The Sociology of tyres

Let me quote from Wikipedia: “Sociology (from Latin: socius, "companion"; and the suffix -ology, "the study of," from Greek λόγος, lógos, "knowledge" [1]) is by definition the scientific study of society and human behavior. Thus, sociology is used to interpret human behavior using theories to the understanding of human behavior. ”

Manufacturer’s culture
Rest assured this article is not going academic. I bring sociology into the picture because far too often, I see new sales people and distributors heading the direct opposite of what a manufacturer hope to achieve. My point is this, the sales and marketing of a tyre brand or make depends on the culture of the manufacturer i.e., we have to understand the culture and behavior of the manufacturer. I dare say all manufacturers deviate in some ways from each other- culturally. Each distributor or retailer may also then deviate in culture according to the brand(s) undertaken.

We all know Michelin thrives on cultivating a disciplined sales and marketing channel. No distributor or retailer is successful undertaking Michelin overnight. Their capability must be consistent and demonstrated. We know Bridgestone’s determination for a business when they want it. We see growth and success of Cooper’s 4x4 tyre in the replacement market. We see Hankook desire for greater share in the passenger car tyre market. We see Yokohama’s and Maxxis’s patience in their slow and steady growth, but handled with consistency in marketing presence. While I comment on their behaviorism, I am not saying this is good or bad, I am merely saying that for relationships to prosper, all parties involved must share the same “behaviorism”.

We have to understand what we are selling and marketing, and to do this, we need to understand the culture of the manufacturer, the sociology of the manufacturer.

This is article 2 by Ler Hwee Tiong, Managing Director at Tyrepac Pte Ltd in his 7 part-series on Selling and marketing tyres- How difficult can that be?