Goodyear CCO, Laura Duda on Purpose, Unexpected Partnerships, and Talking the Talk before Walking the Walk

Laura Duda is senior vice president and chief communications officer at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, where she leads all internal and external communications globally for Goodyear, including public and media relations, employee communications, corporate reputation management, philanthropy, and community relations, as well as Goodyear’s fleet of world-famous airships.

In this conversation with Lippe Taylor CEO Paul Dyer, Laura gets into how Goodyear remains an iconic brand amid all the disruption in the auto industry, the wisdom behind strategic partnerships with brands completely unrelated to your industry, and advice for rising PR stars.

Here are some key takeaways from this conversation with Laura Duda. 

Talk the Talk Before you Walk the Walk

Laura discussed how Goodyear would only announce new innovations and ESG initiatives to the public when they were market-ready or otherwise activated. Despite the inherent dignity in waiting until something has materialized before talking about it, by then, it's usually too late. Many brands will make bold declarations about their product & ESG plans five, ten, even 25 years in advance. Being transparent about your plans for the future is critical to claiming your brand's share of voice.

Purpose should extend beyond products.

Goodyear doesn't consider itself as just a tire brand; instead, their overarching purpose is to enable mobility, which is way more of a universal notion to get behind. Considering how disrupted the automotive industry is and continues to get, having a purpose that transcends your product line is a critical part of future-proofing your brand by fostering the kind of agile thinking that will enable your brand to weather the storms of disruption and remain relevant.

Shake things up by partnering with brands in disparate industries.

The Goodyear blimp is one of the most enduring examples of earned marketing and an OG case study in the annals of communications. Goodyear hasn't ceased that spirit at all and recently enacted a partnership with AirBnb where customers were able to rent a night in the Goodyear blimp. Laura stated that one of their keys to remaining relevant was partnering with other brands that challenge their teams to think differently and outside of their industry. The activation was a win-win for both brands and an example of the kind of inter-brand partnership we're seeing more and more of.

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Produced by Simpler Media