For the first three months of 2011, the tire maker is reporting significant growth in the U.S. with a sales increase of more than 26 percent over last year’s first quarter figures. Sales climbed 21 percent for all of 2010.
“We are experiencing terrific growth in the U.S. market, so it makes sense to increase our marketing activities to further fuel our expanding presence here,” says Soo Il Lee, president of Hankook Tire America Corp.
“Consumers have responded very positively to our value proposition – a high quality product at an excellent price, with outstanding service and support. But just as importantly, they are responding to our brand,” he notes.
“Our creative (advertising content) has been developed to appeal to everyone from the car enthusiast to the general consumer,” says Lee. “This is the time for Hankook Tire to further break out on the American scene.”
Under an expanded television and print ad umbrella called “Driving Emotion,” a new commercial – “Be One with It” – is a fast-paced, high-energy 30-second spot that focuses on the driver’s feeling of “being one” with the tire and the road, according to Lee.
Filmed in New Zealand by famed director Jeffrey Darling, the spot uses unique extreme sport situations to emphasize the theme, he reports. The commercial will start to air in May on national cable networks such as ESPN, Discovery, Spike, Speed, CNN, Food Network, History, TruTV and FX as well as regionally in top markets.
Hankook is also a lead sponsor of the current season of “Car Warriors” on the Speed Network. The print campaign will include placements in both auto enthusiast and consumer lifestyle magazines such as Maxim, Men’s Health, Popular Mechanics, Car And Driver and Forbes.
The company has nearly doubled its presence in a much-coveted placement via behind-home-plate-advertising in 22 Major League baseball parks.
Citing enhanced visibility and sales increases last year as a result of motorsports sponsorships and special racing programs, it has multiplied its involvement for 2011 by becoming an official sponsor of Formula Drift.
Hankook will also support teams competing in the Redline Time Attack series, Rally Cross and Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Enthusiasts, racers and influentials in the industry will experience the company’s increased presence in nearly two dozen races around the country in popular driving events, according to Lee.
Tens of thousands of consumers participated in Hankook’s rebate and giveaway promotions last year, and the company continues to extend its baseball-themed marketing. The 2011 “Great Catch” mail-in rebate promotion and giveaway, rewards customers with up to a $60 cash rebate for the purchase of a set of four qualifying tires along with a chance to win a 2011 Ford Explorer Limited.
In addition, the company’s tire-shaped billboard will be seen throughout the year by more than 1.5 million people who pass through Times Square each day.
For more information, visit www.hankooktireusa.com.
