This year, something different has been going on with the Akron-famous Goodyear Blimp’s social media presence. Scrolling through the blimp’s Instagram, you’ll find Gen Z humor, memes and in-jokes about tall captains and tire sales.
“Guys will see the Goodyear blimp and say ‘Hell yeah,’” one video says, as a cartoon pair of black sunglasses descend over the front of the blimp.
“Blimps be bussin,’” a voice says in one video of a Gen X boss writing a Gen Z script. “Wingfoot 1 has drip.”
One fancam-style video, with different shots of the blimps in flight, is synced with the song “Baddie Friend” by Kevo Jefe. The caption reads: “Make this go viral so my boss doesn’t fire me.”
That last one has nearly 240,000 likes. Leah Eaton, the senior digital communications specialist of the Goodyear Blimp, is behind it. (And as far as we know, she isn’t going to get fired.)
She took over the Goodyear Blimp social media channels last year, after working at Goodyear since 2022.
“They’ve had these channels forever, but they were open to some new ideas,” Eaton says, “so I came in with an idea. We’ve been slowly evolving the strategy ever since.”
RELATED: What It's Like to Fly in a Goodyear Blimp
That strategy has meant tapping into the novelty around blimps, and injecting humor and lightheartedness into the brand through videos and posts that she’s crafted over the past year.
“There is something so special about seeing the blimp in the sky. People are almost universally excited to see it. They take pictures. They stop, they point it out to their friends. So our goal was to recreate that feeling, that excitement, in the social media space,” Eaton says. “When the blimp pops into your timeline, in your feed, I want you to be excited. I want you to be delighted. I want you to stop and say, ‘OMG, what is that? How does it do that? How does it fly? What is it? Why?’ And I want you to share it with your friends.”
Eaton’s team’s efforts to transform the Goodyear blimp’s feed over the past year have paid off; Eaton noted that the brand has quintupled its Instagram followers and seen a 3,000% increase in views and engagements.
Much of that has risen in younger audiences that the Goodyear blimp hadn’t always catered to.
RELATED: Super Pimp Isn’t Just the Star of the Clubs — He’s Also Social Media Famous
But the Goodyear blimp’s shift extends beyond its social media presence — just look at its recent merchandise drop to see how. Humorous T-shirts emblazoned with “Blimps are Cool. Buy Tires” were inspired directly from social media captions, and have been a top seller, Eaton says. Bold pink and green hoodies, plus tropical blimp T-shirts, have also entered the brand’s online store, offering new styles for all types of blimp fans.
And, of course, when the merch was released, Eaton and her team promoted the new products on social media in their characteristic, new way: fashion show skits and memes.
As the Goodyear blimp approaches its 100th anniversary next year, Eaton says she’s excited to bring the storied brand’s digital presence into a new age.
“Sometimes social can be intimidating for a brand, so it’s been really cool that the team has gotten this level of trust and credibility,” Eaton says. “I’m the person writing the day-to-day, or interacting in the day-to-day. But so many people on the team touch this and support it, and it’s amazing.”
(Lead photo courtesy Rool Paap, via Flickr)
For more updates about Cleveland, sign up for our Cleveland Magazine Daily newsletter, delivered to your inbox six times a week.
Cleveland Magazine is also available in print, publishing 12 times a year with immersive features, helpful guides and beautiful photography and design.
