Continental Tire completes industry-academia project with Ewha Womans University marketing group

Continental Tire said Thursday it had carried out an industry-academia project with EMOC, a practical marketing group at Ewha Womans University, aimed at strengthening its brand awareness and establishing a long-term branding strategy.

The project ran for about a month, starting with an initial meeting on Aug. 7. Participating students analyzed the market and consumers from multiple angles based on real challenges facing Continental Tire's brand competitiveness. They also developed concrete ideas for building the brand's image and executing them.

Continental Tire staff also took part in the project, sharing practical information about the brand and the market and reviewing strategic directions and their feasibility together with students. Based on the directions the students proposed, staff pointed out elements needed for actual brand operations and offered specific feedback to improve the feasibility of execution.

Continental Tire evaluated the project outcomes across five categories, including market research, strategic direction and feasibility. It selected one team for the grand prize and another for an excellence award, presenting both with cash prizes. The winning teams, EMOC Team 1 and EMOC Team 2, received high marks for their understanding of the assignment, the specificity of their strategies and the practicality of their proposals.

"It was impressive that these aspiring marketers interpreted Continental's brand value from a fresh perspective and turned it into strategies that genuinely consider real consumers," said Niko Kyriazopoulos, president of Continental Tire Korea's replacement tire business. "Since we were able to add practical experience to the students' ideas, we will continue this kind of industry-academia collaboration so future marketing talent can keep growing through real brand projects."

This marks Continental Tire's second industry-academia collaboration with a university marketing or business group. Earlier, in 2024, the company ran its first such project with IBS, a coalition of university business groups, focusing on brand storytelling and strengthening premium positioning.

Meanwhile, Continental, founded in 1871, is a tire manufacturer with about 76,000 employees working across 54 countries and markets. Its premium tires cover automobiles, trucks, buses, two-wheelers and specialty vehicles, alongside smart solutions and services for vehicle and tire retailers.