Yokohama Tire Corporation Kicks Off Football Sponsorship Programs

FULLERTON, Aug. 19, 2009: Football season is ready to kick off and so is Yokohama Tire Corporation’s annual pigskin sponsorship programs. For the third straight year, Yokohama is using one of America’s most popular sport as a marketing tool, offering a variety of dealer and consumer promotions throughout the professional and college seasons in conjunction with the National Football League’s Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, as well as two high-visibility college teams, the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans. The football campaign, the “Home Team Pride” jersey promotion, begins August 29 and runs through October 17, 2009.

“America is ready for football season,” said Shawn Denlein, Yokohama director of sales, Consumer Products, “and so are we. Once again the gridiron will help highlight our lineup of tires, including ADVANŽ, S.driveŽ, PARADAŽ, GeolandarŽ, AVIDŽ and the all-new dB Super E-spec™. These promotions, including the Home Team Pride jersey campaign, have proven to be a big hit with our dealers and their customers.”

The Home Team Pride promotion involves a jersey giveaway where dealers in the specific markets offer free, official replica team jerseys to every customer who buys any four Yokohama tires. Yokohama will also have signage, product displays and events at the stadiums, plus radio and television spots, presence on the teams’ websites and newsletters, and other corporate identifications.

The football promotions follow successful Yokohama marketing ventures with two powerhouse NBA teams, the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs.

Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires since 1917. Servicing a network of more than 4,500 points of sale in the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation offers a complete line of tires, including high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, as well as off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama’s extensive product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com.

Yokohama is a strong supporter of the tire care and safety guidelines established by the Rubber Manufacturers Association and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration. Details can be found at the “Tire Safety” section at www.yokohamatire.com.