AKRON, Ohio, Nov. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to the selection of tires and even the choice of an outlet for the service and maintenance of vehicles, most consumers want two things: trust and confidence.

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A leading advocate group for female consumers is now taking a step forward in helping consumers achieve those two qualities by honoring one of America's most well-known automotive brands – Goodyear.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT) has been awarded the 2013 Women's Choice Award for 'America's Best in Automotive' in multiple categories: Premium Brand Tire; Tire Retailer; and Auto Service Retailer. The award designation is based on a national survey of more than 50,000 women who were asked to select the brands they would most highly recommend to others.

"It is an honor to be named as one of the most recommended brands by women, both for premium brand tires and for tire and automotive service retailer," said Steve McClellan, president of Goodyear North America. "Having the Goodyear brand recognized with the Women's Choice Award is a reflection of the consumer focus that we apply to everything we do."

Consumers can look for the Women's Choice Award seal at Goodyear retail locations across the U.S. and Canada, signifying to consumers that Goodyear is one of the most trusted and recommended brands by women.

Goodyear is committed to providing consumers with quality products and service, ease of shopping, and value – using market-back planning, technology and innovation as the foundation of its "More Driven" brand campaign. This includes premium products such as Assurance, Eagle and Wrangler tires, and a national network of retail stores.

The Women's Choice Award has set the standard for helping women make smart choices by collectively identifying the brands most trusted and recommended by women and those that deliver a customer experience worthy of their recommendation. According to recent studies:

• Today's U.S. female consumer values the opinion of others, and more than half of all women consider her role as a broadcaster, responsible for helping others make smart choices.
• 92% of Americans will seek out the recommendation of others before making a major decision.
• Nine out of 10 women would "definitely" trust a brand more if it carried the Women's Choice Award seal.

As the leading advocacy for female consumers, WomenCertified^® is a marketing research firm, home to the Women's Choice Award, the only award that identifies brands that women recommend and serves as a competitive differentiator for businesses. Awards are based on surveys of thousands of women, as well as research conducted in partnership with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania on what drives consumer experience for women vs. men. To learn more, visit www.womenschoiceaward.com.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies.  It employs about 69,000 people and manufactures its products in 53 facilities in 22 countries around the world.  Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry.  For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com.

SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company