We assisted Goodyear in becoming the first tire manufacturer in the world to sell tires online. This required changing a consumer behavior that had existed since the advent of cars: go to your tire guy, buy tires based on his recommendation, get them installed there, and then forget about it for years until you need to do it again.

Goodyear wanted you to make that expensive, infrequent, and confusing purchase from your living room. There were online retailers, but they had a tiny market share. We had the chance to lead the way. Through secondary and primary research involving IDIs and focus groups, I developed a product positioning for Goodyear’s ecommerce offering. It involved the following findings:

• At the time, there was no clear destination for online tire shopping.

• Consumers wanted to buy directly from manufacturers given issues regarding trust and routine.

• Brand metrics showed Goodyear was the most trusted and popular tire brand.

This led to the positioning: “Goodyear is the #1 place to buy tires online.” It intentionally acted as though people were already buying tires online, therefore nudging the majority who actually weren’t. And it asserted our industry leadership, popularity, and trust. It aimed to develop confidence in our offering by simplifying and normalizing the process. In the two years after we launched the service nationally, its revenue grew 600%. You can see press coverage here. Soon, many other manufacturers followed suit.