The Michelin Brand: The Success Story of the Most Popular Tires on the Planet

The name Michelin is firmly associated with a funny character made entirely of tires. This logo can be seen at gas stations, races, in top thematic magazines, and even in specialized travel guides. The name of this advertising character is Bibendum, and at the beginning of this century, it was recognized as the most recognizable logo in the world of advertising.

Today, Michelin is one of the most influential companies, not only producing tires but also having numerous subsidiaries. The corporation's influence is comparable to giants in the automotive market such as Renault. And all this journey to fame began with a successful revolutionary business idea that arose with the company's founders in the second half of the nineteenth century.

The Birth of Michelin

The company was founded in 1830 in the French town of Clermont-Ferrand by the Michelin brothers, Edouard and Andre. To this day, the corporation's headquarters are located in this city, with its manufacturing facilities and trade representatives spread worldwide. Initially, the company manufactured a variety of metal constructions. The management sought to find a product that would bring maximum profit and was not afraid to experiment.

The brand's success came from the "bicycle boom" that swept through Europe around 1850. The first bicycles had no pedals and rode on wooden wheels. The convenience of riding was so high that these early constructions earned the nickname "bone shakers" among the people. The boom began when bicycles were equipped with pedals along with chain drive, and John Boyd Dunlop invented pneumatic rubber tires. This made riding on two wheels so comfortable that the bicycle became the most popular mode of transportation among the progressive public of that time.

This situation became the foundation of Michelin's success: the founding brothers decided to base their new business idea on improving pneumatic tires. The first tires were glued firmly to the wheel rim. Roads at that time were littered with nails that fell from horseshoes. As you can imagine, tires punctured frequently, and repairing them required a specialized workshop.

The Michelin brothers saw this problem and decided to solve it in a revolutionary way for that time. They created interchangeable tires that allowed for quick repairs of punctured tires. The company patented their invention in 1891. That same year, they proved the superiority of their invention to all skeptics: the winner of the Paris Brest Paris bike marathon used innovative Michelin tires.

This event brought incredible popularity to the company's new product, with many cyclists of that time wanting to buy it. But that was just one component of the upcoming success. The second half was the advertising character Bibendum...

The Emergence of Bibendum

Despite his work in an industrial company, Edouard Michelin had an artistic education that influenced his worldview. When he visited an exhibition in 1884, he saw an installation by their artistic designer, who stacked bicycle tires of various diameters into a column. In this column, he saw the image of a funny, full-bodied man and decided to make him the company's symbol.

To create sketches, caricaturist artist O'Galop was invited, who had ready-made beer advertising sketches in stock, featuring a very stout brewer enthusiastically drinking beer from a mug. The advertisement featured an inscription by the poet Horace that said: "Nuncestbibendum!" which translates to "Drink, for now!" The brewer image was quickly transformed into the tire man. The beer mug was replaced with a goblet filled with nails and other sharp road debris. The inscription remained, signifying that Michelin tires could handle all road unevenness and dangers. And the character was named Bibendum.

The phrase hinting at drinking and the goblet in Bibendum's hand quickly disappeared from the advertising. After all, alcohol and driving don't mix. But the character became so beloved to the public that abandoning it would have been a crime against the company. Michelin's advertising department took a bold step for that time – they began publishing advertising illustrations depicting Bibendum's adventures in famous periodicals of that time. The drawings were not simple ads. They carried interesting subtexts for the reader – caricatures of well-known political figures, touched on automotive and bicycle races, and raised sharp social issues. The first 300 drawings were created by O'Galop, and later other artists joined the advertising.

Further Development

After conquering the bicycle market, Michelin shifted its focus to a more promising sector: automobile tires. The initial attempts to "re-shoe" European cars with their products were unsuccessful – vehicles with Michelin tires could not win races and ended up at the bottom. However, the company gradually managed to create products that took a leading position in the market. Over time, the company started acquiring competing productions (for instance, Citroen was under Michelin management for a while). By the mid-twentieth century, the corporation's tires could be purchased on almost every continent, and the product range expanded to tires for cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and even airplanes.

The company made several innovations, one of which was the "radial tire," capable of lasting twice as long as conventional products, allowing it to maintain a leading position in the market to this day, with the family still managing the company.

Conclusion

Michelin's success primarily rests on robust and unconventional advertising. This includes the creation of Bibendum, participation in all iconic races, and non-standard advertising campaigns. For example, the company created two guides intended to popularize traveling by car. Now, the best restaurants in Europe are competing for the right to receive a good rating in these guides.

So, if you want to develop your business idea into a grand company, take a cue from Michelin's strategy. Even if you literally reinvent the wheel, you can still achieve success. Share this article with your acquaintances to inspire them towards business success.