APL lands £10m Continental task
Continental Tyres has appointed Ammirati Puris Lintas as the lead agency on its £10m pan-European account.
The agency pitched against four others to win the account: German agencies Bartel, Brommel, Struck and Springer & Jacoby; French shop Concept; and Continental’s incumbent UK agency Palmer Hargreaves Mint.
Continental is a German-based company, founded in 1871. However, it is aiming to break away from the brand’s German links through a campaign which launches this month.
UK marketing director Antonio Betes says: “The brand has been built on its German heritage, but our team think it is ready to mature. We want to focus on how our tyres improve the performance of the car.”
The campaign covers TV and national press, and runs until the end of September. It uses the tagline: “Take care of the one you love”.
The tyre company has a roster of local agencies across Europe. It will continue to work with these on tactical campaigns.
Continental employs over 3,500 people in the UK and 60,000 worldwide. Twenty per cent of all cars manufactured in Europe are fitted with its tyres.
