Hankook Tire announces the extension of its UEFA Europa League contract until the 2020/21 season

• - Hankook Tire is extending its successful commitment to the UEFA Europa League for a further three years until the 2020/21 season. This makes Hankook Tire the longest running sponsor of Europe’s largest professional club football competition, with a total of nine years by the time of the Final in 2021. The new contract gives the premium tyre manufacturer the right to present the ‘Player of the Week‘ and thus develop its brand presence even further. In addition, the tyre makers’ visibility within the stadium will increase via additional pitch side LED advertising at a minimum of 30 matches during the group stages each season. Hankook Tire has been using its sponsorship activities successfully since 2012 to further increase awareness of the brand in the European market.

Neu-Isenburg/Germany, 16 May 2018 - Ahead of the celebrations at the final of the UEFA Europa League, Hankook Tire and Europe’s largest professional club football competition announce the extension of their contract for a further three years. With great excitement, fans across the world and consumers follow the fortunes of their local football club in this competition, which gives clubs from 55 countries the opportunity to face each other in a total of 205 matches each season. This commitment enables the tyre manufacturer to address a huge number of potential customers through the emotional vehicle of football. At the start of the 2018/19 season, the presence of premium brand Hankook Tire will be further enhanced around the matches in the stadiums and online. Alongside the ‘Man of the Match‘ at the Final, Hankook Tire will also be presenting the ‘Player of the Week‘ on UEFA.com chosen by the public each match week via online voting.

Hyun Bum Cho, President & CEO of Hankook Tire, comments: “The UEFA Europa League is an important part of our sports marketing strategy. Football is one of the most popular sports in the world and plays a major role in the European countries with high tyre sales potential in particular. Today’s final in Lyon will be watched live by an estimated 60 million people – we are very pleased that Hankook Tire will not only be part of this major event today, but that we are continuing our successful partnership with the UEFA Europa League until the 2020/21 season.”

Commenting on the announcement, Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director of UEFA Events SA, said: “This is the second time that I am proud to announce that Hankook Tire has renewed their sponsorship of the UEFA Europa League, the last time being on the eve of the Final in Warsaw 2015, and we remain wholly committed to ensuring the partnership continues to be a success for both parties. Through the exclusive Hankook Tire back stadium tours and via VIP ticket raffles, Hankook Tire has been able to expand the enjoyment of the UEFA Europa League outside of traditional fans, bringing unique benefits to many more people over the course of the past six seasons. We look forward to continuing the strong partnership until 2021 and indeed further into the future. Today’s Final in Lyon marks the start of this commitment and we look forward to working together even closer over the next three years.”

Hankook Tire is original fitment manufacturer to Audi, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, KIA, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Porsche, Seat, Scania, Skoda and Volkswagen among others, and is well established with its premium products in the automotive sector. In terms of its marketing strategy, the tyre manufacturer relies on a multi-level concept which is made up of local, continental and global sponsoring commitments. This way, individual market situations can be integrated in an optimum way and customer loyalty and the visibility of the brand can be supported through specific measures. Thus, for example, Hankook Tire has been a global sponsor of Real Madrid C.F. since 2016 and is involved in the UEL throughout Europe. On a local level, the German subsidiary sponsors Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, while the Czech branch sponsors Sparta Prague and the Russian Hankook Tire office Spartak Moscow.