Royal, a tiger cub wearing a crown and sitting inside a Uniroyal tire, is the Uniroyal brand's new mascot. It will help introduce the Tiger Paw Touring All-Season tire to consumers in June.
The symbol of a tiger has long been associated with Uniroyal. In the 1960s, the brand introduced the Tiger Paw line of tires, and a cartoon tiger starred in Uniroyal ads. Tiger Paw tires were the original tires on the Pontiac GTO during that era.
The Tiger Paw line of tires still represents a large segment of Uniroyal’s portfolio.
The new icon was created just ahead of the largest product launch in the brand’s history: The Tiger Paw Touring All-Season will be available to consumers in June.
"The tiger is reliably strong and protective, as are Uniroyal tires," said Olivia Le Meur, Uniroyal brand director, Michelin North America Inc. "For more than 50 years, the tiger has been associated with our tires. As we have our biggest product launch in history this year, we want a brand mascot that can help tell our story."
Artist Jared Emerson was commissioned to reimagine Royal the tiger. A series of images shows Royal as a tiger cub -- a nod to the brand bringing value to families.
The tiger’s name, Royal, is also a link to the brand’s heritage. The U.S. Royal brand was the predecessor to Uniroyal and has remained a Uniroyal trademark for decades. The new icon features a crown to emphasize the tiger’s symbolic name.
Consumers will regularly see Royal in various settings and poses as the brand launches more than 100 sizes of the Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring A/S in 2019. To see more images of Royal, visit www.uniroyaltires.com/news.
