Stamford Tyres (M) Sdn Bhd has leveraged massively on the partnership with Liverpool FC to create unique experiences for the fans and drivers in the country.
Falken Brand Continues on the Move
Following the tie-up of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd (SRI) with Liverpool FC through the Falken brand, Stamford Tyres (M) Sdn Bhd has leveraged massively on the partnership to create unique experiences for the fans and drivers in the country.
“We have organised a series of activities such as Liverpool FC vs Stoke City Viewing Party and ‘Win Yourself A Trip To Liverpool UK’ contest to treat local fans and drivers as well as open new opportunities to ‘brand-up’ the Falken name. The new Azenis FK510 arrived at the right time, which would definitely help us increase Falken’s brand image,” said Cham Soon Kian, CEO of Stamford Tyres Malaysia.
Cham described the new FK510 as the best ultra-high performance (UHP) tyre that SRI had ever produced. He pointed out that Falken was a global brand first launched in 1983 by SRI and today, Falken was a stand-alone brand that focused on all the range of comfort, high and ultra-high performance products.
“Falken still has not reached the brand equity and strength level that the major brands are enjoying but SRI is working to make Falken a strong brand personality with a focus on technology, excitement and lifestyle. We never had a product that was strong enough for us to compete in the UHP segment. The new FK510 offers a balance of performance, shorter braking distance, superior ride comfort and quietness. With this new product that boasts performance that is on par with the other brands of UHP tyres, we are getting closer to the major brands. We are confident that the attractive pricing from RM400 would definitely draw consumers’ attention.”
Creating Emotional Connection with Consumers
Satoru Ushida, Sumitomo Rubber Asia (Tyre) Pte Ltd Managing Director, added that Falken was relatively young compared to the other tyre brands that had a hundred or more years of heritage. “We are differentiating ourselves from the others through the ethos of high technology and excitement, and we want to create an emotional connection with consumers. To achieve this, we are actively involved in motor sports supporting drifting drivers, being a sponsoring partner of Red Bull Air Race pilot Yoshihide Muroya since 2015, and the latest being the global partner of Liverpool Football Club.”
Commenting on the partnership, Ushida said Liverpool FC was the leading football club in Europe and the team had as many as 771 million fans, including a lot of enthusiastic supporters not only in Europe but also Asia. He explained that ‘Forever young, Always true’ was Falken brand philosophy and it complemented well with Liverpool FC’s concept. Furthermore, both parties shared the same values in attitude and performance.
“We would like to project Falken’s energy, excitement and sports image through the Club. This partnership is particularly helpful not only in furthering drive awareness among young followers but also growing popularity as well as positioning.”
Ushida stressed that Malaysia was an important market for SRI. He said SRI established its first overseas sales company, Sumitomo Rubber Asia (Tyre) Pte Ltd, in Singapore in 2002 and since then, the company had identified Malaysia as one of its key markets. “Malaysia boasts the 3rd largest automobile market in the region but it is the toughest market for us. It is very challenging; there are many brands fighting for market share.”
Cham added that in the recent 4 months of this year, there were already 120 new tyre brands in Malaysia. “These new brands are mainly from China and Thailand. Tyre brands from Asean are acceptable in Malaysia. We would never win in a price war. The only way that we are able to differentiate from them is to increase our brand image and help the consumers make the best tyre choice in meeting their driving habits, requirements and needs. We always recommend that they buy tyres from reputable manufacturers. SRI is Japan’s number 2 tyre manufacturer and ranks 5th in the world.”
Besides that, Ushida said SRI and Stamford Tyres had invested a lot on promoting Falken’s brand image. “Our young and energetic image is supported by quality and good performance products with reasonable pricing to ensure that we are being recognised for that. For instance, tyre tests carried out by independent and professional German magazines such as Auto Bild, Autozeitung and ACE Lenkrad led to good reviews on our new Japan-made FK510.”
Help Small Dealers Increase Sales
Stamford Tyres was established in the 30s and grew to become a global tyre distributor. Its relationship with SRI started in the 70s with the Ohtsu Tire & Rubber Co, Ltd, which has been under SRI’s ownership since 1980.
“We have a very strong relationship with Stamford Tyres. The company has been very aggressive and contributed to the growth of the Falken brand in the Asia Pacific, India and South Africa,” said Ushida.
With the debut of the FK510 that earned many good reviews in Europe and Malaysia, Cham believed that the company could double the number of tyres sold compared to its predecessor FK453.
“To further grow the Falken brand, our strategy is to cover more of our small dealers and help them elevate their sales to become a medium size dealer. Of cause, this would have to do with the new product being launched, competitive programmes and elevating the brand image further through alliance with global brands such as the Liverpool Football Club. Furthermore, we have to position Falken as one of the middle brands that provide good performance and value for the money, and continue to move forward to increase market share despite the growing challenges,” he surmised.
