Wheels in motion as Leeds agency lands Continental Tyres brief

Continental, the global premium tyre brand, has appointed Hatch to lead its UK consumer PR and influencer activation following a competitive pitch.

Leeds-headquartered Hatch, which specialises in PR, social media, activation and content creation, has been tasked with delivering strategic campaign planning and influencer partnerships, as well as creative press office management and digital PR.

Germany-based Continental has been delivering top performance for more than 150 years and is one of the world’s largest tyre manufacturers. Founded in 1871, Continental’s tyre division employs more than 57,000 people worldwide and has 20 production and 16 development sites.

The brand is the Rugby Football Union’s Official Safety Partner to England Rugby; the title sponsor of the Continental Tyres Schools Cup, and has partnerships with Adidas, Mercedes-Benz World, and the Tour De France.

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James Hickman, managing partner at Hatch, said: “The brief to us by the Continental team was a really interesting one. Primarily a distress purchase, tyre choice is often led by the installer. Our job focuses on improving the mental availability of the brand and the path to purchase, focusing on genuine consumer needs such as performance, sustainability, and safety.”

“We’ll be working closely with consumer media and content creators spanning numerous tiers and verticals to help consumers better understand how Continental enable their journeys, whether they’re everyday commutes or epic journeys across the globe, through engaging and purposeful content.”

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Pete Robb, marketing director for Continental Tyres in the UK, added: “We believe Hatch is the ideal agency to support our future PR and influencer strategy given their proven expertise in media relations and content creation. Their impressive pitch highlighted their ability to deliver strategic campaign planning and influencer partnerships, which are crucial for further enhancing Continental’s brand awareness. We are confident their approach will help us connect more effectively with consumers and effectively communicate the value of our products.”

The competitive search and selection process was managed by The GO! Network.