On The Clock with Bridgestone’s Amber Holm
I recently had the chance to catch up with Bridgestone’s Amber Holm on Bridgestone’s plans for the Tokyo 2020.
Amber Holm is Vice President of Marketing for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, responsible for consumer and customer engagement in the U.S. and Canada. In this position, she leads sponsorship and engagement activities for the company’s sports and entertainment platforms, which include the NFL, NHL, NTT INDYCAR® SERIES, PGA TOUR, the company’s Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partnerships, and country music. In addition, she oversees customer education events and experiential marketing.
Here is Amber, on the clock…
Ken Hanscom:
Bridgestone became official partners with the Olympics TOP program in 2014 with a sizable 10-year commitment. After starting at Rio 2016, and then PyeongChang 2018, Bridgestone is now preparing for Tokyo 2020. Tell me about the journey, what you have learned and how you are preparing for the Summer Olympics.
Amber Holm:
Sports has been a key activation platform for the Bridgestone brand, especially here in the Americas for many years. Our Bridgestone brand has been about clutch performance of our tires, and that ties in well to sport and how athletes perform. We were excited to add the Olympics to our portfolio by becoming a TOP partner. Starting with our first activation in Rio 2016, we activated in four markets: Brazil, United States, Japan and South Korea. It’s been a great journey and we are quite excited for Tokyo bringing all the lessons and insights we learned from past Olympics on a global scale. We are putting forward a first-class brand effort with integrated campaigns in TV, digital, social, and out of home.
Ken Hanscom:
How has the learning process influenced your activations?
Amber Holm:
Rio 2016 was our first year as an Olympic partner and we learned how to maximize both our brand and the brands of our Team Bridgestone athletes. We built on that learning as we moved into subsequent Olympics by featuring our products and continuing to build integrated athlete activation. For example, PyeongChang was the first time we did “value in kind” by outfitting the vehicles with our Blizzak winter tires. This landed our truly differentiated Blizzak product front and center at the Winter Games. Also, for Tokyo 2020, we are partnering with both the Olympics and Paralympics as a worldwide partner. Over the years, we have had individual Paralympians as part of our team, but we weren’t an official worldwide partner until now. So yes, past Olympic experiences have given us a platform to build on.
Ken Hanscom:
Why will Tokyo 2020 be such a special event for your company?
Amber Holm:
Bridgestone was founded more than 90 years ago in Kurume, an inland city on Japan’s Kyushu Island, and our world headquarters is in Tokyo. We have a lot of pride for Tokyo and, for all of Japan, which is why we are thrilled that a worldwide phenomenon like the Olympic Summer Games will be happening in our home market. We think it will be a great showcase for Tokyo, and a great showcase for Bridgestone to feature Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the front and center in our campaign.
Ken Hanscom:
Tell me about some of the programs, activations and hospitality initiatives you are planning.
Amber Holm:
From a hospitality standpoint, we will be bringing our customers, tire retailers, and other key partners and stakeholders to the Summer Games. This will give us the opportunity to share the sights and sounds of the Tokyo 2020 experience with them. We are planning for everyone to attend three or four events as well as arranging for cultural experiences to give them a flavor for our home city of Tokyo. Another major aspect to our activation strategy is Team Bridgestone, a team of Olympic and Paralympic athletes from the US, Canada, and Latin America. As part of Team Bridgestone, Missy Franklin, our lead U.S. athlete ambassador and a five-time Olympic gold medalist, will be joining us in Tokyo. She will welcome guests and give them her “behind the scenes” insights on what it’s like to be competing in the Summer Games. Missy will also be keeping up with fans and our consumers across our social channels to bring the excitement of Tokyo 2020 directly to them!
Ken Hanscom:
Let’s talk about activation here in the United States. What plans do you have here for the Olympic trials and then the Summer Games?
