Hankook Tires had been in Canada for 20 years with moderate market share but very little brand awareness.  

With Inspires extensive experience in the automotive sector and always loving a challenge – we really, really wanted the Hankook account.

Doing our deep-dive audit of their brand culture internally & externally, we knew that STEP 1 was to immerse ourselves within Hankook crew becoming their “in-house” marketing team until they could grow their numbers from within.  

We sat in on product & sales meetings,  met with both their vendor and retail partners, snooped (legally) on competitors and trained eager-to -learn staff on everything we had learned in marketing in this sector.

We learned that Hankook had industry lauded, OE loved, superior product but the consumer perception in Canada was that Korean products were cheaper and thus not as well made.   Hankook was neither cheap nor mediocre.  STEP 2 – Educate while Elevate.  

Hankook’s current marketing was to promote through OE inspired ads.  Shiny BMW and Porsches helped establish that high-end message for BMW & Porsche but did little to move the awareness of Hankook.

With neither Hankook nor Inspire shy of risking it all – it was time really push the needle.  Embracing the rubber lovers in all of us,  we rolled out the globally award winning “Footprint Fetish Campaign” across all mediums including giant billboards along core commuting routes like the Gardener.

We piggybacked the strong brand recognition of the Toronto Maple Leafs & Raptors by securing & managing their sponsorship deal engaging fans inside & outside the arena at every opportunity.

Testimonial