Fountain Tire owners will go to great lengths to ensure their customers are happy, including chauffeuring them to appointments and lending a hand to stranded families.
That’s the message behind the “Little things go a long way” campaign from the tire retailer and its creative agency One Advertising.
Elements of the campaign (running in Western Canada and Northern Ontario where most Fountain Tire shops are located) include TV, digital and social, and leverage the brand’s long-time spokesman Thom Sharp.
In “The Connection” a man named Dave has his car towed to his local Fountain Tire. He’s extremely worried about being late for a meeting. The shop owner Rick happily drives him to his appointment, and has the car serviced by the time the meeting’s done.
Based on a true story, the commercial embellishes the drama to demonstrate how Dave felt- an overwhelming sense of relief and gratitude, as illustrated by him being rescued from a desert island via helicopter.
Inspiration for “Little things go a long way” came from Fountain Tire’s customers, in the form of letters and Facebook posts, which detailed the way owners routinely go above and beyond the call of duty.
According to Karen Howe, senior-vice president and creative director at One, the agency had been collecting consumer stories for a year and a half, when it decided to build a campaign around the brand’s satisfied and appreciative customers.
“The genesis of this campaign is actually social, customers reaching out to us to share their stories,” Howe said. “Fountain Tire stores are run by owners, and they really invest emotionally in their job. They go that extra mile, and that makes them different from any other brand in the marketplace… and it’s a difference we’re celebrating.”
The campaign is also being supported with a six-second pre-roll spot, set to launch October 20.
