Goodyear Licenses Theme Manager from Stardock For New Website Launch

Published on April 13, 2004 By Stardock Central In WinCustomize News

The Goodyear Theme Manager includes themes for Goodyear’s new Assurance featuring TripleTred Technology™ and Assurance featuring ComforTred Technology™ tires. Each theme has a WindowBlinds visual style, one or more wallpapers, desktop Icon Packager set and the distinctive Goodyear branded Wingfoot mouse cursor powered by CursorXP technology. The themes were designed by the artists at the Buzzwerks Interactive Marketing, a division of Hitchcock, Fleming and Associates (HFA) Interactive Marketing located in Akron, Ohio.

The Goodyear Theme also includes a DesktopX powered object, designed by Martin Conroy of Stardock. Consumers will be able to locate the Goodyear tire retailers closest to their homes and businesses by entering their zip code. This will bring up a list of all retailers within a ten-mile radius.

Larry Kuperman, Sales Manager of Stardock, said “More and more companies are licensing Stardock technologies to put their message on consumers’ desktops. One of the reasons for this is that companies can achieve direct benefits from the interactive nature of these desktops. The Dealer Locator, for example, makes it much easier for customers to purchase the products. Consumers can find the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the Goodyear retailers nearest them right from their PC desktops. No other form of advertising can match this.”

Jeanne Sherman, Director New Products, Goodyear North American Tire, added, “We see desktop themes as a new tool for conveying our brand message to consumers. Through our work with Stardock, we have not only created a completely brand integrated desktop environment to let people know about these exciting new products, but we reward consumers for visiting the Goodyear website, and the DesktopX technology helps to facilitate the actual purchase. Right now, we are working with Stardock to provide additional desktop technologies that can drive sales even more.”

# # #

About Stardock:

Stardock Corporation is the leader in the development and sales of award-winning Windows desktop customization solutions such the Object Desktop software suite, including components such as WindowBlinds, DesktopX, IconPackager, and more. Stardock also develops best-selling computer games, including Galactic Civilizations. For more information, please visit the Stardock home page at https://www.stardock.com or contact lkuperman@stardock.com.

About Goodyear:

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is the world’s largest tire company.
Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, the company manufactures tires, engineered
rubber products and chemicals in more than 85 facilities in 28 countries.
It has marketing operations in almost every country around the world.
Goodyear employs about 88,000 people worldwide. For more information about
the company, visit www.goodyear.com.

About HF&A:

Established in 1940, Hitchcock Fleming & Associates Inc. has served a broad
range of retail, consumer, industrial and business-to-business clients on a
local, regional, national and international basis. A few of its clients
are The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, the world’s largest tire company;
Rent-Way Inc., the nation’s second-largest operator of rental-purchase
stores; Carter Lumber and its more than 200 stores; and Nexa Autocolor (of
North America), a world-leading automotive refinishes company serving more
than 150 countries.

HF&A’s capabilities include marketing; research; strategic planning; print,
broadcast, outdoor and specialty advertising; media planning/buying; public
relations; interactive strategy development; Internet design and
implementation through its Buzzwerks division; sales promotion; direct
response; broadcast and video production; and point-of-sale and collateral
materials, such as brochures and catalogs. Web sites for HF&A and its
interactive division, Buzzwerks, are www.hitchcockfleming.com and
www.thebuzzwerks.com.

Comments (Page 1)

Tombalaci

on Apr 13, 2004

Hmmm, I think it's great that these companies are licensing these themes. I do have to say that the theme that they came up with is just butt ugly. Whoever did it clearly is very inexperienced and it's a waste of Goodyear's money. There are much more talented individuals on this website that could have made a much better looking theme... >

Tombalaci

on Apr 13, 2004

Huh, how about this: Stardock offers competitions for these companies. It will give the company free advertising, they will get to choose from multiple designs, and somehow it can even be free for the companies. I think that would be much more valuable for these companies.

aliceinwonderland

on Apr 13, 2004

Yeah, like booble.com!!

