This weekend, the Hankook logo will be prominently displayed at five Division 1-A NCAA College Football stadiums as part of Hankook Tire America Corp.'s new sports marketing program.
The kick-off for Hankook Tire's 2005 NCAA College Football Stadium Signage Program will be Saturday, Sept. 3, at QUALCOMM Stadium, where the San Diego State University Aztecs will host the UCLA Bruins, and at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, where the University of California Golden Bears will host the Sacramento State Hornets.
On Sunday, Sept. 4, Hankook signage will be unveiled at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., as the Syracuse University Orange battle the Mountaineers of West Virginia University. This game will be televised nationally on ABC at 1:30 p.m. EDT.
Hankook signage also will be featured at the Miami Orange Bowl, home of the Miami Hurricanes, and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, home of the defending NCAA National Champion University of Southern California Trojans.
As part of the program, the Hankook name will appear in fixed signage at these venues throughout the 2005 season. The combined seating capacity of these five teams is more than 365,000 people -- and each team plays six home games. When taking local, regional and national television coverage into account, Hankook brand impressions will total well into the millions, according to the company.
"Hankook's presence at these highly regarded universities within their NCAA football stadiums is a significant expansion of our aggressive effort to promote the Hankook brand name and appeal to a wide demographic profile via sporting venues," says Bill Bainbridge, Hankook's tire marketing director.
Bainbridge says Hankook's sports marketing program has made tremendous strides in helping to raise consumer awareness of the Hankook Tire name since it began in 2001. "Sports marketing has evolved as a major component of our overall advertising and marketing strategy, and implementing a stadium signage program with NCAA football for 2005 is a natural extension of an already successful endeavor."
The Hankook name and logo also appear prominently in Major League Baseball venues around the country. Hankook also displays its signage at NBA, NHL and NCAA Basketball arenas.
"Since we share our football stadium with an NFL team, the addition of the field wrap signage adds to our home field advantage," says Wayne Guymon, assistant athletic director, corporate partnerships, for San Diego State University. "Thanks to the support of sponsors like Hankook Tire, we are able to make our stadium 'Red and Black.' The entire stadium takes on a different feel on Saturdays because of the new field wrap signage."
Hankook's 2005 NCAA College Football Stadium Signage Program was developed in conjunction with The Van Wagner Sports Group/Dorna USA.
"Hankook has demonstrated a deep understanding for the power of in-game branding, with their MLB, NBA and college team partnerships," says Michael Levine, president of Van Wagner Sports Group/Dorna USA.
