Hercules Tires celebrates 70th anniversary with rebranding of Hercules, Ironman brands
Huntersville, NC – As part of its 70th anniversary celebration, Hercules® Tires, a subsidiary of American Tire Distributors (ATD), today announced a revitalization of its two core brands – Hercules Tires and Ironman Tires. The revitalization efforts encompass three main areas across the company: brand identity, brand positioning and product innovation.
On the brand identity side, the Hercules rebrand includes a new typography and color palette, as well as an updated graphic of its iconic Strongman logo. Retaining its “Ride On Our Strength” tagline, the update personifies the brand as a passionate, dependable partner that consumers can trust to conquer the trail ahead. The Ironman brand will also have an updated typography and color palette, as well as a new Ironman icon and tagline, “Tires to Trust,” designed to position the brand as offering customers a no second-guessing, trusted way to get back on the road.
“Our 70th anniversary is the perfect time to update our two core brands to reflect their evolution and reinforce the positioning of each, along with the strength of our product lineup,” says Josh Simpson, senior vice president of proprietary brands for ATD. “Our unique Strongman logo will continue to symbolize the strength and high quality of Hercules’ broad range of products. At the same time, we have rebranded Ironman as part of a renewed emphasis on one of the most popular reliable, affordable tire brands in North America.”
The 70th anniversary and rebranding tie into Hercules’ growth plan for 2022 and beyond. The company will launch several new products this year, including innovations in new market segments. The first market launch of the year for the Hercules brand will be the Hercules TIS UT1 Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) tire, available to consumers in mid-March. In addition, the refreshed Ironman brand will be used on two new products, a new light truck – the Ironman All Country HT and the Ironman I-Series Gen 2 in the TBR segment.
“The new Hercules additions are great examples of how we are leveraging our expertise in product development to provide our core dealers with an expanded product portfolio,” Simpson said. “At the same time, we see an opportunity to invest in the Ironman brand to broaden our appeal and reach people who want a simple and smart solution at an affordable price.”
Hercules’ emphasis on marketing for its brand of the same name will also strengthen its position as the premium value brand of choice for consumers. Its marketing program includes engaging consumers in innovative ways, including sports sponsorships, social media, influencers, B2B marketing, Google ads and televised product placements.
For the Ironman brand the approach will be simple yet effective focusing on time-strapped customers looking for a tire that gets them back on the road quickly via targeted digital ads, social media and search engine optimization.