Hankook Tire 2005 NCAA College Football Stadium Signage Program

WAYNE, N.J., Aug. 31, 2005 -- In an unprecedented move in sports marketing, Hankook Tire America Corp. enters NCAA College Football stadiums this weekend as its logo will be prominently displayed around the playing fields at five Division 1-A schools. The kick-off for Hankook Tire's 2005 NCAA College Football Stadium Signage Program will be Saturday, September 3rd as the new signage will make its debut 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, September 4th, Hankook signage will be unveiled at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY as the Syracuse University Orange battle the Mountaineers of West Virginia University. This game will be televised nationally on ABC at 1:30 PM EDT.

In addition to Syracuse University, San Diego State University, and the University of California, Hankook signage will also 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.

Hankook's 2005 NCAA College Football Stadium Signage Program calls for the Hankook name to appear in fixed signage at the venues of these five top-rated NCAA football teams throughout the 2005 season. The stadiums of these five teams have seating capacity for more than 365,000 people combined -- times six home games on each schedule. This will log hundreds of thousands of Hankook brand impressions with in-stadium game day attendance and literally several million more impressions via local, regional, and national television coverage including ESPN, ESPN2, ABC and FoxSportsNet -- as well as game replays and highlights on countless local and national sports news programs.

"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," explains Bill Bainbridge, Hankook Tire Marketing Director.

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," Mr. Bainbridge says, "and implementing a stadium signage program with NCAA Football for 2005 is a natural extension of an already successful endeavor."

The sports marketing program has garnered Hankook widespread exposure while reinforcing the Company's brand image in major markets nationwide, and in some cases worldwide. These sports marketing relationships are a direct result of efforts by Hankook's advertising agency, G.P. Clarke Advertising, Inc. of New York. "One of our goals is to build brand impressions and to channel them to Hankook's growing dealer network," says Richard A. Clarke, agency president. "A creative sports marketing program further lays the groundwork for ongoing and future advertising and marketing efforts."

The Hankook name and logo appear prominently in Major League Baseball venues around the country, including many of the teams still chasing a pennant in 2005. Hankook signage has also been prominent in NBA, NHL and NCAA Basketball arenas posting literally billions of brand impressions with sports fans via live audiences as well as regional and national television audiences.

"Since we share our football stadium with an NFL team, the addition of the field wrap signage adds to our home field advantage," notes Wayne Guymon, Assistant Athletic Director, Corporate Partnerships, 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, a pioneer in sports advertising and marketing.

"The Van Wagner Sports Group/Dorna USA is proud to have an advertiser like Hankook Tire as a founding partner for our new NCAA College Football 'Stadium Domination' Program," says Michael Levine, President of 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. This fall, Hankook will continue to be ahead of its peers on the sports marketing landscape, with this new entree into NCAA College Football."

As a technology-focused, market driven company manufacturing a wide range of High Performance and Ultra-High Performance Passenger, Light and Medium Truck, Winter Radial, Original Equipment, and Truck and Bus Radial tires, Hankook is at the forefront of new product innovation and development. Hankook Tire America Corp. markets tires through a nationwide network of independent tire dealers and retailers.