Big O Tires campaign highlights ‘oh no’ moments in cars which they turn into ‘oh yes’

Every driver has a moment where their tires or brakes don’t perform as desired, turning a normal outing into an ‘oh no’ moment. Those moments are highlighted in a new campaign by Big O Tires, which makes light of those moments and states that Big O is the place that can turn them into ‘oh yes.’

Since a decent portion of car-owning Americans don't know how to fix a flat – and they often put off buying new tires – the combination makes for a lot of those ‘oh no’ moments. The ‘Big O Yes!’ campaign, created by Kansas City-based agency Barkley, portrays the crises that come when you combine a wobbly tire with a precious green jello mold and white suits or try to take your bald treads up an icy hill near a fine china shop.

"We love how the campaign positions Big O as the brand drivers turn to in unexpected moments while serving as a reminder to get ahead of ‘oh no’ moments,” said Kim McBee, vice president of marketing and advertising at Big O Tires.

For the spots, Barkley tested different shapes and colors of gelatin to figure out which read the funniest on camera, and they created a special rig to drag an SUV backwards down a wet hill so they could film a crash scene without hurting people (or porcelain).

“We wanted to build on Big O Tire’s 55-year track record of being the brand you trust when car problems strike,” said Katy Hornaday, executive creative director at Barkley. “What better way to do that than to dream up hilarious car dramas that would land you at Big O?”

The campaign launches its first of four national TV spots in late December. The scope of work also includes radio, social and in-store POP.

See all four spots by clicking on the Creative Works box below.