Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. is planning to take full advantage of its 2014 Premium Sponsorship agreement with AC Milan.
The Italian professional soccer team defeated Lazio 3-1 in its Serie A league home opener on Aug. 31. That also signaled the end to Toyo's pre-season promotional campaign, in which 100 winners received AC Milan smartphone covers. The campaign, which ran from Aug. 13-29, received 1,900 entries.
Toyo is aggressively utilizing content featuring AC Milan in its advertising material. In addition to developing and launching a collection of original novelty items for its customers, the company is producing video content that highlights AC Milan’s star players.
Toyo also is planning the following:
* a tour in which participating fans will attend games and provide firsthand reports of the Milan Derby with Inter Milan on Nov. 23. A campaign is currently underway to recruit 11 Toyo "reporters" for the Milan Derby.
* “Toyo Tires presents” match sponsor day. For the Dec. 14 match with Napoli, the company "will be on full display" at San Silo Stadium, home of AC Milan.
"The football club boasts a following of fans from all around the world, and will become an important source of branding content for the company," says Toyo. The 2014-2015 season will be Toyo's first full season with the club.
AC Milan activities and match results will be updated to Toyo's Facebook page and "On and OFF the Field" Tumbler page.
“In the face of ruthless competition, brands have to win the loyalty of their customers in the best way possible," said Toyo President Akira Nobuki when the sponsorship was announced last April. "Our aim is to imitate the club’s image by remaining at a high level and never lowering the level of our performance, just like the Milan fans demand of their players."
