Dunlop will be the ‘Official Tyre Partner’ of the 2014 Isle of Man TT races, having signed a new multi-year deal. The tyre brand has competed in all but two years of the championship since its first in 1907. John McGuinness and Joey Dunlop are among the many riders to have shod their bikes with Dunlop tyres, and the manufacturer has claimed more TT wins than any other tyre brand.
Yokohama Tire Corporation has reinstated its sponsorship of National Basketball Association franchise Los Angeles Clippers, having agreed that half of the 2014 NBA playoff sponsorship funds will be earmarked for charitable donations. YTC had suspended its sponsorship following racist remarks allegedly made by owner Donald Sterling, who was subsequently banned from the NBA for life.
This year’s National Tyre Distributors Association’s annual dinner is the 85th holding of the event. While bearing a new name – what the industry has long known as the TAFF Awards has been rebranded as the Tyre Industry Awards – the dinner remains the UK industry’s main social event. Today, Pirelli announced it will sponsor the ‘Tyre Retail Centre of the Year’ award category. The award will be handed out at the annual NTDA dinner and prize-giving ceremony in Manchester on 8 October.
Toyo Tire Europe says it will participate in Reifen 2014 with a radical new concept booth designed to showcase the company’s more focused, purposeful approach. The new booth takes the theme of an urban skatepark with a large half pipe dominating the design. The concept is intended to reflect the driven nature of skaters. The Essen show is the first outing for Toyo’s new exhibition presence, however the company says we can also expect to see the booth at consumer events during the coming year.
Donald Sterling, owner of the US basketball team Los Angeles Clippers, is in a lot of hot water over a recorded conversation in which he allegedly told his girlfriend not to bring black people to games played by his team. Even President Barack Obama has described the comments as being “incredibly offensive racist statements”. Team sponsor Yokohama Tire Corporation has also responded to the incident, placing a question mark alongside its future association with the Clippers.
Bridgestone has renewed its sponsorship of 16-year-old Redditch rider Rob Yates, following his “breakthrough” year of 2013. Bridgestone training development manager Mark Fereday predicted that Yates is “destined for greater things in the years ahead.” The tyre brand will supply tyres and clothing as Yates competes in such competitions as the GT Cup and British Schoolboy Motorcycle Association championships.
Alliance Tire Americas, Inc. is now an official sponsor of the National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA), according to the association the world’s oldest and most respected truck and tractor pulling sanctioning organization. NPTA reports that the three-year deal will “raise awareness for the Alliance brand by exposing it to fans attending tractor pulls across the Midwest and South, as well as to the thousands who follow the action on RFD-TV and online.”
An agreement concluded today between Toyo Tire & Rubber and Associazione Calcio Milan – AC Milan – gives the Japanese tyre maker Premium Sponsor status with the football club until June 2016. Toyo says the sponsorship deal will influence its global branding content and help the company to “more clearly bring out the potential premium image of the products we offer.” It anticipates “significant” medium-term advantages will result from the partnership in Europe and Asia, and in two regions where Toyo is “contemplating market expansion” – the Middle East and Russia.
Balkrishna Industries, or BKT, has selected US marketing and communication company Red Moon Marketing as its official experiential agency of record. In this role, Red Moon Marketing will manage and coordinate all promotional activities related to BKT’s function as Monster Jam tyre manufacturer and supplier.
The sponsorship agreement between BKT and Feld Motor Sports was officialised at the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas late last month, the tyre maker reports. The deal, which sees BKT supplying the Monster Jam vehicles through to 2018, was confirmed by BKT executive director Rajiv Poddar and Feld Entertainment CEO Kenneth Feld.
Football sponsorship has been a favoured means of brand promotion at Continental since it became a Champions League partner in 1995, and in addition to its numerous global, regional and national commitments it has now signed up as an official sponsor of the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015. At the centre of this deal with the Asian Football Confederation is a championship taking place in Australia between 9 and 31 January 2015; teams from 46 countries will be involved and match coverage will reach up to 2.5 billion spectators.
As the first athlete took to the slopes on 23 October 2013 to begin the 2013/14 season of the FIS Audi Ski World Cup, tyre manufacturer Bridgestone began its third season of support for the winter sport tournament. The manufacturer says the event offers international coverage, while also displaying characteristics congruent with its winter tyres: safety, control, grip and balance.
Taiwanese tyre maker Federal Tyres states it has “set its sights on ten per cent market share in Russia” and aims to double the number of wholesalers it works with there (currently nine in eight cities, including Moscow, St Petersburg and Ekaterinberg) every year for the next five years to help achieve this objective by 2019. The company has been present in the Russian market since 2004 and its products are available at over 10,000 retailers across the country. It has now launched a brand new website, www.federaltyresrussia.com, VKontakte page, vk.com/federaltyresrussia, and 2014 campaign slogan that capitalises on Federal’s sponsorship of Manchester United: “Awaken the Champion inside” (Пробуди в себе Чемпиона).
FIFA World Cup sponsor Continental Tyres has embarked on a national roadshow that aims to take a little piece of Brazil to football fans across England. For this ‘Road to Rio’ campaign, the tyre maker has teamed up with Isuzu Truck (UK), which has donated an Isuzu Grafter 3.5 tonne truck to transport Fuleco, the official Brazil 2014 mascot, from town to town. The roadshow began in Liverpool on 11 March and was launched by former Liverpool and England striker Robbie Fowler, a Road to Rio Ambassador for Continental Tyres. Road to Rio will continue until 11 May.
Nankang has been named official tyre partner of Japfest – billed as ‘Europe’s biggest Japanese car show – and the Trax. modified and performance car event. Nankang Tyre UK will entertain the crowds at both shows with displays from Nankang-shod drift cars, and will also display the latest Nankang product range at its stand.
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