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Transforming Forsyth Rubber Products into a Global Brand

Sean Bender • Jamie Bowerman • Marshall Jamshidi • Danny Taft

Savannah College of Art and DesignSDES 704 • Applied Theory in DesignProfessor Robert FeeWinter 2011

FAST Branding Solution | Sean Bender | Jamie Bowerman | Marshall Jamshidi | Danny Taft2

FAST Branding Solution | Copyright 2011 | SDES 704: Applied Theory in Design | Professor Robert Fee 3

Contents

Design Brief 5

The Existing System 6

Reframe 1: The Brand Rainbow 8

Reframe 2: Working Outside of the System 10

Midterm Video 16

Reframe 3: Trust 18

Final Video 29



Design Brief

We set out to create Forsyth Advanced Solutions Tire (FAST), a brand that could successfully be marketed to the public. Success would be achieved by marketing FAST as a full service tire provider and not just creating another tire in an already saturated market. We will not change the tires manufactured by Forysth Rubber Products; we will devise a strategy which will efficiently set our brand apart in a crowded marketplace.

This project seeks to:build FAST into a successful tire brandidentify the client and customer in order to understand and fulfill their needs understand, create, and employ effective marketing opportunities and strategiescreate a systematic approach to the creation and maintenance of a successful brand.

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The Existing System

A fabricator manufactures the tire and delivers the product to the tire company who sells the tire at wholesale to a store buyer who stocks the tire in retail stores nationwide.


At the store, the sales staff sells the tires to the customer who decides on a model and has them installed.


Reframe 1: The Brand Rainbow

The Forsyth Brand Rainbow identifies consumer groups with similar driving styles, car types, and budgetary concerns, and markets a specific tire, branded with a color, to each of those market segments. This allows the customer to avoid relying solely on the word of a tire salesman, who holds a vested interest in their tire choice.



Reframe 2: Working Outside the System

By identifying unique and creative branding opportunities overlooked by the current market players, we can set ourselves apart in an already crowded marketplace.


1. Salesperson Focused Branding

2. Creation of a Customer Preference

3. Network Marketing

4. Services


Reframe 2: Working Outside the SystemSalesperson Focused Branding

The salesperson ordinarily presents the customer with three “best” options.

Getting into this top three is the challenge…and the opportunity. Sell to the Salesman, Not the Customer!


Reframe 2: Working Outside the SystemCreation of a Predetermined Preference

Performance drivers know what tire they want before they enter the store.

We want to create a predetermined preference in all customers by giving them access to information usually held solely by salespeople.


Reframe 2: Working Outside the SystemNetwork Marketing

Network marketing works because the sales force is a close and trusted friend of the customer.

Tire sales, which hinge on trust, lend themselves well to this sales approach.


Reframe 2: Working Outside the SystemServices: It's Not About the Tires, Stupid

Customers don’t want to think about their tires, they just want them to work.

In other words, customers are looking for full-service solutions, which we can provide.

By taking over the customer’s responsibilities for his tires, we absolve them of the burden of choosing a tire.


Midterm Video


Our midterm video set out to accomplish three goals:• describe the opportunity for the creation of the FAST brand• introduce the existing tire-sales system• present our reframing of the problem.

We argued that the $200 billion dollar yearly tire business presented a missed opportunity for Forsyth Rubber Products. However, current market leaders are firmly entrenched, and entry into the retail tire business requires a unique approach to customers.

By focusing on ways to work outside of the existing tire retail system, we were able to identify new ways to win over customers, who are ill-served by the current sales dynamic.

Midterm Video


Reframe 3: Trust

After creating a hierarchical synopsis of our concepts, we were able to identify the strongest ideas and develop them further. This layout allowed us to reframe the problem a third time, with an emphasis on the ways the current system falls short of customers' expectations.

When we reconsidered the problem, we identified that the underlying issue in tire sales is the breakdown in customer trust.


The Brand Rainbow

Our Solutions

Reframe 3: Trust

The Fast Lane Fast Stat

Opaque Rating System Bait & Switch Promises Nitpicky Warranties

Breakdowns in Trust


Reframe 3: TrustThe Brand Rainbow

Competitor's TIre


By translating tire ratings into an easy to understand language we empower the customer to guide their own tire selection. The tire classification becomes a description of the customer’s driving style, a persona, rather than an esoteric collection of letters and numbers.

This enables FAST to communicate directly with the consumer, eliminating the need to trust the salesperson’s opinion.


The FAST lane is a single bay at selected service centers dedicated solely to FAST customers. By scheduling our clients’ tire changes outside of the retailer’s workflow, we insulate them from the everyday delays and conflicts of interest that plague these tire retailers.

Reframe 3: TrustThe FAST Lane


Like the OnStar model, our monitoring service will track the driver's tire condition and alert them in real-time to emergency situations and required maintenance.

We can track tire pressure, wear, and age, and alert the driver to regular maintenance, like tire rotations, keeping them on top of their warranty.

Reframe 3: TrustFAST STAT


Each of these solutions addresses one of the breakdowns in trust we identified.

By combining them, we absolve the customer of the responsibility for choosing a tire, free them from the waiting game at the tire store, and take over the task of tracking their tires.

All that’s left for them to do is become a subscriber and show up for appointments.


By introducing customers to our services from day 1, we build a relationship that will rid them of these hassles for the lifetime of the car.

Reframe 3: TrustSubscriber Base

Like OnStar and SiriusXM, we partner with car manufacturers to have our FAST tires and unique services factory installed.


Like AAA and Enterprise, premium subscribers can have their car picked up, serviced, and returned to them, without any interruption to their daily routine.

Reframe 3: TrustConcierge Service


Reframe 3: TrustThe Bottom Line

A successful business plan takes more than simply offering a product your customers want; it must also be supported by sound financial reasoning. Here’s how the FAST branded subscription service will boost our bottom line.

Capital investment requires a predictable source of revenue. Subscription payments are more reliable than sales alone. By providing services, rather than just tires, we’re able to invest in our company’s future with confidence.

The subscription model allows us to receive payment for our services and products before we provide them. By obtaining payment far in advance of delivery, the time value of money raises our margin on each sale.

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Final Video

After several weeks of research, reframing, and reconsideration, we identified a unifying theme: it isn’t about the tires, or creating a better tire product, but about addressing the fundamentals of the existing tire distribution system. By identifying not only where the breakdowns in trust occur, but how Forsyth Rubber Products can work outside the existing system to reward the customers trust, we can build a better, stronger brand name without making any alterations to our existing product line.

For our final video we identified the areas where the current retail system fails to reward the customers trust and then set out to repair them in our FAST solution. The FAST solution was comprised of three main components: the brand rainbow, the FAST Lane, and FAST Stat. While each component can stand as a separate entity, they work best as part of a series of steps that guide the customer on a journey through trust points –the FAST system– ultimately leading the customer to feel completely safe and protected under the FAST umbrella of solutions. The trust built between Forsyth and the customer is so strong that the decision as to which tire to choose for their car is completely taken out of their hands. In the final iteration of the FAST solution the consumer starts with our tires, grows with our tires, and moves on to his next set of tires without even having to raise a finger. The FAST journey will leave Forsyth Rubber Products with lifelong customers who trust our service so much that they never want to think about their tires again.