Eco-Auto® Meeting Minutes, January 20, 2000

Where: Las Vegas convention, Marco Polo 804, January 20, 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm.
Who: Fourteen people in attendance:  Eight Goodyear dealers (all names not yet found), two Goodyear staff (Terry Noteboom, Dave Drown), two vendors (NAPA Gene Holloway, David Rosser Web Graphics), two WATER Foundation staff (Kile Shelton, David Winkelman).  The session was recorded on video.  If anyone would like a copy, please contact The WATER Foundation.

A.  News about nationwide improvements in conserving the environment

1.  85% of homes in America now recycle
2.  the hole in the ozone layer of the earth has closed by 20%
3.  conservation product sales increased 15% a year over the last decade to over 130 billion

1.  California scrap tire bill as example of how serious things are
2. 1989 Goodyear starts official work on the scrap tire issue: tires for fuel

1. other mfg. not putting effort into recycling scrap tires: Goodyear is the Leader
2. Goodyear works with WATER Foundation on conservation education

3. Goodyear works with the stores to make sure they have an outlet for tires

1. Offer to dealers to add on to their existing contracts
2. Watch out for low-ball prices for tire removal (story: filling a house!)

4. Goodyear is conscious of their image (if it hurts our image, it’s turned down)

1.The Water Foundation (a positive story for Goodyear)

a.   Bogfrog^® set Goodyear apart from the competition
b.   Conservation programs are designed to generate traffic and sales

II. Explanation of the current Eco-Auto^® kit (David Winkelman, speaker)

1. Existing Components, featuring Bog Frog’s® Eco-Auto Tips

1. Radio module: radio ads, live remote ideas, an on-air contest, and instructions. Kile Shelton did a short workshop on how to use radio better and negotiate a better buy locally.
2. Print module: newspaper ads, circulars, mailers, showroom flyers, poster
3. Community module: Operation HOP, Earth Day, fishing opener, National Recycle Day, etc.

1. Operation HOP, Help Our Planet™ cycle: school kit for $30 given to teacher by dealer, Clue Cards for kids as homework (with dealers name imprinted), family returns to the store for redemption
2. Certificate goes on display at home and parents get free oil change or whatnot
3. A dealer suggests HOP or Bog Frog bounce-back cards to track repeat customers

III. Ideas from people present on how Eco-Auto can be better for the future

1. Dave Drown stresses image: positive twist on business side, not just environmental issue

1. Dealers agree that advertising image, not always pricing, is very good
2. Eco-Auto is a long term program: don’t quit or run as short promotion or fad
3. People will notice your conservation efforts, they will be loyal when they notice that you’re consistent in sticking with a program
4. It was agreed that building a better business image is the best function of Eco-Auto.

a.  More Goodyear image building radio ads were discussed, both locally and national
b.  Dealers asked about using XPLOR and Lotus Notes to communicate: all agreed
c.  Dealers suggest that more communications tools are needed: more print ads, flyers, website connections, store signage (especially recycling) and community initiatives like Operation HOP
d.  A four color Bog Frog die cut print piece was suggested and discussed
e.  A new poster was suggested (The WATER Foundation will present one in March)
f.   It was suggested that dealer and corporate website links to Eco-Auto be developed. The WATER foundation offered a kit containing Bog Frog art, tips and links to resources
g.  The WATER Foundation explained that the national Eco-Auto radio coverage has doubled in 2000
h.  Meeting adjourned at 7:00. Pizza and beverages were served.

June 20, 1999

Meeting Participants:

T.R. Storms, Dealer, Johnny Wheels Inc. 606-528-8373

Tom Storms, Dealer, Johnny Wheels Inc. 606-528-8373

Dave Drown, District Sales Manager, Goodyear 423-675-0546

Ken Phelps, Dealer, Hartje Farm, Home & Tire Center  608-985-8124

David Winkelman, President, The WATER Foundation  218-764-2321

Jim Vopatek, Radio Syndication Director, The WATER Foundation  218-764-2321

The Goodyear Green Team (steering committee) met June 19^th and 20th at The WATER Foundation’s Eco-Dome headquarters near Brainerd, Minnesota. June 19^th was spent enjoying the beautiful natural resources (fishing, fishing & more fishing!) of the area. The winners of the Goodyear Eco-Auto contest caught dozens of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rock bass, northern pike and walleye, guided by David and Babe Winkelman. On the 20^th our meeting began with a group brunch then a tour of the conservation technologies and building techniques in the Eco-Domes set the stage for the meeting.

