NUNC EST Bibendum !!..
A graphic myth since 1898

Bibendum, the Michelin Man, was born in 1898. It was named the «best logo of the century» in 2000 by an international jury appointed by the Financial Times. Present throughout the five continents, transformed according to the taste of its creators and the country concerned, Bibendum has imposed itself as an essential figure of popular iconography. Over the last 110 years, it has trespassed its commercial objective and created a sentimental link with the public. With the passing of time, it has changed its attitude and expression and now represents both the product and its user, while adapting to the current precepts of communication.

The classic age, from 1926 to 1985

In 1889, André and Edouard Michelin arrived in Clermont-Ferrand from Paris to take on the family business, a rubber plant set up in. They wished to put out ads that would consolidate the sales network of the new types of rubber products they invented, in particular for bicycles and for a great novelty that was quickly gaining importance at the end of the XIXth century, the automobile. At the Universal and Colonial Exposition in Lyon in 1894, Michelin set up two piles of bicycle tires to mark the entrance of its stand. Legend has it that Edouard Michelin - who had taken classes at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Bouguereau's workshop - confided to his brother: «Look, with arms, it would make a man!» It was Marius Rossillon, the poster master known as O'Galop, who transformed the image to give it the famous anthropomorphous figure made of tires toasting with screws and nails. The image and the character of Bibendum take shape, drawn by promising young draughtsmen and poster artists: O'Galop, Roger Broders, Fabien Fabiano or Francisque Poulbot in France, Arthur Norman Edrop in the United States.


Illustration: O'GALOP Nunc is bibendum!! The Michelin tire drinks up the obstacle. Lithograph poster, 1913, France, © Michelin

The invention of an emblem

This second period is marked by a strong positioning of the Michelin Man -Bibendum- in the universe of communication through the democratisation of movies and advertising films, the evolution of the printing techniques and the use of photomontage in the ever-growing number of media. As of the end of the 1920s, the company stopped calling upon independent poster artists and created its own creation studio in Paris. Michelin wanted to communicate in a simple and efficient manner while always keeping the essential characteristics that point out the pneumatic character in the advertising landscape. Bibendum progressively stopped smoking until the middle of the 1930s, when he definitely quit the cigar. His creators no longer represented him as a massive and even disquieting giant. His silhouette became rounder and increasingly reassuring and juvenile. This deliberate choice reflected the wish of adopting a leaner, essentially functional graphic line. Between the 1930s and the 1940s, Bibendum was generally set back, behind the product. The company detached itself from the aesthetic precepts of modern art and gave preference to the advertising message and its impact. In the 1960s, Raymond Savignac was the only popular poster artist who worked for the company. He adapted his style to the image of Bibendum in a humorous advertising campaign that praised the new «XAS» tire.

The current image

In 1986, Michelin orchestrated a great return of its “Bibendum” in France. The advertising campaign designed by BDDP, the first external advertising agency chosen by Michelin, very colourful and very Pop Art, was a true success. This was the beginning of a new era. The character entered the advertising message in a very realistic manner (global TV ad for the centennial in 1998). He became a full-fledged actor, right in the centre of the story. He is no longer drawn, costumes are used for the shootings and the images are touched up digitally. Bibendum is an integral part of all the Michelin advertising campaigns everywhere in the world, from Asia to South America, including Europe. Today the most state of the art, digital, 3D image technologies are used to model and give life to the character. In 2008, Bibendum is at the heart of Michelin's communication strategy in all countries and he continues to generate a strong link with the public.
Illustration: BDDP

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