Dive Brief:
- Firestone, a Bridgestone Americas tire brand, has again partnered with Mario Andretti for a social media campaign that pits fans against the racing legend in completing common tasks, per a press release made available to Marketing Dive. Running through June 11, the promotion launches ahead of the Indianapolis 500, which will feature a new 30-second TV spot from Firestone.
- "Race Andretti," now in its second year, includes four challenges: The Keychain 500, The Can Opener 500, The Egg Peel 500 and The Chopsticks 500. Each challenge involves fans racing Andretti to complete tasks like putting keys on a keychain or playing the titular piano tune.
- To participate, fans can visit a dedicated website to watch Andretti’s challenge videos and then post their own responses to Twitter, Instagram or Facebook using the hashtags #RaceAndretti and #Contest. The grand prize winner will get a selection of Firestone merchandise and a social media follow from Andretti.
Dive Insight:
The Indy 500 is shaping up as a big event for auto-focused marketers this year, as both BMW and Honda launched campaigns with a racing theme last week. Honda's effort put eight influencers behind the wheel for a race, and Firestone is taking a similar bent in tapping a celebrity endorser who's well-recognized in the racing space to draw fan attention.
Firestone is likely hoping that user-generated videos attached to the #RaceAndretti hashtag will raise its social profile ahead of the Indy 500.
Social media contests are an increasingly popular way to rack up engagement and chatter, and Oreo is running a similar promotion that encourages fans to share their best flavor ideas with a #MyOreoCreation hashtag for a chance to get to get their flavor stocked on shelves and even visit the Mondelez brand's Oreo Wonder Vault.
The larger theme behind the #RaceAndretti contest is celebrating the "work hard, play hard" spirit of the Firestone brand Philip Dobbs, CMO of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, said in the press release.
