Over four years, Diff Comms transformed Firestone's earned media presence in the all-terrain and mud-terrain tire segments — growing share of voice from last place to segment leader through a strategic program of media expeditions, product reviews, and influencer partnerships.
Before the pandemic, Bridgestone sold 3.6 million all-terrain tires per year in a 28-million-unit industry. By 2022, that number had dropped to 1.5 million units — the industry remained flat, but Firestone was ceding market share to competitors across both AT and MT segments.
In the all-terrain conversation, Goodyear owned more than half of all earned media coverage. BFGoodrich, General, and Cooper filled the rest. Firestone was dead last at 3.6% share of voice. In mud-terrain, the picture was even worse: Firestone held just 3.2% — a fraction of what BFGoodrich and General commanded.
The products were strong. The awareness wasn't. With each market share point worth an estimated $20 million in gross profit, the business case was clear: Firestone needed an earned media strategy to match its product investment.
The approach was straightforward: put the tires where they belonged — on real trucks, on real trails — and invite the media who mattered most to see for themselves. Rather than compete with Goodyear's ad spend, we'd outflank them with authentic, earned coverage that money can't buy.
Diff Comms designed and executed a flagship "Destination" media expedition program — multi-day overland trips through remote wilderness routes that put Firestone Destination X/T and M/T2 tires through genuine off-road conditions. Each expedition was meticulously scouted, with curated routes, professional photography, and product engineering staff on hand to answer technical questions on the trail.
The media mix was deliberate: automotive journalists, off-road editors, overlanding influencers, and adventure content creators. By rotating through different vehicles on different tires, every attendee got hands-on time with the product in conditions that mattered.
Beyond the expeditions, the program included targeted product review pitches, competitive positioning against BFGoodrich and General Tire, integration with Bridgestone's internal social media and product marketing teams, and a sustained cadence of earned media outreach tied to seasonal trends and new product launches.
The program was designed to be repeatable and scalable — a proving ground that could be run year after year, building cumulative brand authority in the outdoor and overlanding space while generating a constant flow of high-quality content for Bridgestone's own marketing channels.
Each expedition refined the model — and the results compounded year after year.
The inaugural expedition through Oregon's Owyhee Wilderness with 11 media and influencers. This single event quadrupled Firestone's mud-terrain share of voice and generated a Road & Track feature syndicated to Yahoo! and MSN.
The second annual expedition through the Washington Cascades wilderness, departing from Seattle. Refined program with 12 journalists and influencers rotating through vehicles on X/T and M/T2 tires. Delivered under budget at $124K vs. $160K allocation.
Third year in Oregon's Steens Mountain Wilderness with 8 media. Continued the social-first strategy with 28 permanent Instagram grid posts and expanded Firestone's influencer network with 8 new social media relationships.
The impact was dramatic and sustained. After the first Owyhee expedition in 2022, Firestone's mud-terrain share of voice leapt from 3.2% to 35.4% — overtaking BFGoodrich, General, Toyo, and Cooper to claim the number-one position. In all-terrain, SOV doubled from 3.6% to 7.3%.
By mid-2023, Firestone had stabilized at 28.5% MT share of voice (second only to BFGoodrich) and continued to climb in the AT segment. The all-terrain conversation saw nearly 5% year-over-year growth, while MT held its massive gains with a 20% year-over-year increase.
Coverage quality was equally strong. Unlike competitors who padded volume numbers with OEM mentions and recall coverage, Firestone's placements were overwhelmingly purpose-driven product reviews and adventure features — 100% positive tonality across every expedition. Publications like Car and Driver, Road & Track, Motor1, The Drive, and OVR Magazine delivered the kind of earned endorsements that no ad spend can replicate.
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