Yokohama kicks off tire sponsorship with New England Patriots

Yokohama has added the National Football League's New England Patriots to its roster of sports marketing partnerships. The tire maker is also sponsoring the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens.

The Patriots’ sponsorship includes Yokohama’s “Home Team Pride” program, which begins Oct. 9 and runs through Nov. 6. Customers can receive a free $85 gift card to the Patriot Pro Shop with the purchase of four tires from participating local dealers.

As the team’s “Official Tire,” Yokohama will receive significant media exposure, including weekly in-game and post-game television spots, features and billboards on the weekly telecast, as well as tickets and hospitality offerings.

“We’ve had great success the last few seasons with our football sponsorships,” says sales director Shawn Denlein, “but we’ve really raised the bar by partnering with one of the highest visibility teams in all of sports. The Patriots have a huge, passionate fan base which, along with the ‘Home Team Pride’ gift card promotion, will help generate foot traffic in our dealers’ stores.

Besides football, Yokohama’s other 2011 sports sponsorships include deals with baseball’s Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies plus basketball’s Houston Rockets.

“These types of sports sponsorship programs offer far- reaching brand visibility and are a great avenue to promote our lineup of tires,” says Denlein.

For more information, visit www.yokohamatire.com.