Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. Teams with Los Angeles Angels for Fourth Year of Highly Successful Co-Branded Fan Giveaway

CYPRESS, CA--April 18, 2013:  Nitto Tire, a leading innovator in high performance tires, has partnered with the Los Angeles Angels for the fourth straight year to give away uniquely designed drawstring backpacks as a continuation of the two organizations' very successful co-branding partnership. Nitto will be conducting the giveaway at two Saturday afternoon home games: April 20 at 12:05 p.m. against the Detroit Tigers and June 15 at 4:15 p.m. against the New York Yankees.

Based on the high quality and popularity of its designer backpacks, Nitto is the only sponsor allowed by the Angels to produce its own giveaway product. Angels fans have responded resoundingly. Giveaways from previous years have been spotted in use by everyone from sunbathers at the beach to motorcyclists on the freeways of Southern California.

"Both Nitto and the Angels share a progressive approach to inspiring a passionate base of loyal fans and enthusiasts," said Angels Chairman Dennis Kuhl. "Our co-branding partnership perfectly aligns two premium brands who share both quality and performance."

With the broad demographic audience attracted to Angels games through stars like Albert Pujois, Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton, both organizations have also pursued innovative ways to build their fan communities via social media. With Nitto now reaching over 3.4-million fans on Facebook and the Angels ranked as one of the fastest growing teams on social media in Major League Baseball, the partnership allows each to use the latest technology to interact with fans. Additionally, Nitto will be offering fans a free download for two of their award-winning iPhone apps.

This is the fourth year that Nitto has provided a high-quality, custom giveaway item for Angels fans and the third for the popular drawstring backpacks. The backpacks are designed by Kyoko Mizutani, wife of Nitto Tire U.S.A. President Tomo Mizutani. In addition to the brand awareness achieved with the backpack giveaway, Nitto will also have exposure to an average attendance of nearly 40,000 on the home plate rotational banner, Great Plays/Bloopers and LED Halo e-billboard during those games.

"We have been diehard Angels fans for 20 years, and we treasure our large collection of Angels memorabilia," said Kyoko Mizutani. "Designing a fun and attractive accessory for the fans has been a wonderful way to express our appreciation to the team and build a relationship with the fan base."

Promotional giveaways are part of Nitto Tire's ongoing support for Angels fans, the community and the local team. With an exceptionally loyal fan base, the team has won eight American League Division Championships, hosted the MLB All-Star Game three times and captured the World Series Championship in 2002.