Yokahama Tire Corp. has opened its first ADVAN® Premium Service Center at The Tire Man in California.
Jim Mayfield, Director of ADVAN Brand, said, “ADVAN is our flagship line of ultra-high-performance tires and the new Premium Service Centers within tire dealerships are designed to emphasize such to consumers.”
Mayfield said ADVAN Premium Service Centers are part of Yokohama’s commitment to provide unparalleled service and to spotlight the iconic tire line. “From the point-of-sale materials to displays and overall atmosphere; and of course, to the team the consumers will meet, the ADVAN Premium Centers embody luxury service, he said.”
Yokahama tire plans to have several hundred ADVAN Premium Service Centers open across the U.S. over the next year.
Continental Tire Launches ‘Altimax’
Continental Tire North America’s General Tire brand is launching Altimax, it’s new flagship tire. General Tire created an array of special point-of-sale materials, themed, “A Smarter Tire For A Smarter Driver,” to support the new product launch.
The POS kit was well received, and when the company offered an additional motorized POS component with the purchase of 24 tires, it immediately received orders for more than 10,000 units.
The p.o.p. display materials for the new Altimax tire were created by F.B. Johnston Graphics, (www.fbjohnston.com), a Chapin, SC-based point-of-purchase display firm.
STERLING PROMOTIONAL CORP.
Cenex Establishes New Look And Image
CHS, Inc. and Cenex, a leading branded convenience store chain, announced that each of its 1,600 retail sites will undergo a major renovation to reinvigorate brand identity.
“Our objective is to create an appealing brand for our consumers and our independent brand marketers alike,” said Doug Dorfman, Marketing Manager, Refined Fuels.
Changes to the Cenex identification include a new look for the canopy, signs, and pumps. Additionally, most sites will receive brighter paint colors, new lighting and digital signage. “The upgrades create a more modern destination and a convenient place to fuel that meets the needs of our customers,” Dorfman said.
“Generation Image Renewal” also supports CHS’ plan to grow by more than 500 stores over the next four years.
Mitsubishi Launches Rally Campaign
Mitsubishi Motors recently conducted “The Mitsubishi Time to Rally Event,” centering on the automakers’ successful history in rally racing, including its 12 wins at the Dakar Rally.
The campaign included broadcast ads, online and dealership point-of-purchase (POP) components.
Mitsubishi provided dealers with an assortment of promotional POP materials, including campaign-themed outdoor banners, window clings and car toppers. A co-op program was developed to support dealers in their purchase of additional promotional items such as tents, balloons, inflatables and banners in order to create a true event atmosphere at the dealership.
“The decades of excitement Mitsubishi has created in the world of rally racing makes this the perfect theme to showcase one of the most exciting sales incentive programs we have offered customers in some time,” said Dan Kuhnert, V.P. Marketing at Mitsubishi Motors.
SpongeTech Displays Car Care Deliver System
SpongeTech Delivery Systems introduced a new point of sale display for its SpongeTech Car Care Deliver System Products.
These new displays will hold up to 12 of the SpongeTech Car Care Delivery Systems per display. These units are designed to be placed near check-out areas or near end-caps in automotive retail stores.
SpongeTech’s CFO Steven Moskowitz, said, “The holiday sales season should be great for SpongeTech this year as we start shipping our new point of sale displays. We are a new product vendor for many automotive retail outlets, and getting shelf space is always a challenge for new vendors, particularly during the holiday sales season. With these new displays we make it easy for automotive retail outlets to stock our products. Once the automotive retailer has a positive experience with SpongeTech products, it will be much easier for us to compete for shelf space in these stores in the future.”
New DieHard Platinum Designed For New Technologies
The new DieHard Platinum battery is designed for a longer life than traditional batteries, offers increased levels of safe operation, can withstand extreme heat and cold, and is durable for consumer automotive/marine applications.