After introductions were conducted, the facilitator, David Winkelman, explained the objectives for the meeting as set in the materials sent or handed out earlier. This "initial concept" meeting was planned to produce a number of good ideas to drive new business, increase profit, and avoid sanctions for Goodyear dealers. The programs and recommendations of this steering committee will be presented to corporate officials in these minutes and during a subsequent meeting in Akron in the next 60 days.

David Winkelman conducted the first presentation, giving a brief history of previous work with Goodyear and a brief summary of the need for new, profitable conservation programs as we head into the next century. The leadership in this new initiative, according to Winkelman, should focus primarily on marketing programs to help drive sales and traffic into the stores. With the previous initiative having been focused more on internal operations, recent surveys show that a growing number of Goodyear stores now have implemented various types of recycling into their operations.

Although there will always be a need to improve the operations of the stores regarding recycling, the next frontier in conservation is for the stores to become proactive in their communities. By providing service programs for the community such as recycling batteries, fluids, tires and other components of their business, the retailers can connect the service programs to sales of new products and in some cases, charge for the recycling services. In other words, with good marketing efforts, retailers can make a profit on both selling and recycling certain items. Community education is the public service umbrella under which Eco-Auto will spread in the retailer’s communities.

Winkelman then presented information on The WATER Foundation’s (TWF) programs that can help facilitate dealer success. In the course of the overview, he explained five simple steps for making cause-related (conservation) marketing work for local retailers:

1. Make conservation a part of your (the local retailers) business with a simple PLEDGE and cost saving practices (see Eco-Auto pledge/certificate).
2. Sponsor on-going programs for conservation in your community. TWF Radio programs make it simple to place messages and ads for local retailers through local stations.
3. Create partnerships with community stakeholders for conservation programs (increasing your socially responsible image and generating customer loyalty). Radio stations will help.
4. Use Operation H.O.P.™ (Help Our Planet) school programs, taggable radio ads for tire recycling, battery recycling, fluids recycling, contests, etc., to create customer involvement.
5. Incorporate conservation into your operations through our GreenGuide™ training programs and save money/increase profits.

David Winkelman and Jim Vopatek gave a presentation about Operation H.O.P.™, a successfully piloted children’s program, as a cause-related marketing platform for Goodyear. He proposed that Operation H.O.P. be used as an overall vehicle to integrate and drive conservation programs for dealers, their communities, manufacturers, radio stations, schools, children, and families. TR Storms and Ken Phelps added their success stories with kids programs. The conclusion proposed that children can drive conservation initiatives more effectively than almost any other segment of our society.

Jim Vopatek then explained how TWF radio programs and affiliate stations are used to implement conservation marketing programs, driving sales and increasing customer loyalty by portraying a positive public image. This is done with three basic principles:

1. Cost effectiveness—TWFs programs, featuring both corporate and local dealer ads, air during drivetime (ideal for Goodyear) when people are in their vehicles and are done at a nationally averaged much lower cost than print or television. It is thought that the last exposure before a purchase is the most effective advertising, and radio is consistently that "last exposure" reaching over 80% of consumers daily as they drive near GY stores.
2. Creativity—TWFs award-winning programs connect with the listener and create a vested interest in the informational content. This in turn allows advertising to stand out, creates a connection that enhances the dealer’s image and builds customer loyalty.
3. Community—Radio is proud of its image as the voice of the community. Cause-related (conservation) marketing and radio are a natural fit and TWFs affiliate stations are a valuable resource for creating partnerships between dealers, local government agencies, utilities, waste management companies, churches and schools.

Mr.Vopatek noted that TWF has access to radio sales forces that cover 90% of the United States. The Eco-Auto kit, TWF training materials on community promotions and programs, as well as other image-marketing sales support materials are available. TWF staff will assist the steering committee in putting together additional programs to create a winning situation for all.

