Bridgestone Rolls Into Rio

(ATR) The world’s biggest maker of rubber products debuts as a worldwide Olympic sponsor in Rio de Janeiro..

The Tokyo-based firm joined the Olympic sponsorship club last year with a deal that runs through 2024. It’s the first time the IOC has dedicated a category and its worldwide sponsorship program to a rubber products company.

The initial two years of the sponsorship is limited to four markets, Brazil, U.S., South Korea and Japan. From the 2018 Winter Games moving forward Bridgestone will market its Olympic branding in all 150 nations around the globe where it does business.

In the U.S. where Bridgestone is the top seller, 2015 sales reached $10.5 billion according to trade publication Tire Business. Worldwide sales of industrial rubber products for all manufacturers is estimated at $165 billion.

"What’s driving the relationship with the Olympic Games and Bridgestone is the fact that we are becoming a global company," says Christine Karbowiak, chief administrative officer for Bridgestone USA.

Karbowiak says that the Olympics were a good fit for the global objectives of Bridgestone.

"What are those properties that have a global reach, a positive message to share with the global audience? When you step back the only truly global platform of that nature is the Olympics," she says.

Karbowiak and other executives of the company talked about the new sponsorship earlier this month in Akron, Ohio where the company is the title sponsor of the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational.

Golf is one of several sports sponsorships for the company in addition to the Olympics. Bridgestone is the official tire sponsor for the National Football League and the National Hockey League.

While there is a division of the company called Bridgestone Golf, that line of product is not included in the Olympic sponsorship.

Nonetheless Bridgestone will get some exposure from golf at the Rio Olympics with the appearance of one of the athletes the company sponsors, U.S. golfer Matt Kuchar. He now will compete in the return of golf to the Olympics in Rio after Jordan Spieth gave up his spot over fears about Zika. Stacy Lewis is a Bridgestone golfer who will compete in the women's tournament in Rio.

The company also has a sponsorship with sprinter Michael Johnson. While the double gold medalist from the Atlanta Olympics is no longer competing, he brings the inspiration of his Olympic career to Bridgestone employees.

"Michael Johnson is our coach, working to deliver inspirational messages about himself and how they can use his messaging to translate into sales at the retail level, inspire our teammates," says Paul Oakley, Bridgestone USA communications VP.

A sales performance contest is underway with top performers winning a trip to the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in November where they will meet members of the US Olympic team.

Bridgestone will bring about 500 guests to the Olympics as part of its Rio activation. Bridgestone Americas VP for communications Phil Pasciis overseeing the program that will bring in the guests in five waves to Rio. He says the entire Bridgestone team came to Rio in April in a dry run to get ready for August. The company will base its hospitality program at a hotel in Copacabana.

In the United States, the biggest market for Bridgestone products, the Olympics will bring the debut of the new series of TV spots. The new advertisements will make a connection between tire performance and athlete performance says Oakley. A promotion at the retail level will award a $10,000 a day prize to consumers on each of the 17 days of the Games and a rebate program for tires purchased during the Olympics will be offered.

In Brazil, the company has 20 slots in the Olympic Torch Relay that are filled by employees.

"We’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to have our torch relay participants share their experience internally as an inspiration," Oakley says.

Bridgestone branding will be seen across the city on billboards and bus advertisements. As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility efforts, the company supports an education program focused on the Olympics in schools in the Brazilian city of Santo Andre. Bridgestone’s main factory in the country is located there.

Written by Ed Hula.

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