LONDON — Text100 has been appointed by tyre manufacturer Bridgestone to handle its European corporate communications and brand PR, after a competitive pitch.

Text100, which starts work this week, will plan and deliver a full corporate communications programme for the region as well as supporting brand campaigns including Bridgestone’s product launches.

The main account team, led by head of corporate Toby Conlon, will be based in London and report to Liesbeth Denys, Bridgestone EMEA’s head of communications and PR, who joined the company in September 2017.

It’s the first time that Bridgestone, whose EMEA HQ is in Brussels, has appointed a pan-European PR agency, although it works with local agencies in individual countries. Bridgestone, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world’s number one tyre manufacturer, while in Europe it is the third biggest brand after Michelin and Continental.

Text100’s appointment is aligned with Bridgestone’s aims of expanding its business in the region to what the automotive sector calls "mobility solutions" – such as its Tirematics sensor system to track buses and trucks and monitor their tyres – as well as continuing to manufacture premium and engineered tyres.

Denys said: “We’re a global player and a challenger in Europe with big ambitions to evolve our business into the mobility space. We wanted a partner who could help us to change our narrative and our communications to match that evolution. Text100 brought a different perspective during the selection process and aren’t afraid to tell it like it is. That’s the kind of partner we need.”

The win is a significant one for Text100, which last year integrated Next 15 consumer sibling Lexis into the business, the latest in a series of mergers and acquisitions that has seen the firm expand well beyond its technology roots.

Text100’s regional director, EMEA Rod Cartwright, who came on board from Ketchum last September, said: “This is exactly the kind of work that Text100 is set up for: integrated, multi-service communications for big companies trying to challenge the status quo. The work will draw on each of our pillars of strategy, social media, content, creative, and our global insights and analytics team too. Bridgestone has the heritage, the ambition, and the people to make a huge impact in the mobility space, and we’re really excited to help them to do that.”