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Formula One benefits Bridgestone around the globe

17/07/2009

Bridgestone Corporation’s involvement in Formula One brings many benefits to all of the Bridgestone markets around the world.

In this article, Hiroshi Yasukawa (HY), Director of Motorsport, Bridgestone Corporation, talks to John McNaught (JM), Managing Director of Bridgestone UK in conjunction with British and international motorsport expert Tony Jardine (TJ) to understand how Bridgestone is operating in the difficult current economic climate, and also what benefits there are from Bridgestone’s motorsport involvement.

HY: I understand that Bridgestone UK has been achieving good results, despite the difficult economic situation most companies find themselves in. What is the secret behind this recent success?
JM: Yes we have been outperforming the market and we continue to grow as a business. The real key is that we have well thought out sales and marketing initiatives in all sectors of our business. We implement our plans very well – we act quickly and monitor results!

We have an extremely capable team who have all been with the company for many years. I have been here eight years and during that period we have retained all our management team and key sales and marketing staff. We are ambitious and recent activities have seen massive growth of our entry into the retail market - away from wholesale - which has been greatly assisted by introducing Formula One incentives that no other manufacturer could offer. It is a very strong differentiator for us.

HY: It is encouraging to see that Bridgestone UK is such a positive supporter of motorsport activities. What do you think is the most effective way of utilizing motorsport in sales activities?
JM: Motorsports have been excellent for us over the years and especially Formula One and Moto GP. These sports have always achieved a high recognition by the British public over many years now and our involvement has helped us in many areas. For example, relationship building with key customers is greatly assisted by the opportunities presented by F1 and MotoGP.

For car and truck end users we have incentives for our consumers who purchase our goods and this helps our relationships with dealers for both car and truck tyres. We can support dealers with Formula One cars for shows and so on, and our motorsport involvement has increased our brand awareness within the U.K. We get a high degree of interest from tyre fitters for both car and truck tyres who react positively to our brand and its involvement in motorsports.

TJ: Has Bridgestone’s brand awareness increased by utilizing motorsport?
JM: Yes we would say it has had an extremely positive influence on our Brand.

TJ: Has contact with the end-users increased through the use of motorsport?
JM: Yes we would certainly say so but it is difficult to measure. However, given the very high degree of publicity within the U.K. on TV and other media, and the recent high level exposure of British drivers – Lewis and Jenson - then it is sensible to acknowledge that our presence has grown.

TJ: What sort of end users do you think motorsport activity can particularly influence?
JM: 33% of the UK population are actively interested in motorsports so it attracts many types of people.We receive tremendous attention when we bring show cars to supermarkets with our dealers. These events attract many people who wish to be photographed with the cars and enjoy being so close to it and these activities continue to grow our brand. Even charities also recognize our brand strength and are always keen to have the car displayed and in use for their events.

TJ: What about the effects of motorsport activity to OE (Original Equipment) business?
JM: My only comment is that given the number of Formula One teams building cars here in the U.K. there must be an acceptance of our technology and that working with such teams must influence their thoughts positively.

TJ: Does motorsport activity contribute to tyre sales in your sales company?
JM: Yes. Without a doubt it has a positive influence.

TJ: Is there any effect on your ability to recruit good, new staff? JM: Certainly, increased awareness and our motorsport activity has helped us attract marketing staff. HY: Bridgestone is currently supporting not only F1, but also GP2, MotoGP and karting in Europe. As a company, Bridgestone doesn’t think that these motorsport activities can influence all consumers in the markets. What is important for Bridgestone is to send out a message to the real target customers rather than all consumers, including those who may not be the target.

TJ: The Bridgestone Motorsport programme is a core activity and seems integral to the brand but could any supplementary activities be considered to further enhance the Bridgestone image?
JM: Motorsports clearly demonstrate a very creditable message and show us as an innovative brand to all users but other sports could also be utilized, such as golf, tennis, football and, for certain markets, ice hockey.

HY: As you are aware, the Bridgestone Group of companies not only produces tyres, but also sporting items such as golf and tennis products as well as bicycles. While F1 could appeal to high profile users and MotoGP to bike fans, golf and tennis could appeal to a wide range of people. Bicycles can also be associated with ecology and bike racing is very popular in Europe.

TJ: What do you think about using these non-tyre items/products in Bridgestone company PR and sales promotion activities?
JM: They should be promoted more within Europe as at present they are not that well known.

TJ: Finally, please give us your opinion and comments on motorsport activity and F1 in the future in particular.
JM: Staying in motorsport is very important. If we left we would lose all that well built brand recognition. I would like Bridgestone to continue with F1 and look forward to seeing further exciting races so that we can continue to further the appeal of the Bridgestone brand!

To hear further insights from Mr. Yasukawa, please read the following articles:
Bridgestone in motorsport 2009
Life in MotoGP
Importance of MotoGP rider feedback
Developing Formula One technology
Charlie Whiting interview
Logistics and Formula One
Motorsport and the Spanish market
Importance of Motorsport in North America

"Motorsports have been excellent for us over the years and especially Formula One and Moto GP. These sports have always achieved a high recognition by the British public over many years now and our involvement has helped us in many areas."

"The Bridgestone Group of companies not only produces tyres, but also sporting items such as golf and tennis products as well as bicycles. While F1 could appeal to high profile users and MotoGP to bike fans, golf and tennis could appeal to a wide range of people."