Who: Fountain Tire with FCB Canada for creative and strategy; Partners for production; Saints, Vanity and 456 for post-production; Pirate for music; and Guru Communications for media.
What: A new campaign on the “We’re on this road together” platform which the brand developed and launched in 2018, and brings back the sidecar theme introduced in 2022.
When & Where: The campaign is in market now and will be live until the summer. It consists of TV, radio, digital and social media.
Why: Fountain Tire aims to set itself apart by rising above category perceptions that all tire and auto service retailers are untrustworthy. “In such a skeptical environment, drivers seek a trustworthy and reliable retailer offering consistent quality service and fair treatment.
Fountain Tire adopted the “We’re on this road together” tagline to reframe the nature of the relationship consumers have with tire and auto service retailers, moving it from a transaction to a partnership.
Once a trustworthy shop is found, the relationship can last years, even generations,” FCB Canada group account director, John Pace, told Campaign. “However, simply telling drivers to trust Fountain Tire for reliable service won’t cut it. In this category, you must demonstrate trust.”
How: The work uses humour to illustrate the brand’s commitment to reliable service that extends the lifespan of vehicles, by depicting a consumer who is not happy with the longevity of his vehicle.
The anchor video spot, with four variations, features a teenager on his birthday who has just been given a car by his parents, but it’s the old family minivan, rather than a new car. “Thanks to Fountain Tire’s trusted, reliable service, you’ll be driving this for a long time,” says the mom, as she hands her son the keys.
Adding some absurdity to the scene is a Fountain Tire employee parked in a Fountain Tire sidecar, attached to the minivan—a visual metaphor for the brand’s reliability promise. “Why is that guy there?” asks the teenagers, and the mom says “Because honey, wherever you go, Fountain Tire is right there with you.”
Each spot ends with a joke that further demonstrates the teenager’s disappointment—like the dad telling his son “you finally have a friend,” or the Fountain Tire employee asking if he likes music and presenting a mix tape. Finally a voiceover closes the scene, reading the super “We're on this road together.”
“Everyone remembers their first car. And for most of us, it was a character-building moment in our lives,” said FCB Canada’s executive creative director Jeremiah McNama, in a release. “This spot brings that insight to life in a humorous way only Fountain Tire can do.”
And we quote: “Once drivers experience our top-notch service and quality products, loyalty sets in, often lasting the entire lifespan of the vehicle and extending across generations.”– Fountain Tire’s director of brand and consumer experience, Stephanie Proseilo.
