THE MICHELIN TIRE COMPANY’S
ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT TEAM
The different foreign affiliates of Michelin operated their own Advertising Departments which were
supervised from the central offices in Paris, although they had certain autonomy to act in environments
that were quite distinct from the reality of the French market. These departments received instructions
and supporting graphic material—standardized clichés and cartoons for use in advertisements, most of
which were O’Galop’s work—to complement their own production that they commissioned to local
agencies and illustrators. Michelin’s advertising in the American press, between 1903 and 1907, was
marked by the particularity of each one of their different import agencies prior to the launch of the
American subsidiary. After 1907, when the Michelin Tire Company in Milltown was founded, the firm’s
management of their advertising was delegated to the successive heads of the Advertising Department,
with the help of different advertising agencies.
1. Michelin Advertising Departments in Europe
Advertising and promotion were organized from Michelin’s Parisian headquarters located at 105 Boulevard
Pereire under André Michelin’s management. The experience of the French parent company can
serve as a reference for understanding the policies developed in the corresponding departments of foreign
subsidiaries, in this case those established in Milan and London.
1.1. The French Advertising Department
The management of Michelin advertisements for France and for the Franco-Belgian market was
carried out in their internal service where commissions made to freelance illustrators and external
designers were received and from which the originals were sent to different press channels for their
publication.
This department was personally directed by André Michelin (1853-1931) during the
period before the First World War. Towards 1910, to reduce his workload, the position of Manager
of the Advertising Service was created, initiating the selection process for a professional who,
according to André Michelin’s handwritten notes, had to meet the following requirements:
“He must not be proud of his own ideas, and must know how to judge the ideas of others.
He must see clients frequently. Find out what will make an impression. He should
constantly review and improve his copy. And always stick with the shortest, most striking
formulas. He must never imitate or combat the campaigns of the competitor—unless he is
sure to win. And he must always remember that images are more important than words.” 2
As explained in chapter 2 “The Birth and baptism of Bibendum,” dedicated to the genesis of the
mascot and the intervention of his creator Marius Rossillon “O’Galop,” from the outset André
Michelin had counted on the contribution of illustrators and caricaturists from popular French
satirical magazines as mainstays of their advertising strategy. The humor, satire, provocation and
irreverence of the ideas proposed by creators such as O’Galop, Cousyn, Hautot, Poulbot, Chenet,
René Pean, Raymond Tournon, Walter Thor and many others endowed advertising content with
surprising appeal that was widely accepted by the general public.
Between 1898 and 1914, Michelin’s advertising communication—very aggressive, especially in
their campaigns against rivals Continental and Dunlop—had been based on contributions from
O’Galop.
In the years after the Great War, this role was assumed mainly by Édouard Louis Cousyn
and George Hautot, who worked for the Advertising Department managed since the beginning of
the 1920s by Étienne Debuisson, engineer and member of the CTP-Corporation des Techniciens
de la Publicité.
Finally, the graphic management of the newly founded Michelin Studio first
resorted to Hautot’s contributions to initiate around 1924—no longer under Debuisson and with
an elderly André Michelin who was then 71 years old—a long period of anonymous production
detached from the signatures of well-known and recognizable artists and illustrators. This trend
intensified especially in the U.S. market towards the years 1928-1929.
just a quick example and excerpt...
I just popped the poppers, hung the tinsel, and put the stockings by the chimney... and jumped in the recliner to read it all!!!! Because friends, I've been waiting since Feb 2016 to read this!
and wow, mind blown... volume 2 chapter 4!
THE RUBBER INDUSTRY IN NJ - pp. 361-390
http://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/bitstream/2445/126382/11/VOLUME02-%280361-0390%29-Chapter04.pdf is just the link to this volume 2 chap 4
and wow... I was just posting about tires that were made in America, and sold out to foreign companies or went out of business...
https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/11/how-many-major-not-boutique-american.html
