BFGoodrich® Tires Taps the Martin Agency for Brand Advertising

GREENVILLE, S.C. – April 21, 2006 – BFGoodrich Tires’ Brand Director Kaz Holley and his marketing team made a surprise visit today to the Richmond-based Martin Agency to announce their decision to retain Martin as their advertising agency of record.

“We are excited about the partnership with The Martin Agency, an organization with world class credentials,” said Holley. “From our first phone call to the final presentation, the Martin team demonstrated a passion and enthusiasm for our brand that reflects an intimate understanding of our products’ technology and rich motorsports history.”

The Martin Agency will begin working immediately on BFGoodrich’s short-term advertising needs, with an emphasis on media planning and print creative. “We are looking forward to getting the team immersed in the world of BFGoodrich Tires,” Holley said.

The 90-day agency search was led by Hasan and Company. The decision, announced today, was the result of formal presentations by three agencies earlier this week.

"BFGoodrich Tires ended up with three very strong finalists. It was impossible to make a bad decision," said Hasan Ramusevic, president of Hasan and Company. "All three final presentations were powerful. In the end, the decision was based on the total experience that the BFGoodrich team had with the agencies from start to finish."

"BFGoodrich Tires is a dream client for any agency. They are a strong brand with great products and a distinct opportunity for growth," said Ramusevic.

“BFGoodrich Tires is a brand that knows exactly what it’s all about,” says Cliff Sorah, creative director at The Martin Agency. “From the very beginning of this review, we could see what a fantastic product, brand and company they have and believed we could bring it to life in a way that will help them get the credit they deserve.

“Their entire team flew up here this morning and surprised us with the news on our front patio. They pulled up two BFGoodrich Tires sponsored racing cars, revved the engines, popped champagne corks and held up BFGoodrich banners to start a celebration with our entire company. I’ve been at The Martin Agency almost 20 years and it was one of the most special moments of my career.”

BFGoodrich® Tires combines technological expertise with vast motorsports experience, delivering a high-performance tire for every type of vehicle from ultra-high performance tuner vehicles, sports cars and SUVs to the hottest sport trucks, pickups and rock-crawling rigs in the world. For more than 30 years, BFGoodrich Tires has used motorsports as a proving ground.

Success on the street begins with winning on the track and BFGoodrich Tires is involved in every type of racing, including oval, sports car, drag, desert, rally (Dakar and WRC) and extreme rock-crawling. With 20 consecutive overall Baja 1000 wins, the most wins in rock-crawling history, and an unmatched record on pavement, BFGoodrich Tires has proven the only records it breaks are its own. Visit BFGoodrich Tires online at www.bfgoodrichtires.com.

About The Martin Agency:
Headquartered in Richmond, VA, The Martin Agency is a full-service agency offering unified advertising, direct response, public relations, interactive, and sports and events marketing. In addition to BFGoodrich, clients include ALLTEL, AOL, Carfax, Discover, GEICO, Hanes, Miller Brewing Company, Olympus, NASCAR, PING, Seiko and UPS.