Amber Holm:
Our Team Bridgestone athletes have inspiring stories and connect with our target audience for the Bridgestone brand. We introduced them last June and recently had a summit for the athletes in Nashville where they could all meet and get the chance to drive on our Bridgestone tires. We built social posts and digital content throughout. It has been very exciting! As Tokyo 2020 gets closer, you will see our activation continue to ramp up, especially as we move towards the trials. We kicked off with Missy’s role with an Instagram takeover that began at the Super Bowl. She was with us in Miami and it gave us a great opportunity to see Bridgestone and “clutch performance” through her eyes. We will continue to build our owned and earned media approach as we head into the wrestling trials in April featuring London 2012 Gold Medalist Jordan Burroughs. At the Paralympic trials, we will introduce Jessica Long and Scout Bassett by sharing their stories through our social channels and digital. Once we hit June with the swimming and track and field trials, we will kick into high gear with additional paid and earned media. All of this will build anticipation as get ready for the start of the Games.
Ken Hanscom:
What has your journey been like over the past 18-months since adding the Olympics to your role at Bridgestone?
Amber Holm:
Exciting and wonderful! I’ve been with Bridgestone for 5 ½ years beginning in marketing for our passenger tire business. About a year and a half ago, I moved into sports and engagement marketing which includes the Olympics and other world-class sports platforms, as Bridgestone is the official tire for the NFL, NHL, and the PGA Tour. And then, of course, Firestone, is the sole tire supplier for the IndyCar series Activating at the Olympics is any marketers dream come true, to have the opportunity to build your brand on the world’s biggest stage. And that’s truly what I feel like I’ve had the chance to do. Since taking over this role at Bridgestone, I see how the Olympic Movement and activation platform can drive results for our brand and our business.
Ken Hanscom:
In 2016, Bridgestone became the Founding Partner of the Olympic Channel which has grown significantly since it launched 4 years ago. What has the experience been like for Bridgestone?
Amber Holm:
We are proud and excited to be a Founding Partner of the Olympic Channel, a new medium that helps promote the Olympic movement year-round. It is so meaningful having this unique ability to continue building the Olympic brand and keep fans up-to-date with stories and news in-between the Olympics. The content, specifically the athlete stories, are very impactful and inspiring. We are appreciative to have this opportunity and are learning together with the IOC and the Olympic Channel through the evolution of this linear television channel, the digital channel, and with all the content being produced.
Ken Hanscom:
What are you looking forward to most on your trip to Tokyo?
Amber Holm:
Japan and Tokyo will add a unique flavor to the Olympics. Having traveled and visited Tokyo often for business meetings and events working with Bridgestone, I know first-hand about the great Japanese hospitality. They call it “omotenashi” which means to “wholeheartedly look after guests.” It’s true and they do! The Japanese people will undoubtedly host an amazing event this summer. For the athletic competitions, we can’t wait to watch the field of elite competition across all sports. Bridgestone is invested in our athletes and I’ve gotten to personally know them and look forward to seeing them compete on the world’s biggest stage. I think that will be exciting and a real moment of pride for us as a company. Having an Olympics in Tokyo will produce a Summer Games like no other.
Ken Hanscom:
Are there specific events that you are looking forward to?
Amber Holm:
I would say all the competitions are exciting. I was a rower in college, so I always enjoy the rowing and crew events. With Missy Franklin as our ambassador and Ryan Murphy hopefully competing in the backstroke, I am also excited for swimming I can’t wait!
About Ken Hanscom:
Ken Hanscom is a veteran-fan of the Olympic Games and the recognized expert in ticketing, corporate sponsorships, traveling to and experiencing the Olympic Games. In his role as COO at InviteManager, during Rio 2016 & PyeongChang, Ken worked directly with the United States Olympic Committee, NBC Universal, Anheuser Busch, & Cartan Tours the authorized ticket reseller for 23 countries across the globe on their ticketing & corporate hospitality programs. While in Rio, Ken attended 30 events while guest blogging for the International Business Times, writing for USA Today, The Post Game, and appearing on TV with NBC, and ESPN Radio. Ken and his wife Ashley are also trustees of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation (USOPF). For more information and interviews with Ken on the Olympics and the upcoming Tokyo 2020 games, connect via Twitter or directly at kenh@ticketmanger.com.