paxx

on Apr 13, 2004

Wow, congrats to Stardock on this, but I'm with Tom on this. It's a terrible theme. And also, the DX object idea is very poor IMO. A DX object is something that one uses often, as it conveniently sits on your desktop. How often does one search for a Goodyear dealer closest to him? IMO they should have invested the money in something a bit more appealing and useful. I don't know, maybe just a typical DX weather object with a Goodyear tire look. The tire's model could change according to the weather condition with a sort of caption like "Goddyear's XYZ tire is optimum in rainy conditions like today" or something like that. Or just have a desktop toys, like that remote control car that somebody made. Dunno, anything really, but a dealor locator is not something I consider useful on my desktop. Nor does it make me want to purchase a Goodyear tire.
But anyhow, that's just another example of a poor use of a very excellent product and a great initial idea.
Kudos to Stardock again!

Diafragma

on Apr 13, 2004

koop

on Apr 13, 2004

As noted in the article, this theme is intended to be the first on an on-going sequence of themes, "Right now, we are working with Stardock to provide additional desktop technologies that can drive sales even more.”

The desktop weather object is a great suggestion and will be passed on to the client.

Bear in mind, also, that you, as members of the skinning community, have different expectations for a theme than most people have. I think that the average person will be blown away!

GhoS

on Apr 13, 2004

I think its great. One way to get skinning out to more people. Its not that bad a design, although I agree the search object could be eliminated or made better. Why not have it be able to search for the tires you need to make sure they are in stock? Still a one time use deal though anyway lol.

SelfExiled

on Apr 13, 2004

I think the DX object idea is great. I do agree that most people here seem to be too critical. I also believe most people are use to seeing companies with as much money choose great desktop designers such as Pixtudio for their desktop themes. After the Zippo theme, we are all pretty spoiled.

If you don't need the object, you can just turn it off. It's a great utility to have though. I wish there were more such utilities. If you need some great information, just turn on a DX object.

Tombalaci

on Apr 13, 2004

Paxx! That remote car is mine.

I agree, they should use it and pay me big bucks for it.

Anyway, I don't think it's being critical to think that this theme is mediocre compared to the ones we are used to seeing almost every day. P

sig101

on Apr 13, 2004

Perhaps a theme with the GY Blimp might be interesting, now that they've done tires. Just a thought.

Anyway, providing skins and gizmos is a nice way of doing marketing IMO. (Although I personally don't find the skin in the article to my tastes. But if that's just the first I'll look forward to seeing whatever else they come up with.) And FWIW I concur, a weather object would be nice and more likely perhaps to be used and appreiciated.

joetheblow

on Apr 13, 2004

I want to be in the beginning stages of companies realizing the potential of desktop branding so bad... Anyway, I think in the beginning, many companies will not understand what they can do or the options they have. When working on a design for any company you go through negotiations and dealing with people who may want a specific thing or let you come up with something... or somewhere in the middle of that.

Anyway, here is a little tid bit:
I am currently trying to promote this type of brand skinning BUT also adding that it should be done in certain ways as to not degrade the market (of which I believe is small). It has to be done carefully as to not alienate the skinning community while at the same time promote the product.

In a up and coming article of mine about Commercial Skinning I will hopefully have made deals or proposals available for skinners to partake on. The article is about how its not just a hobby and to push the envelope a little but asking skinners to come up with proposals or if they want to work with specific companies on a project.

anyway... I think the theme is cool, and can be useful to some, but the idea is about coming to the website and leaving with a memento to remember them by.

yada yada yada... yeah that Zippo theme was pretty hot...

UpsideDownGC

on Apr 13, 2004

How would that help Stardock if they dont get paid? Also that would make it so that every company that heard about it would be in line there has to be a method in place to handle demand and create profit or at least some revenue.

UpsideDownGC

on Apr 13, 2004

That is directed towards Tombalacis first comment

Tombalaci

on Apr 14, 2004

Stardock still charges the companies to use their software. They don't get paid for the skin the company decides to use anyway, unless they design it. I don't think Stardock is out to make money by skinning.

Robyn Henke

on Apr 14, 2004

Has anyone been able to download this theme yet? I have looked around the Goodyear site and can find wallpapers and screensavers, but no themes.

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