“Today, many Americans might be lost without that navigation system, car phone charging and DVD in the back to keep the kids happy on long drives, but these components can be a drain on a traditional battery,” said Rick Sawyer, V.P. of Sears Auto Centers. "With the new DieHard Platinum battery, you'll have the confidence that your car battery will be able to keep up with your life on the road.”
Thule Develops Interactive Kiosk
Thule Inc., the Swedish car rack manufacturer, has developed the TIPP (Thule Interactive Point-of-Purchase), a touch-screen kiosk, that empowers consumers to quickly match the appropriate Thule rack to their vehicle and gear carrying needs.
Thule’s VP Marketing, TJ Hanson, said, “TIPP increases consumer satisfaction by providing a fast, easy-to-use interactive experience. TIPP also provides unique insight into the products our customers are interested in.”
Thule chose Self-Service Networks, a Portsmouth, RI-based provider of turnkey kiosk solutions to develop the kiosk.
Along with rack-vehicle matching tools, the TIPP system features product information and video demonstrations. After selecting a rack system, the selected components can be printed as a shopping list.
TIPP also gathers usage statistics which can improve other aspects of the Thule shopping experience.
Harley-Davidson announced that The Harley-Davidson Museum will open in summer 2008, and has rolled out the details of its unique special event capabilities. The backdrop of the industrial steel, glass and brick Harley-Davidson Museum buildings, combined with motorcycles and exhibits, create a one-of-a-kind venue for events that guests will remember for years to come. Doug Neilson, president, VISIT Milwaukee, said, “This Museum, with its variety of indoor and outdoor event space, historic bikes and incredible exhibits, is going to be a significant new addition to the Milwaukee tourism landscape and attract groups from throughout the world.”
Continental Tire Runs ‘Power of 4’ Sweepstakes
Continental Tire North America, Inc. (CTNA) is teaming with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment for the “Continental Tire Power of 4 Sweepstakes”. Consumers, who purchase any four Continental-brand tires, will receive a digital picture frame, and have an opportunity to enter the “Power of 4 Sweepstakes” which includes, a Grand Prize “Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer” customized 2007 Dodge Charger built by West Coast Customs; 1st Prize-specially-designed custom Gibson guitar; 2nd Prize X-Box 360 with a Fantastic Prize Pack; and 3rd Prize ”Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer” DVD.
“This program will expose the Continental brand to millions of consumers,” said Travis Roffler, CTNA’s Director of Marketing. The sweepstakes will be supported with point-of-sale displays at 3,000 Continental tire dealerships nationwide.
Dieselution Tour Conducted By Volkswagen of America
Volkswagen of America is conducting the Dieselution Tour to educate the the public on advances in clean diesel technology and alternative fuels. The Dieselution Tour, will visit events around the U.S., including environmental and alternative fuel festivals, auto shows and the 2008 SuperBowl.
The Dieselution Tour is centered around a 53’ long, double-expandable semi-trailer. Elements include an “Alt Fuel/Alt Film” video area; a Dieselab with a series of interactive and video displays; a Diesel Heritage section, illustrating Volkswagen’s diesel history and leadership; a Sustainability Station, involving an interactive quiz and aCarbon Footprint Calculator; a Beyond Diesel perspective, featuring SunFuel; and a Motorsports display, outlining Volkswagen’s recent historyand international success in racing diesel vehicles.
Partner/sponsor companies involved in this exhibit are International Truck and Engine Company and CarbonFund.org. The Dieselution Tour will be certified as CarbonFree by CarbonFund.org.
The Focus OpticLED technology allows for coordinating the message statement with the actual mechanical part. The Focus OpticLED can be made in different LED lighting colors to attract the attention of the consumer. Sequencing LightingTM can be created with this technology to replicate images on websites, brochures, and other promotional materials. The Focus OpticLED sequence lighting technology has a long life span; its LED action movement will last for 5 years. For more information, contact Focus Packaging and Display Group, 10328 Highlands West Drive, Escondido, CA 92029; www.focuspackaging.com.
