Month: May 2024

• Long-awaited successor to iconic KO2 tire hits the market
• Phased launch begins with 13 replacement sizes this month
• KO3 tire performance improves upon that of the KO2 tire

 

GREENVILLE, S.C., May 1, 2024 – BFGoodrich Tires invented and revolutionized the all-terrain tire. Now it’s doing it again with the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 tire.

Building on the outstanding performance of the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tire, BFGoodrich developed the KO3 tire to satisfy the evolving needs of off-road consumers by incorporating the latest tire technologies into a tire that delivers even stronger performance and benefits than the KO2 tire.

“BFGoodrich Tires’ legendary toughness has been made tougher with the creation of the All-Terrain KO3 tire,” said Harold Phillips, BFGoodrich Global General Manager. “We’ve done a lot of racing and research in the 10 years since we launched the KO2 tire, so a decade of data, feedback, technology and experience went into the development of the KO3 tire. We are our own competition, and we knew it was time to take the all-terrain tire to another level. It will be exciting to see what consumers will do – at work and at play – with the KO3 tire.”

BFGoodrich will introduce more than 100 sizes over 24 months, starting with 13 sizes available in May. The phased launch will continue with 17 additional sizes in August and five more sizes in October. An additional 52 sizes arrive in 2025 and 19 sizes in 2026.

The All-Terrain T/A KO3 tire has improved wear performance, improved gravel road durability, and improved snow traction while maintaining the sidewall toughness and soft soil traction of the KO2 tire.

Treadwear: BFGoodrich engineered the All-Terrain T/A KO3 tire with a new tread pattern and new all-terrain tread compound to provide durability and longevity, even on gravel. The KO3 tire has an optimized footprint and full-depth 3D locking sipes designed for even wear over the long haul.

Toughness: CoreGard Technology gives the KO3 tire excellent sidewall toughness, which earned it the Baja Champion badge. The Advanced Deflection Design helps prevent objects from snagging and splitting the sidewall.

Traction: Even in the worst conditions, the All-Terrain T/A KO3 tire is made to grip. The serrated shoulder design and Mud-Phobic Bars improve upon the KO2 tire’s outstanding mud and snow traction, helping it earn the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake severe-snow rating.

These features have been proven to provide the following benefits:

• The BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 tire has better wear performance than the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tire.
• The All-Terrain KO3 tire’s new tread pattern design and new all-terrain tread compound provide better gravel road durability than the All-Terrain T/A KO2 tire. 
• The All-Terrain KO3 tire’s new tread pattern design and new all-terrain tread compound provide better snow traction than the All-Terrain T/A KO2 tire.

The All-Terrain T/A KO3 tire is the newest member of the Terrain Family of BFGoodrich tires. The KO3 tire carries a 50,000-mile warranty and 60-day satisfaction guarantee. For more information, visit bfgoodrichtires.com or your local BFGoodrich dealer and get started on your next off-road adventure.

About BFGoodrich Tires

BFGoodrich Tires is dedicated to providing high performance tires for those who have a passion for driving in virtually any environment. Combining technical expertise with 50 years of motorsports experience, BFGoodrich delivers tires for a full range of driving experiences from ultra-high-performance street to off-road terrain with one common theme – extreme performance. Come upgrade your performance with BFGoodrich and see where our tires can take you at BFGoodrichTires.com and BFGoodrichRacing.com, as well as on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @BFGoodrichTires.

For more information contact:
Andrew Festa
andrew.festa@michelin.com
Press Officer

McLean, VA – May 1, 2024 – BBB National Programs’ Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) today issued a new compliance warning on the application of CARU’s Advertising and Privacy Guidelines to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The CARU compliance warning puts advertisers, brands, endorsers, developers, toy manufacturers, and others on notice that CARU’s Advertising and Privacy Guidelines apply to the use of AI in advertising and the collection of personal data from children.

The warning states that CARU will strictly enforce its Advertising and Privacy Guidelines in connection with the use of AI and the potential risks that its use may pose in terms of manipulative practices, including influencer marketing, deceptive claims, and privacy practices. Additionally, according to the warning, marketers should be particularly cautious to avoid deceiving children about what is real and what is not when engaging with realistic AI-powered experiences and content.

“Our Compliance Warning stresses the importance of responsible advertising and data privacy practices in the children’s space, particularly in AI-driven advertising and data collection,” said Dona Fraser, Senior Vice President, Privacy Initiatives at BBB National Programs. “We call on marketers, brands, and developers to prioritize transparency, safety, and compliance with CARU’s Advertising and Privacy Guidelines as we all work to maintain the well-being of children as AI becomes commonplace.”

CARU’s Guidelines are widely recognized industry standards designed to assure that advertising directed to children is not deceptive, unfair, or inappropriate for its intended audience and that, in an online environment, children’s data is collected and handled responsibly. CARU monitors child-directed media to ensure compliance with its Guidelines, seeking the voluntary cooperation of companies and, where necessary, referral for enforcement action to an appropriate federal regulatory body, usually the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), or to a state Attorney General. 

CARU’s Advertising Guidelines

CARU’s Advertising Guidelines apply to advertising in all media, regardless of whether AI is used to create or disseminate the ads, including digital worlds where altered, simulated, and synthetic content is powered by AI.

Brands using AI in advertising should be particularly cautious of the potential to mislead or deceive a child in the following areas:

• AI-generated deep fakes; simulated elements, including the simulation of realistic people, places, or things; or AI-powered voice cloning techniques within an ad.
• Product depictions, including copy, sound, and visual presentations generated or enhanced using AI indicating product or performance characteristics.
• Fantasy, via techniques such as animation and AI-generated imagery, that could unduly exploit a child’s imagination, create unattainable performance expectations, or exploit a child’s difficulty in distinguishing between the real and the fanciful.
• The creation of character avatars and simulated influencers that directly engage with the child and can mislead children into believing they are engaging with a real person.

CARU’s Advertising Guidelines also noted that advertisers should take measures when using generative AI to depict people to ensure the depictions reflect the diversity of humanity and do not promote harmful negative stereotypes. 

CARU’s Privacy Guidelines

CARU’s Privacy Guidelines apply to online data collection and other privacy-related practices for online services that target children under 13 years of age, and to operators that have actual knowledge they are collecting personal information from children under 13 years of age.  

Because AI offers unique opportunities to interact with children who may not understand the nature of the information being sought or its intended use, brands using AI in online services should be particularly cautious in the following areas:

• Requirements and responsibilities when collecting personal information from a child under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
• Reliance upon third-party generative AI technology to operate and process data, which may require verifiable parental consent (VPC). 
• Operators who input a child’s personal information into an AI system and receive a deletion request from a parent, which may be nearly impossible to retrieve and delete.  
• AI-connected toys and online services must collect VPC and properly disclose their collection practices in their Privacy Policy, prior to any collection, use, or sharing of children’s personal information through their own online service or with a third-party generative AI service. 

View CARU’s AI Compliance Warning here.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About Children’s Advertising Review Unit: The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), a division of BBB National Programs and the nation’s first Safe Harbor Program under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), helps companies comply with laws and guidelines that protect children from deceptive or inappropriate advertising and ensure that, in an online environment, children’s data is collected and handled responsibly. When advertising or data collection practices are misleading, inappropriate, or inconsistent with laws and guidelines, CARU seeks change through the voluntary cooperation of companies and where relevant, enforcement action.

Contact Information:

Name: Jennie Rosenberg
Email: jrosenberg@bbbnp.org
Job Title: Media Relations