Case study · Earned media
Taking Firestone from last place to segment leader.
A four-year expedition program that moved Firestone from fifth of five brands to first in mud-terrain share of voice, starting with a single trip into the Owyhee.
The challenge
Strong products, no conversation.
Bridgestone's all-terrain tire sales had fallen from 3.6 million units a year to 1.5 million while the industry held flat. In earned media, Firestone was dead last among five brands: 3.6% share of voice in all-terrain and 3.2% in mud-terrain. Each point of market share was worth roughly $20 million in gross profit.
Standard automotive PR runs on the media junket: hand journalists the keys and let them drive. That breaks for off-road tires, because a journalist may not have a truck, the gear, the skills, or anywhere to go.
The approach
Put the tires where they belong.
My partner and I built the experience around those gaps. We designed multi-day overland expeditions through remote wilderness, with a fleet of trucks on Firestone tires, scouted routes, professional photography, and Firestone engineers on the trail to answer technical questions. Attendees rotated through vehicles on different tires so everyone got real seat time in real conditions.
The guest list mixed automotive journalists, off-road editors, and overlanding creators. As the audience shifted from print to social, creator partnerships became a core part of the program, and I owned most of that work: finding the right creators, making first contact, negotiating contracts, setting deliverables, and keeping the relationships going year to year.
The results
One expedition changed the category.
Firestone overtook BFGoodrich, General, Toyo, and Cooper for the top spot in mud-terrain, and all-terrain share doubled from 3.6% to 7.3%. The program then held a top-two mud-terrain position through the following years, with every placement purpose-driven: product reviews and adventure features, 100% positive.
The program
Four years of Destinations.
Destination: Owyhee
Oregon's Owyhee Wilderness with 11 media and creators. 55 placements, 233M+ impressions, 400+ marketing assets, and a Road & Track feature syndicated to Yahoo! and MSN.
Destination: Cascades
Washington's Cascades with 12 journalists and creators. Delivered at $124K against a $160K budget.
Destination: Steens
Oregon's Steens Mountain with 8 media. 44 placements, 28 permanent Instagram posts, and 8 new creator relationships.
Coverage