is tangible: Nearly 6 million more Continental and General tires were sold in the U.S. last year than in 2006. Continental’s Elite Gold dealers had a lot to do with that growth. And on the 2017 Continental Tire Gold Dealer Cruise, company executives thanked them in the best way possible. They gave them the tools to sell even more tires. “Everything we’re doing... is all about driving the consumers to (our) websites so they can come find you,” said Director of Marketing Travis Roffler. First, consumers are directed to either Continentaltire.com or Generaltire. com with help from the company’s sponsorships and promotional activities. Ultimately, they are taken to each website’s dealer locator page. “We want to drive them to your store, so they can buy tires at your facility,” said Roffler.
avid fans of college basketball.” That’s close to 75 million people. Continental also benefited from television commercials featuring NBC sports talk show host Dan Patrick as a spokesperson, and will do more with Patrick in 2017-2018. 2. Soccer. Continental is the official tire of the U.S. men’s and women’s soccer teams and Major League Soccer (MLS), and Roffler said the agreement has been renewed through 2022. That will take Continental through the 2019 FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) Women’s World Cup, and 2018 and 2022 Men’s World Cups. Activation cities for 2017 are Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New York (Red Bulls), Orlando, Philadelphia and Seattle.
Sports marketing More than 300 Elite Gold dealers plus 12 Gold distributors listened to what Roffler and National Sales Manager Sean McDermaid had to say about the company’s marketing strategy and the Gold program. Roffler highlighted the company’s sports and motorsports sponsorships. 1. NCAA men’s basketball. During the 2015-2016 college basketball season, “I know there are a lot of Duke fans out there!” Marketing Director Travis Roffler to attendees Continental partnered with 28 schools said at the Gold Dealer meeting. Because individual in the Big 10, Big East, Big 12, SEC, teams are polarizing, Continental chose Dan ACC, Pac 12 and AAC (University Patrick as a spokesperson for its NCAA men’s of Connecticut) “in geographic areas college basketball television commercials. that make sense to you.” The schools, including eventual champion Villanova, all have a “propensity for their programs to be put on national Continental will get more impressions as the MLS expands television.” The Continental name was on courtside signage in from 22 teams this year to a planned 28 teams. Roffler said four all 28 arenas. The company also leveraged its sponsorships with of the cities vying to join the MLS include Charlotte, Tampa/ 31 activation dates, which engaged 4,700 fans. St. Petersburg and St. Louis. Nearly 7 billion impressions were generated by the sponsorThe Continental brand received 3.1 billion impressions from ships, said Roffler. U.S. soccer and more than 5.8 billion from the MLS last year. Continental partnered with four additional universities during Continental promoted its participation in the MLS with TV comthe 2016-2017 season: Michigan State, Virginia, Florida State mercials featuring former professional soccer player Alexi Lalas. and the University of Miami in Florida. Local tire dealers were 3. Motorsports. Continental is the official tire of the Interable to participate in close to 40 activation dates. national Motor Sports Association (IMSA), while General is The company is looking at adding teams for the upcoming season. the official tire of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series (and Roffler said 23% of the people in the U.S. “consider themselves the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals in 2018). Once again, the
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