By Kap Maceda Aguila
AP BLUE WHALE CORP., country distributor of Taiwan-headquartered CST Tires, shared that “road accidents are still the leading cause of death and injuries, especially among younger people, according to the Department of Health.” Even more significant, these numbers are expected to surge as more people own and operate cars and motorcycles.
The hope, it asserted, lies in proper safety education, toward the goal of reducing accidents by “at least 35%” — a figure put forth by the Department of Transportation — by 2028.
Surely an important part of ensuring safety on the road is looking after a vehicle’s tires. “Tires are what connect us to the road, so we have to be very conscious of them, their condition, and even pressure,” declared “Kuya Kim” Atienza, noted “fact-teller” and riding/motoring enthusiast. Mr. Atienza has been conscripted by CST Tires as its brand ambassador — inking a year-long deal to be the face of the brand through its “Know Your Tires” campaign.
The safety awareness effort, which doubles as a marketing push for CST Tires products, will see Mr. Atienza star in a series of short videos aiming to educate motorists and riders alike on the ins and outs of tire safety and ownership.
According to AP Blue Whale Corp. Marketing Manager Christine Roque, Kuya Kim is a perfect fit to achieve this goal because he has long been known as a “credible and relatable” source of information. “Our usual concern is how to explain tire tech to average customers. It might get too technical. Kuya Kim is known to very simply explain even the very technical,” she maintained.
At the recent press conference announcing his appointment as CST Tires brand ambassador, Mr. Atienza shared that the campaign kicks off this month with the release of the first video on the CST Tires Philippines social media platforms. “This campaign will be focused on safety, more than anything. The qualities of CST Tires will come out as we focus on how safe it is to use them,” he said. Mr. Atienza added that, beginning in 2015, he had largely switched to riding his motorcycles or bikes come sun or storm. He stressed the importance of choosing the right tires which enable him to come home to his family safely every day.
“Tires are the most important safety feature in four-wheel and two-wheel vehicles… and they affect safety, braking, handling, steering, and ride quality,” he continued. “Know Your Tire” will delve on “the importance of choosing the right tires, tire maintenance, and tire safety. As we were shooting initially, I saw so many things that ordinary people may not know but can dictate (safety on the road). As much as we could, we tried to explain terms and bits of information to the general public in a very exciting, reachable, and understandable way — and the qualities of CST will come out. My responsibility is to be able to explain in layman’s terms how safe it is to use CST Tires, and explain their quality. Again, the prime concern is safety.”
Replying to a question from “Velocity,” Mr. Atienza said, “You know what I see, especially among motorcycle riders? Lots of them have worn-out tires. They might say they’re too expensive to replace, or that they can’t afford to buy new ones. But the important thing is to invest in quality tires which have the right tread. It’s actually easy to read tires if you know how — like, what do the numbers on the sidewall mean?”
In true Kuya Kim fashion, he bared the origin of the “kamote rider” term — a derisive description of reckless or irresponsible motorcycle riders. It’s not what people usually think; it did not originate as a near homonym of “kamot-ulo” (literally, to scratch one’s head, usually to express ignorance or regret after a traffic incident).
“I used to hear that from my teachers when they admonished students who (didn’t do well or didn’t prepare for class). ‘Go home and plant kamote (sweet potato).’ But this actually originated in American colonial times when our colonizers were the teachers and Filipinos were the students. It was actually a putdown for farmers,” Mr. Atienza narrated.
In an interview with this writer, AP Blue Whale Corp. National Sales Manager for Four Wheels Eric Yap averred that CST Tires promise value for money, as they are priced more affordably than many mainstream competitors. Here in the country, it’s an established tire marque for vans, 4×4 vehicles, and light commercial trucks, he maintained.
Despite its relatively affordable pricing, the company, according to AP Blue Whale Corp. Product and Technical Director Jaybee Atanacio, has its own R&D (research and development) and production facilities that assure its quality and development arc toward innovation. Cheng Shin Rubber Ind. Co. Ltd. (or Cheng Shin Tire) employs more than 20,000 people and is, incidentally, the largest bicycle tire manufacturer in the world. It boasts a daily tire manufacturing capacity of 300,000 units for motorcycles and bikes, 10,500 tires for trucks and buses, and 26,000 for passenger cars — with production facilities in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, India, and China. With a global footprint in 157 countries, CST has tech centers in Changua, Taiwan; Xiamen, China; Noorddammerweg in the Netherlands; and Atlanta, Georgia in the US.
