As part of its plan to revitalize the General Tire brand, parent company Continental Tire North America on Tuesday, March 27, introduced a new logo to represent the brand for both the passenger/light truck and the commercial vehicle tire divisions in the Americas.
The Charlotte, N.C.-based company says the new logo symbolizes its rededication, with bold new type and graphic elements. The mark is comprised of two trademarked elements: the words, General Tire, accompanied by the “GT” symbol contained in the shield.
“Beginning with the launch of the Grabber & Exclaim UHP tire lines, then followed by the unveiling of the Altimax Arctic two months ago and continuing with the launch of the Altimax RT and HP, this new logo is simply a continuation of the key steps in our revitalization plan for the General Tire brands,” says Andreas Gerstenberger, executive vice president PLT – sales and marketing for CTNA. “The new elements represent our new branding message of progressive products that are technology-driven with an emphasis on reliability.”
The new logo retains the dominate red color and the General Tire wording. “General Tire has historically been a cornerstone in the Continental Tire portfolio, maintaining a prominent market share” says Tom Roydhouse, executive vice president of CVT. “This new logo represents a significant milestone in our company’s history and symbolizes the strategic transformation under way for the new General Tire.”
After soliciting many different logo designs from multiple agencies, CTNA contracted Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Bellomy Research to conduct extensive research on the logos among various target market groups. The surveys included all the logo options, and overwhelmingly all target markets selected the General GT logo, the company says. The research concluded that a new General Tire logo was a key component needed to revitalize the General Tire brand.
CTNA says that as a part of its commitment to invigorating the General Tire brand, the company will continue to add a variety of new product offerings, extensive new advertising and promotional campaigns, and consistent branding messages.