A round table discussion then followed. The first topic introduced was the use of Operation H.O.P. by Tom Storms. Tom said it’s important to connect any conservation programs by the dealers to the schools. Not only may the kids bring their parents into the sponsoring Goodyear store to generate new business, but also lifetime customer loyalty from new potential customers would begin to be built. Tom feels with the availability of tires now at the "big box discount stores", customer loyalty built on service and image will be a key to the future of Goodyear dealers. After this discussion by Tom the group consensus was that it is important to involve the kids for the reasons listed above. It was also mentioned that conservation would be a topic that would attract the children and Bog Frog® is the perfect character to symbolize the program and stimulate the kids.

Dave Drown brought up the subject that although the philosophy of conservation marketing is certainly correct, many dealers will want to see bottom-line sales results quickly. The programs implemented need to increase store traffic without costing the dealer more time in setting them up. Some ideas he suggested for creating immediate traffic were the use of conservation coupons (Bog Frog Greenbacks) and punch cards for future service or product purchases for customers involved in the dealers conservation programs. Also, using Eco-Auto postcards (the Bog Frog collector series or corporate generated cards) as reminders for scheduled service was discussed. Kids bringing in parents as a result of Operation H.O.P. were again mentioned. The group consensus was the second obstacle of time could be overcome with the help of the local radio station and other community partners. Dave mentioned that cause-related marketing programs are some of the least expensive ways to advertise because they spread at the grass roots levels through the communities.

Ken Phelps introduced the very important topic of dealers avoiding fines for not following environmental regulations. He said he believed that it is a concern for many dealers and some good programs are already in place. The group came to a consensus that since some programs are in place, using conservation marketing to increase sales and enhance public image makes sense. The need for additional programs will continue to arise as new rules are passed. The steering committee agreed that an ongoing group, perhaps a more permanent Green Team of corporate people, vendors, retailers and TWF staff should be organized to address these concerns proactively.

T. R. Storms expressed a concern about local dealers not getting the message out to the public about conservation programs that they (the dealers) already have in place. He further suggested that TWF should produce a series of custom radio ads for any dealers involved in the Eco-Auto program and charge dealers for producing them. Also relating to this topic, production of generic (corporate approved for co-op) radio ads on conservation (:15, :20, and :50 seconds long) were discussed. The consensus of the committee was again that this was a good idea to get more local dealer exposure. TWF staff agreed to draft a few taggable radio spots and submit to corporate advertising for approval.

Other ideas then started to flow around the table:

1. To have a conservation tip of the week on Goodyear’s Xplor software.
2. To have a conservation corner on Goodyear’s website, connected to TWF.
3. To have a dealer locator on GY website for recycling services.
4. To create a dealer-imprintable Eco-Auto Tips booklet for dealer waiting and showrooms.
5. To use Bog Frog/Eco-Auto Tips for service reminders on the corporate card programs.
6. To use Lotus Notes to communicate conservation program briefs to GY sales force.
7. To have press releases and other PR from GY corporate on conservation successes.
8. To have programs for recycling Freon, antifreeze, asbestos brake pads and other hazardous waste. This brought up the topic of Gemini.

The final topic for discussion was the Gemini start up. The dealers and DSM explained that the startup is scheduled for August and ads will be breaking in fall of 1999. All parties agreed that Gemini is a great format for promoting services for conservation. David Winkelman explained that he has spoken with Dan Starcher, Tom Mathewson, Wally Francis and others about the inclusion of an Eco-Auto component in Gemini, and will initiate a meeting in Akron in the near future.

It was also brought out that David Winkelman and Jim Vopatek had given a presentation to the North Central (Twin Cities) dealer group on June 3 and 4 and received strong support about using Eco-Auto as part of the Gemini program. This North Central group is already using Eco-Auto tips in their print ads and flyers, which was then handed out (enclosed) and further involvement is being planned.

With time running out to catch their planes, the group concluded on this topic, but wished to reconvene at the next convention. The dealers suggested that TWF contact Akron to get an Eco-Auto booth set up at the convention, as well as another meeting of a larger steering committee.

Submitted by Jim Vopatek 6-25-99

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