Goodyear is celebrating its hometown Akron by leveraging NBA Finals excitement with a baby-friendly campaign celebrating city natives and star players LeBron James and Stephen Curry called ‘Akron Born’.
As well as being the birthplace of the superstar ballers and team leaders of the final franchises (the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors), Akron is also where Goodyear was born.
As the world’s greatest basketball players compete on court, the tyre company honours the next generation by giving babies born in the city’s hospitals during the NBA Finals with #AkronBorn care packages.
‘Most Valuable Ride’ care packages – consisting of Goodyear tyres, an #AkronBorn onesie and a new infant car seat – are being gifted to all in-game newborns at three area hospitals medical facilities (Summa Akron City Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, and Akron Children’s Hospital).
Indeed, this campaign builds on the brand’s previous ‘Safe Mobility Project’ run in tandem with the aforementioned Akron Children’s Hospital.
The brand is bringing the marketing promotion alive primarily through compelling social media content.
This is spearheaded by an online video posted on Goodyear’s YouTube channel on 2 June called ‘Goodyear Akron Born: Most Valuable Ride’.
This was further supported with basketball and athlete associated assets across Facebook and Twitter,
They are the league's two most valuable players. They are legendary. They are #Blimpworthy. They are #AkronBornhttps://t.co/aRXz9GGB7U
— Goodyear (@goodyear) June 2, 2016
Both are MVPs. Both are #AkronBorn. Maybe there's something in the air or maybe they're just #Blimpworthy pic.twitter.com/754Ppsktbh
— Goodyear (@goodyear) June 4, 2016
Record breakers. Play makers. #Blimpworthy MVPs. @cavs' @KingJames and @warriors' @StephenCurry30 are #AkronBorn pic.twitter.com/fCF9ObqUB0
— Goodyear (@goodyear) June 2, 2016
Well I have to say a big thank you to @goodyear for the car seat and tires! #AkronBorn #GoCavs pic.twitter.com/sF42gNh8bV
— Pat Z (@BigPZ78) June 2, 2016
as well as via traditional print advertising and direct community engagement.
A further social activation strand sees the tyre manufacturer run an exercise asking local consumers and community members to snap and share pictures of Goodyear tyres on their vehicles using the #AkronBorn hashtag.
Almost 371k babies are born everyday, and if they're #AkronBorn, maybe they'll become #Blimpworthy basketball MVPs pic.twitter.com/9kp4a5cvK6
— Goodyear (@goodyear) June 5, 2016
@Goodyear Tanner is #AkronBorn pic.twitter.com/doyVZR1TFO
— Blake (@bdub97) June 2, 2016
This phase is incentivised by one winner scooping a ride in the iconic, world-renowned Goodyear Blimp.
Tweet us a pic of your #Goodyear tires for a chance to win our #AkronBorn #contest Rules: https://t.co/Di3s5PB8C5 pic.twitter.com/zQcl2Vsn0m
— Goodyear (@goodyear) June 3, 2016
The brand’s first blimp took to the sky in 1925, while its latest airship in the fleet, Wingfoot One (which had its maiden flight in August 2014 in Akron), is providing aerial coverage for each game of 2016 NBA Finals (as part of its ongoing its programme of providing sky footage of top events and big games).
Countdown to #NBAFinals Game 1. #GoodyearBlimp Spirit of Innovation is in @warriors territory. #StrengthInNumbers pic.twitter.com/eSZ2zIPUez
— Goodyear Blimp (@GoodyearBlimp) June 3, 2016
‘Akron is a special place and we want to celebrate the great things born here. The support we have received from our community partners truly represents the foundation of this programme and we are excited to recognise this in an impactful way,’ says Seth Klugherz, Director of North America Marketing at Goodyear.
Comment
With the NBA’s inventive and first-mover approach to new technologies and its associated, mammoth social media following, it certainly makes sense for Goodyear to focus its NBA Finals guerrilla work around social and digital platforms.
This may be an inventive cause initiative, but it is an out-and-out sports event ambush (one without even any player endorser deals in place either).
Goodyear has no ambassador deals with either player or the league and the company states that the campaign is not intended to create or imply an endorsement of Goodyear by LeBron James, Stephen Curry or the NBA.
In fact, back in 2014 rival Kumho Tire signed up to a multi-year partnership as the official tyre of the NBA and NBA Development League (NBA D-League) in the USA and in South Korea.
This was not only the first official tyre sponsorship for the leagues, but also Kumho Tire’s first partnership with a US sports league.
For Goodyear, this campaign reflects something of a fresh marketing direction.
After all, the brand is much better known for its history of official motor racing partnerships with the likes of NASCSAR, INDYCAR and F1 which consolidated its core performance tyre product offering.
Indeed, as the official sponsor of NASCAR, much of the brand’s marketing work is based around that property – especially its recent campaigns revolving around its leading driver ambassador Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Links
Goodyear YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Goodyear
Goodyear Twitter:
#AkronBorn
Goodyear Web:
Goodyear Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Goodyear-Tire-Rubber-Company-481470531885364/
