Bibendum has existed since 1898 and the brand that this eternal mascot has symbolized for more than 120 years is about to take a new step in its history.
Michelin has indeed given the kick-off this evening of a worldwide advertising campaign which aims to change the dimension of the French group.
At the heart of the communication system, a film designed by the BETC agency (Havas) will first be shown in France, Germany and China, before touring the world, in Poland and Vietnam in October, in Malaysia and Thailand in November, then it will roll out to the rest of the world next year.
Michelin is indeed a brand present in almost all markets with a flagship product: the tire.
It represents 90% of its sales.
But its president, Florent Menegaux, who took over from Jean-Dominique Senard in early 2019 who left for Renault, has set a new course, that of diversification.
Stressing that "
Michelin's
DNA
remains innovation"
, the boss announced, in an interview given to Les Échos last July, that it was necessary, in parallel with the tire, "
to promote the know-how acquired in other areas, such as the hydrogen fuel cell, metal 3D printers, or high-tech materials.
By 2030, tires should represent 70% of a group which will also have significantly grown.
Other activities will represent 30%
“, Set Florent Menegaux as a goal.
Faced with the stability of its turnover for ten years, Michelin must indeed find sources of growth.
In this perspective, the current campaign is the first step in an ambitious communication plan, spread over five years, which aims on the one hand to restore visibility to the tire,
Michelin's
“
core-business
”, and on the other sets out to show the diversity of its applications by opening up new perspectives on growth drivers, such as travel guides, gastronomy or connected objects ...
Hence the creative idea of BETC to highlight in white the tires present in the image in situations as varied as the race of a cyclist on a mountain bike in the mountain, the slow movement of a farmer at the wheel of his tractor. , a toktok driver's run in Asia, or a close-up of an airplane landing gear in New York.
All equipped with Michelin tires.
A few clues of current and future diversification slip into the film, such as ViaMichelin, the site and the app for mobility assistance products and services.
The shooting, with a small team, took place in eight countries, "
often with scenes of life directly captured in the street
", specifies Rémi Babinet, co-founder and president of BETC.
“
Supporting a world leader like Michelin is an extraordinary challenge for an advertiser.
The tire is usually the last thing you notice on a vehicle.
The subject of the campaign was to make visible the role of the brand in the lives of people and companies, to underline its high-tech character and its commitment to progress and put the world back in motion
”, adds the advertiser.
Go from mobility to movement.
"
We are changing our positioning from mobility to movement, which for Michelin is a real value because it integrates freedom and progress
", explains Adeline Challon-Kemoun, Michelin's executive vice-president in charge of brands, engagement and communication.
“
Michelin is a very powerful brand, but the perception is often limited to car tires.
Our raison d'être: to offer everyone a better way forward, is much broader than that.
That's what this campaign says.
"
For its media plan, the campaign relies mainly on digital (social networks, video platforms) and television, the mass media par excellence, always very powerful whatever the country.
The waves of communication will obviously depend on sanitary conditions in the various markets and on the situation of local activity.