添福胶胎继续推动飞劲品牌向前发展
随着住友橡胶株式会社透过飞劲品牌与利物浦足球俱乐部的联手合作，添福胶胎大规模利用该合作关系，为本地的球迷和驾驶人创造了独特的经验。
“我们为本地的球迷和驾驶人主办了一系列的活动如利物浦足球俱乐部对垒斯托克城观赏派对和“Win Yourself A Trip To Liverpool UK” 竞赛，也开启了提升飞劲名声的新机会。全新的Azenis FK510 来得正是时候，协助我们提高飞劲品牌的形象。”添福胶胎（马）私人有限公司首席执行员詹训建表示。
他形容新的FK510 是SRI 所制造过的最佳超高性能（UHP) 轮胎 。他说飞劲是SRI 于1983年发布的全球品牌，而今天飞劲是一个聚焦于所有舒适、高及超高性能产品的独立品牌。
“飞劲仍未达到主要品牌享受着的品牌资产和实力，但是SRI正在努力将飞劲打造成一个注重技术、充满刺激与生活品味的强大个性化品牌。我们不曾有过一个能让我们在超高性能轮胎领域与其它品牌竞争的强大产品。全新的FK510 是一条能够提供平衡性能、较短制动距离、卓越乘驾舒适性及静谧的轮胎。有了这个在性能上能与其他品牌的超高性能轮胎并驾齐驱的新产品 ，我们也就更接近主要品牌。我们很有信心从400令吉起的售价将吸引消费者的注意。”
创造与消费者的情感联系
住友橡胶亚洲（轮胎）私人有限公司董事经理牛田悟（Satoru Ushida ）补充说与那些拥有百年或多年遗产的轮胎品牌相比，飞劲相对年轻许多。“我们的高科技和充满刺激性特质 ，使我们有别于其他的品牌，而且我们想要创造与消费者的情感联系。为实现这个目标，我们积极参与汽车运动，支持漂移车手。我们自2015以来就一直是红牛飞行竞技大赛飞行员Yoshihide Muroya的赞助伙伴，最近则成为利物浦足球俱乐部的全球伙伴。”
谈及与利物浦足球俱乐部的伙伴关系，牛田悟说利物浦是欧洲顶尖的足球俱乐部，拥有7亿7100万球迷，其中包括欧洲和亚洲的忠实球迷。他解释，“永远年轻，永远真实”是飞劲的品牌理念，正好能与利物浦足球俱乐部的概念相互配合。此外，两方在态度与表现上都持有同样的价值观。
“我们希望透过该俱乐部展现飞劲充满活力、刺激及运动感的形象。此合作不仅能在年轻球迷中进一步提高飞劲的品牌意识，还能提升其知名度及地位。”
牛田悟强调马来西亚对SRI来说是个重要的市场。他表示，SRI自2002年于新加坡成立他们的第一家海外销售公司—住友橡胶亚洲（轮胎）私人有限公司以来，就将马来西亚视为他们的主要市场之一。“马来西亚是这个区域里的第三大汽车市场，但对我们来说是却是最困难的市场。它非常具有挑战性，有许多品牌在争取着市场份额。”
詹训建补充说，在今年最近的4个月里，马来西亚就有120 个新轮胎品牌。“这些新品牌主要来自中国和泰国。马来西亚能够接受来自东盟国家的轮胎品牌。我们是无法在价格战争中取胜的。我们能够有别于其他品牌的方式只有一个，那就是提高我们的品牌形象和协助消费者做出符合他们驾驶习惯、要求及需要的最佳轮胎选择。我们建议他们向信誉良好的制造商购买轮胎。SRI是日本第二大，全球排名第五的轮胎制造商。”
除此之外，牛田悟说，SRI和添福胶胎在推广飞劲轮胎品牌形象方面做了巨大的投资。“优质和良好性能的产品支持着我们年轻和充满活力的形象，再加上合理的价格，以确保我们受到认可。比如说，来自独立和专业的德国杂志如Auto Bild、Autozeitung及ACE Lenkrad所进行的轮胎测试，对我们最新的日本制造FK510有很好的评价。”
协助小型代理商提高销售量
添福胶胎成立于30年代， 并增长成为一家全球轮胎经销商。它与自1980年以来就附属于SRI旗下的大津轮胎及橡胶株式会社（Ohtsu Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd ）的关系始于70年代。
“我们与添福胶胎关系密切。添福胶胎很积极，促进了飞劲品牌在亚太、印度及南非的增长。”牛田悟表示。
随着FK510的登陆并在欧洲和马来西亚大获好评，詹训建深信其销售量将比上一代的FK453提高一倍。
“为了进一步增长，我们的策略是覆盖更多的小型代理商，协助他们提高销售量，成为中型代理商。当然，这需要借助于新产品的发布、充满竞争力的项目，以及与全球品牌如利物浦足球俱乐部联手才能实现这个目标。再者，尽管面对不断增加的挑战，我们必须将飞劲定位成其中一个能够提供良好性能和物有所值的中等品牌，继续向前迈进，增加市场份额。”
