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The
meteoric rise of Goodyear Philippines Inc. cannot just
be explained in terms of manufacturing excellence or
sociological trends alone. One must also look to a
demonstration of what it means to go beyond the usual
marketing process and create the kind of customer bond
few companies have ever achieved. At the heart of this
success is a consistent vision, a brilliant expression
of what the company is selling: not only tires, but a
way of life. In the same way, Goodyear is not selling
engineering specifications, although those are certainly
mentioned. They are selling a mystique. A great
adventure. A brotherhood and sisterhood. A personal
statement. A social opportunity. A fountain of youth. A
way out. A lifestyle. And they have been wildly
successful at supporting these messages with bold
initiatives in fostering a caring relationship with
owners of their vehicles.
This
columnist talked at great length with Ramon Miguel
Barredo, Goodyear Philippines general manager for
marketing, about how a product has become so much more
than a form of a brand steering wheel and how he can
maintain an incredible 100-percent customer loyalty
rate. Nurturing this unusual customer relationship
breaks down into major components, such as driving
relevant innovation, educating consumers and influence
buyer behavior (despite facing availability of more
choices), price sensitivity and media spaces.
Barredo
explained that keeping motorists actively involved with
their vehicles and out on the open road is his biggest
challenge. “Selling tires is difficult, period. It’s not
like selling shoes, even though tires are the ‘shoes’ of
your car. Most consumers tend to take tires for granted.
In fact, most motorists would not know what kind of
tires they have from the time they were purchased to the
time that they have to replace them,” he said.
With the
growing trend toward relationship marketing, the
Goodyear team offers carefully marketing strategies of
deep involvement for consumers. It is true that many of
the product’s features arise from the unique nature of
the product and the consumer’s feelings about owning a
prestigious tire. It is a model of profound consumer
involvement and ingenious rewards, which can be
profitably studied by marketers from other product
categories.
“[Like
any brand any category] it takes time to win consumers.
In the tire business, it requires two to three purchases
before a consumer becomes loyal to a brand. There are
also many factors that come into play, including safety,
good braking ability, puncture resistance, superior
grip, longer-lasting treads, comfort, quietness, etc. We
are proud to say that Goodyear leads in all functional
attributes—consumers pick us for these reasons,” Barredo
pointed out.
The
round-shouldered automotive radial tire is the
largest-selling item and is unique. Its foundation is
the synthetic fiber mat, the cords of which are treated
by controlled heating and further subjecting them to
tensioning of many items. This process provides the
optimum strength and resiliency required and after the
application of the exclusive Goodyear rubber compound
and final processing, the resulting tire has proven to
have a tread life of up to 100-percent longer than
conventional tires.
Prior to
any new tire being introduced into the market, it first
has to undergo extensive testing in order to determine
the suitability for Philippine road conditions.
Simultaneously, samples will be machine-tested to
destruction, providing a database from which comparisons
can be made with proven products. Only if the new
product proves itself superior to an existing one will
it then be introduced to the buying public.
Only
recently, the company launched the new Goodyear
assurance that employs Goodyear’s latest revolutionary
innovation: the patented ArmorGrip Technology for
superior grip and durability. Following the company’s
success in integrating DuPont Kevlar within some of its
Wrangler tires for SUV and 4x4 vehicles, Goodyear has
built in DuPont Kevlar into the Assurance tire to
produced chemical bonding with rubber polymers for
improved grip.
In spite
of international trade liberalization and the cost of
cheap imports, Goodyear Philippines is confident of not
just maintaining its number-one position, but
continually increasing its market share in the country.
“The
influx of these cheap tire imports has continued to
plague the local tire industry, despite efforts done by
the Tire Manufacturers Association of the Philippines [TMAP],
which is composed of local tire manufacturers and headed
by Goodyear president David Joseph Morin,” he added.
It seems
to fulfill Goodyear’s purpose of making new buyers of
the tire feel good about their decision. “Goodyear never
betrays that trust. In fact, the company was voted ‘Most
Trusted Brand’ in our industry, in the Americas, in Asia
and in the Philippines,” he stressed.
Goodyear’s strong legacy in the local market for more
than 50 years has made the Philippines one of the three
countries in Asia where Goodyear is the market
leader—twice the market share of the nearest competitor.
Its branded retail network, Servitek, has more than five
times the number of stores against the next competitors.
“We
always make our execution stand out from the clutter,”
he notes, adding that the company promotes CSR projects
across three areas—road and driver safety, environmental
and workplace safety. The various projects undertaken
are anchored on Goodyear’s Safety Triangle. “All the
safety efforts are linked with our commitment to serving
the community through livelihood programs and other
corporate social responsibility platforms,” Barredo
said.
There is
a subtle flattery in Goodyear’s claims, which makes you
feel good about being a Goodyear tire owner whether you
would ever really camp out alone or not. You feel like,
at least, you’re that kind of guy, and your Goodyear
tells that to the world. (This columnist use the word
“guy” in its gender-neutral sense, since one of
Goodyear’s fastest-growing segments is women.) When was
the last time you felt strongly about anything?
Tinker,
tailor, tinker some more
Remember
those comic books where the headline would read: “What’s
wrong with the picture?” You’d study every inch of it,
examining even the smallest details, asking yourself:
“Is this right? What about the man wearing one shoe? And
let’s count the legs on that dog, looks like he might
have a few extra.”
Study
your first draft in much the same way. Look it over line
by line, ask yourself: “Is this right? What about this
sentence? Should I change it; leave it; put it somewhere
else? Maybe I should dump it altogether.”
