Coinciding with the winter shopping season, the Michelin Man is being showcased in a larger-than-life format as the company’s iconic mascot graces the sides of tall buildings in New York City and Los Angeles.
The giant posters, which run through Dec. 20, highlight the figure as he fights an evil gas pump and comes to the aid of motorists in trouble. He heroically replaces their faulty tires with Michelins that he pulls from his body, “thereby demonstrating that the right tire can change everything.”
The billboards are part of the company’s new global advertising campaign promoting the competitive advantages of its tires. Viewers are reminded of the critical role tires play in everyday driving.
With Michelin tires, vehicle owners “can expect a balance of performances including superior fuel efficiency, enhanced braking power and longer tread life,” according to the company.
Passers-by will not be able to miss the two appealing treatments featured in the Big Apple. The first installation with multiple posters and boards is located at Broadway and 50th Street. The second application is a giant sign on Broadway between 41st and 42nd streets.
The sky-scraping LA billboard is comprised of three panels adorning the side of the legendary Hotel Figueroa at Figueroa and Olympic streets.
According to historical accounts, the Michelin Man reigns as one of the oldest trademarks on Earth. He even has a name – actually several of them: “Bibendum,” “Bibelobis” or “Bib the Michelin Man.”
He made his debut at the Lyon Exhibition of 1894 in France, where brothers André and Édouard Michelin had a booth promoting their line of then-new fangled pneumatic bicycle tires. André reportedly commissioned creation of the rotund figure after Édouard observed that a stack of tires resembled a portly person.
The company’s latest ad campaign had its American launch in October and will gradually be deployed in 55 other countries; Europe and Asia in early 2010, followed by Africa, the Middle East, India and South America.
Ad agency TBWA\Chiat\Day of New York is creating the various elements of the program.
For more information, visit www.michelinman.com.
