It’s only a few months since German financial daily the Handelsblatt referred to Hankook as “an aggressive challenger” to Continental. On 9 October the newspaper reported on a challenge facing the German tyre maker from other quarters. In an interview, a senior Bridgestone manager let it be known that the global market leader also wants to play a leading role in Europe in future.
Continental’s employees are on the run – for a good cause. During ContiRunningWeek 2012, which is now underway, around 18,000 Continental employees at 90 sites will set off on runs or walks to raise money for charity. A number of local fundraising activities have been arranged, and Continental Corporation will donate the proceeds from its activities to Welthungerhilfe, a German charity that combats hunger and health issues around the globe.
The college football season is getting underway in the US and Cooper Tire & Rubber has announced a number of sponsorship agreements. The tyre maker will soon commence is sixth year as exclusive tyre sponsor of the ABC College Football Halftime Show and it has inked new agreements with select colleges in the Big Ten, SEC and ACC conferences; these deals are expected to connect the Cooper brand with fans on a local market basis.
This is a short extract. Tyrepress and Tyres & Accessories subscribers can log in below to read the full article.
If you are not yet a Tyrepress or Tyres & Accessories subscriber, you can change that here.
Becoming a member has benefits such as:
Hankook has expressed its delight at the start of a new partnership with the UEFA Europa League, which “kicked off” on 3 September. Representatives from the tyre maker and the football league celebrated the arrangement at a ceremony prior to the official 2012/13 UEFA Europa League Group Stage draw at the Monegasque Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. Reporting the occasion, Hankook said the new partnership represents “yet another milestone in the company’s European marketing approach to sustainably increase brand awareness in one of the tyre manufacturer’s most important markets and reinforces Hankook’s long-standing engagement in European football.”
As a sponsor of the World and European Cup championships, Continental is well aware of the expense involved in supporting the beautiful game. Even individuals fork out a tidy sum for the privilege of supporting their favourite team. Figures released by Continental Tyres indicate that the average football fan will spend nearly £56,000 over a lifetime doing just that.
Lassa Tyres has extended its partnership agreement with Borussia Mönchengladbach Football Club for the 2012/2013 season, continuing a relationship that began last year. According to the company, Lassa was initially attracted to the partnership with Borussia Mönchengladbach since the club is one of the Germany's best-known, best-supported clubs.
Bridgestone has been replaced as the Superbowl halftime show sponsor by PepsiCo. The Super Bowl famously has one of the top global television audiences for any event, and attracted an estimated 167 million viewers this year. It is also well-known that buying into this popularity comes at a substantial cost – television commercials during the Super Bowl are estimated to run to a high of $7 million per minute.
Yokohama Tire Corporation has entered into a multi-year sponsorship deal with US National Football League (NFL) team the Chicago Bears. After signing this sponsorship agreement, Yokohama now supports four NFL teams for the 2012 season, the others being the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.
The Goodyear blimp will be present over London during the Olympics later this month and in August thanks to Goodyear’s selection as provider of aerial images by the US-based NBC network. Goodyear will lend its aerial presence to NBC Olympics’ coverage of the Olympic Games for the tenth time; the company most recently worked for NBC Olympics during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Hankook has confirmed its new status as an official sponsor of the UEFA Europa League. The sponsorship agreement signed between the tyre maker and UEFA Events SA covers the period from 2012 to 2015 and gives Hankook brand exposure through perimeter board advertising in the stadiums and through media backdrops during flash interviews and official UEFA press conferences. Hankook says the new deal demonstrates another milestone in its European marketing approach, through which it aims to sustainably increase brand awareness in this, the company’s largest regional market.
Two Hankook Tyre UK employees, product and pricing analyst Mike Olsen and customer service advisor Ben Thompson, have completed the Cycle Madagascar Challenge, and in doing so raised £6,600 for the international development charity, Transaid. Mike and Ben returned from Madagascar – the island off the coast of Africa, not the animated film – after completing a gruelling cycle of almost 500 kilometres across the country’s varied landscapes.
Continental Tire will serve as the “official tyre” of 2012 Herbalife World Football Challenge in the US following the signing of a sponsorship deal. Under the agreement, Continental Tire will receive field board signage, end board signage, in-stadium media, hospitality, and category exclusivity at all the championship, which will take place across North America between 18 July and 11 August. This latest deal is in addition to the company’s official status sponsorship of Major League Soccer (MLS). Last year Bridgestone was a sponsor of the event.
Bridgestone has renewed its sponsorship of Copa Sudamericana, the South American football cup. On 2 July the tyre maker confirmed it has signed on for a second year with the championship that is contested by 47 clubs from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Bridgestone’s title sponsorship is again reflected in the event’s name – Copa Bridgestone Sudamericana.
Germany’s Handelsblatt has reported Hankook’s “attack” on rival Continental. In an article published 22 June, the financial daily shares that the Korean tyre maker has been approved by Daimler for original equipment passenger car tyre supply, and it opines that Hankook is “increasingly proving itself an aggressive challenger to European market leader Continental.”
Bridgestone’s high-profile sponsorship of the National Football League in the US, which got underway in 2007, has been extended for a further four years. Under the terms of the new agreement signed between Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations and the NFL, sponsorship will continue through to 31 March 2016 and Bridgestone will no longer sponsor the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Instead, the tyre maker says it will focus on “reinforcing the Bridgestone brand performance message” at various games throughout the season, culminating at the Super Bowl. The Bridgestone brand will continue to be the “official tyre” of the NFL.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