 Think
of yourself as a building inspector—making a thorough
examination of the work in progress and refusing to
“sign off” till you know it’s structurally sound. “But
it’s got so many problems. I don’t know what to do.”
Filipino-American entrepreneur Juan Jose Reyes told this
columnist in a recent interview, “Good ideas are like
radio waves; they’re all around us, there for the
grabbing. All you have to do is tune them in. There are
ideas waiting to be discovered.” Reyes spent his career
abroad developing new ventures and finding new ways to
improve the quality of education.
The
American Institutes for Learning in partnership with
Reverie Communications Connections Inc. is now launching
in the Philippines the Easy English Palm Size Learner.
This revolutionary new toy is an MP4 player that is
preloaded (flash or embedded) with fully illustrated
voice-narrated chips containing classic English
literature, vocabulary words, garden of verses and other
information to help the child with his grammar,
intonation and pronunciation.
If
you’re wondering about talent, that’s all you can
do—start banging away and find out yourself. In time,
you’ll discover that reading and writing skills is not
about magical aptitude or God-given gifts; it’s about
taking the talent you do have—great, average or less
than average—and working hard to make the most of it.
“The
Easy English Palm Size Learner is to encourage a higher
level of thinking and to inspire children to read.
Availability of this product will also open the door of
opportunity by providing equal access to helpful tools
and information which could not be readily made
available to them in public schools,” Reyes explained.
Reyes is
concerned with the plight of schoolchildren in the
Philippines, especially poor kids in far-flung areas who
are deprived of technological innovations. “I see all
the faults. I know what’s been put in and what’s been
taken out. I know where the mistakes are, and someone’s
going to catch them and say, ‘You put the wrong emphasis
on this,’ or you used the wrong angle on that,” he said.
These
are few absolutes when it comes to reading and writing.
The Easy English Palm Size Learner is a result of the
American Institutes for Learning’s careful selection of
poems, rhyming words, fables, myths, legends, heroic
tales and classic literature based on universal appeal.
The content is approved by the local public-education
authorities.
When
most people talk, it sounds almost musical—with rhythm,
rhyme, highs, lows and a whole range of sounds and
textures that keeps it interesting; yet when they write,
a lot of us lose that music, leaving us with dull,
leaden language—the kind of writing that makes you not
want to read it.
So how
do you get this “music” and put it into reading? You
don’t “get” it, you’ve got it. You’ve got it when you
talk. The only trick is not to lose it when you write.
Otherwise, your words just lay there like a
three-day-old bologna sandwich because for some reason
you took all excitement from your life and put it on a
shelf somewhere while you got down to the so-called
“serious and painstaking” task of English proficiency.
In the
Philippines, one of the country’s major assets is its
wide pool of English-proficient work force. With the
continuous arrival of foreign investors who invest in
long-term projects, deployment of overseas Filipino
workers and the emergence of business-process
outsourcing companies in the country, English
proficiency is undeniably a key for entry to the global
village.
More
benefits to entrepreneurs
Going
into a business is a challenging task. There are a lot
of factors to consider but most of the time, would-be
entrepreneurs want convenience to help them make it
through the day. With the “convenience” of entrepreneurs
in mind, Innovatronix Inc. has come up with the Evo3
Print Xpress Package—an exciting and convenient way for
those who want to invest in the profitable digital
photo-printing business.
“The
Evo3 Print Xpress Package is a business made easier and
more convenient, especially to first-time entrepreneurs.
No frills, no royalties, no hidden charges. It’s as good
as buying the Tronix Evo3 Digital Photo Printing
Machine, plus the convenience of having a
ready-for-set-up kiosk complete with amenities,” said
Jonas Africa, product sales officer of Innovatronix.
For
several years, Innovatronix has been offering the Tronix
Evo3 Digital Printing Machine to entrepreneurs who
wanted to go into the digital printing business. To make
business more convenient, the kiosk-type printing
business package with Tronix Evo3 machine was
introduced, thus the Evo3 Print Xpress.
With the
Print Xpress, Innovatronix is giving the entrepreneur
the convenience of putting up a business faster, easier
and hassle-free. “They don’t have to think what kind of
kiosk to put up, or the design and dimensions that malls
or commercial centers require for tenant applicants. We
are going to lay it out all for you,” added Africa.
Since
“convenience” is the very advantage of this setup, the
interested buyer would only submit a list of locations
(it may be malls or trade areas) where they wanted to
put up the business. Upon settlement of required fees or
payment, Innovatronix will provide the client the
business proposal, letter of intent and the design and
layout of the kiosk. The client will process his/her
application with the mall or establishment with the
documents provided by Innovatronix. As soon as the
application is approved and settlement of payment and
training is completed, Innovatronix will set up the
kiosk and install the Evo3 machine at the client’s
location.
As
previously introduced, the Tronix Evo3 digital printing
machine is designed to handle any printing volume and
can print images from camera phones and digital media.
For only P1.40 material cost per print, entrepreneurs
can sell these prints at a price relatively cheaper than
those in the market today. More important, the machine’s
software records sales and prints made every day, making
accounting and inventory check definitely easier for the
owner.
“The
Evo3 Print Xpress setup is perhaps the easiest and most
convenient package that we have introduced. Business and
ROI can come in immediately,” said Africa. “Given a very
good location and sound management practices, preferably
in commercial centers and large foot traffic areas,
investing in this kind of business can give you a
payback period of less than a year. It also depends on
the number of photo prints the shop is making a day.”
Since
this is not a franchise, Innovatronix will not collect
nor charge the client with royalties or percentages in
the monthly income. Management decision-making is
entirely left to the owner. With proven track record on
after-sales service, Innovatronix will surely assist the
owner with product and technical support and marketing
programs. |
