Bridgestone takes marketing global with Olympics campaign

As the Summer Olympic Games kicks off Friday, Nashville viewers are likely to see a familiar brand as they watch their favorite athletes compete.

Tiremaker Bridgestone Americas Inc., part of Bridgestone Corp., is a sponsor of the 2016 Olympics and all games through 2024, part of the company’s playbook to broaden brand awareness internationally.

Beginning Friday, Bridgestone will launch a series of television advertisements that will air in the U.S. on NBC and in Brazil on SportTV. The spots will run through Sept. 18, airing to an Olympic audience that includes more than 225 million viewers, according to the company.

The campaign marks a shift for the company that has focused most of its marketing on U.S. customers. The 10-year agreement with the Olympics will mean reaching significant television audiences, as well as attendees from around the world, and it solidifies Bridgestone’s presence in South Korea in 2018, Tokyo in 2020 and Beijing in 2022.

"That's a phenomenal audience for us," said Philip Dobbs, Bridgestone’s chief marketing officer. "As our partnership expands beyond the U.S. and Brazil, certainly we envision a global scope for a global ad campaign."

The “Built to Perform” television ads features teams of athletes sprinting, swimming and somersaulting along multiple highways, followed by images of Bridgestone tires rolling along and cars in motion. The runners power through rain and city streets, while the gymnasts maintain their form over damaged roads, a nod to the tire’s durability across varied terrain and weather conditions.

"The marketing strategy is to highlight the parallels between our products and the athletes," Dobbs said. "The athletes are (under)taking an incredible amount of training. To perform at the highest level, we fundamentally believe and know our products are made differently."

The partnership also means signage and access to the games during the next three weeks. Bridgestone branded a patio at the USA House in Rio de Janeiro, where thousands of guests will be hosted. Hundreds of Bridgestone employees are in Brazil to host Bridgestone's guests -- dealerships, customers and distributors from across the globe.

In addition to the international television ad campaign, Bridgestone ran a retail campaign in the U.S. focused on the Olympics meant to motivate employees with sales incentives and reward customers with prizes. Track and Field Olympian Michael Johnson is a sales coach at Firestone stores as a part of Bridgestone’s partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The company will provide financial support and Bridgestone products to six U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including Meb Keflezighi, Aly Raisman and Kelley O’Hara, who will represent the Bridgestone brand at company events.

Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter @JamieMcGee_.