Titan Tire to Trump: Don’t Tread on Us!
In the consumer world, having the wrong name can sometimes be very bad for business. Take the case of AYDS candy, for instance. Back in the 1970s, there was a dietary candy product that carried the AYDS name. For many years, it sold quite well. Then, AIDS the disease appeared. Because the two names were alike enough in the public’s mind, AYDS candy quickly saw its sales erode. Within a few years, the brand was gone completely.
The reason I bring up this example from the past is because we are potentially seeing something similar happen today in the agricultural world. In mid-August, word surfaced in the popular media world that Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, OH, had put into place a companywide policy that prohibited its employees from wearing certain “politically-themed” clothing. This apparently included the red “Make America Great Again” hats popular with supporters of President Donald Trump.
Not surprisingly, the President was none too pleased with this reveal. In fact, in a tweet, Trump called for his supporters to “boycott Goodyear tires.”
Don’t buy GOODYEAR TIRES – They announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get better tires for far less! (This is what the Radical Left Democrats do. Two can play the same game, and we have to start playing it now!).
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2020
This call, however, unintentionally put another similar brand name into the crosshairs – Goodyear Farm Tires. Unlike Goodyear car tires, Goodyear Farm Tires are manufactured by Titan International, Inc., Quincy, IL. On August 19, Titan formally released a statement clarifying this point, to its customers and other observers.
“While Titan has licensing rights to design, produce, and sell the Goodyear Farm Tires brand, we are an entirely separate publicly held entity under separate management and have no shared staff or facilities with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.,” said Titan CEO Paul Reitz in a press release. “In addition, Titan has 2,100 hard-working employees across the U.S. And a misguided movement to cancel Goodyear Farm Tires – manufactured and sold by a completely separate company from Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. – could adversely affect thousands of additional hard-working family-owned tire businesses across the country.”
Hopefully, Goodyear Farm Tire customers upset with Goodyear Tire & Rubber will appreciate the difference. As always, time will tell . . .