Q. You signed a partnership agreement with Peaches in 2019. What type of synergy did you expect from the partnership?

Hankook Tire has engaged in brand-marketing activities in various fields with measurable results. However, the brand image reflected in the customers' eyes was still that of a manufacturing company with an incredible inflexible culture. On the other hand, Peaches was associated with a brand image that is innovative, hip, trendy, and one that can communicate with the public. At the time, Peaches already had a large fandom and displayed significant successes in the business-to-consumer (B2C) area while expanding the business to a more business-to-business (B2B) focus.

We made a significant investment and partnered with Peaches with the concept of adding a new brand image to the existing identities (premium and high-tech) we have been pursuing. We believed that the partnership would allow us to reach and connect with the millennials in a friendlier way.

Q. So, how do you plan to connect with Millennials?

In my opinion, one of the most distinctive characteristics of millennials is that they want things to be more natural than artificial. Also, they repeatedly and actively consume the content that they like. This means millennials value experience-focused consumption, and they often socialize or reinterpret that experience on social media. Therefore, in today's brand marketing, it is essential to provide attractive content that can be shared on any social media channel and, above all, to fully utilize digital media.

Q. Can you tell us about the collaborative work you’ve done with Peaches so far?

The commonality between Hankook Tire and Peaches is that they both create and deliver their messages from their respective markets within the automotive industry. Looking closely, Hankook Tire is building prominence in traditional motorsports, while Peaches leads the streetcar culture on public roads. We contemplated merging the two contents in an enticing way for our audiences.

Q. The collaboration with a designer and rendering artist Kyza seems highly interesting.

I remember getting excited to work with Peaches and Kyza. You could say that our objectives were all aligned. Kyza had experience working with the various car game developers such as EA Sports, and he also engaged with producing videos with vehicles based on the 3-D rendered models that he designed. Kyza also had a large number of followers. Kyza and Peaches wanted to share their followers, and Hankook Tire wanted a new opportunity to create and advertise the brand to Millennials in the global and European market.

While introducing each country's streetcar culture with Peaches and Kyza, we wanted to introduce the attractive brand image of Hankook Tire harmoniously and naturally. Starting from London, UK, we will be expanding the project to the U.S., Japan, Korea, and more.

Q. The partnership with Peaches started three years ago.
I'm curious about the insights you've accrued through your work so far.

While it is difficult to quantify, we have changed the perception to become a more familiar brand. The initial phase of the partnership was the period where we broke down the stereotype and the preconceived image of a tire manufacturer by triggering the thought of "I didn't expect Hankook Tire to be involved in such projects." Since the beginning, both online and offline projects have helped us get ever closer to the objective. Because of the marketability of Peaches in the U.S. automotive culture among the younger generation, we now receive inquiries through Peaches on our sports tires, such as RS4-Z232, from overseas.

Going forward, we will continue to collaborate with Peaches to plan and execute the events involving Hankook Tire Goods, food and beverages, and video content to communicate with consumers more intimately. We plan to provide new entertainment options and enjoyable experiences that reflect the characteristics and tastes of Millennials, and we will continue to work hard to make them feel more familiar with the Hankook Tire brand.