The UK haulage industry consumes millions of gallons of fuel a year. This makes up a significant proportion of fleet costs, and fuel costs are rising. Choosing the right tyre and using tyre management principles of wheel alignment, tyre pressure and regrooving helps to reduce fuel consumption, and therefore, costs.
Michelin Tyre is already recognised for the superior performance of its tyres, so it commissioned agency IAS Smarts to devise a campaign, which rather than helping to increase sales, was geared at raising the level of understanding of the link between fuel costs, fuel consumption and correct tyre management. Establishing Michelin as an authority on the issue, as well as forming part of its commitment to environmental issues, were also important objectives of the campaign.
The target audience consisted of finance directors, transport managers and owner-drivers within the trucking industry; the individuals most concerned with operating costs and understanding the importance of good tyre management. The concept of ‘rolling resistance’, which refers to the fact that tyres can account for up to 60 per cent of the total resistance opposing the vehicle’s movement, and the principles of tyre management, are not easily understood or practiced by a majority of the audience, so the challenge was to relay the information across in a simple and effective way.
The resulting campaign was called, ‘Stop thirsty tyres’ and used a range of medium including PR, radio and advertising. It also used viral marketing and the web untraditional marketing channels in the trucking industry as many in the industry don’t have office-bound jobs. It made the simple link between tyres and fuel, using a recognisable iconic character and accessible language to initiate dialogue for high engagement and recall value. Activity began in May 2005 and ran until October 2005 with a campaign budget of £60,000.
Advertising: The ads played a support role to PR and were planned around the campaign launch for maximum exposure. Full-page advertising was supported by banner ads communicating the website in trade magazines, Commercial Motor, Roadway and Motor Transport. Posters were distributed among local distributor networks, third-party associations and internally within Michelin.
Direct marketing: The core direct mail campaign was concentrated over a one-month time period to a select audience of 3000 contacts. There were four mailings throughout the campaign, with one postcard mailer despatched weekly. Segmented mailers followed. For example, finance directors received a letter and branded memory stick containing key fuel-saving facts and figures. Using a postcard format meant that Michelin could maximise the high-impact imagery; it could concentrate on one key message per mailer and provide short, hard-hitting messages, such as, ‘Get your tyres back into line!’ focusing on core facts and benefits.
Website: Not traditionally a preferred channel for this sector, the website provided detailed information around key campaign messages and demonstrated savings through good tyre management. As traffic to the website was only generated by the campaign, this channel was truly measurable.
Viral marketing: A three-minute viral film was set in a transport fleet yard, featuring a sergeant major talking to his ‘boys’ who are drinking and costing too much. He is telling them they are out of line, and need to get, back into the groove,. At the end of the film, we see he is actually talking to a group of tyres. Because the transport industry is not so ‘online-friendly’, the viral was given to the sales team for one-to-one showings.
Benchmark research took place both pre and post-campaign:
- 98 per cent of respondents remembered the communication was from Michelin.
- 49 per cent now thought more about tyre management.
- 61 per cent remember part of, or all of the messages.
- 65 per cent now check their tyres more often than previously.
There were 3500 unique visitors to the website in a market where usually 20 per cent of the target audience prefers to source information online.
Helen Tattersall, head of truck & earthmover marketing at Michelin, says, ’Stop thirsty tyres’ went beyond the usual product campaign. It was a distinct and brave campaign, which gave an original twist on the concept of the humble tyre, capturing the imagination of the trucking community. Our site is now used as a central source of information, and more importantly drivers are checking their tyres more often. Thirsty work, but well worth it.
