Hankook Tire America Corp. has unveiled its marketing plans for 2011, a program designed to boost brand awareness and preference in North America.
Hankook, which saw first quarter sales jump 26% from the same period in 2010, “will showcase the brand on everything from the TV screen to a 3,000-square-foot billboard in the heart of Times Square,” the company said.
“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,” said 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.
“Our creative has been developed to appeal to everyone from the car enthusiast to the general consumer. This is the time for Hankook Tire to further break out on the American scene,” Lee said.
Planned for 2001 are and new and expanded print and TV ad effort, baseball-related advertising, consumer promotions and more.
Hankook’s new TV 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.” The spot, filmed in New Zealand, will start to air in May on national cable networks ESPN, Discovery, Spike, Speed, CNN, Food Network, History, TruTV and FX, as well as regionally in top markets.
Hankook also is a lead sponsor of the current season of “Car Warriors” on Speed Network. Print advertising will include placements in both auto enthusiast and consumer lifestyle magazines, such as Maxim, Men’s Health, Popular Mechanics, Car And Driver and Forbes.
Hankook will continue its baseball advertising with behind-home-plate brand signage in 22 major league stadiums, which will gain millions of brand impressions among TV viewers. In addition, Hankook’s “Great Catch” baseball-themed consumer promotion kicked off April 1.
Hankook said it also will continue its involvement in Formula Drift, Redline Time Attack, Rally Cross and Pikes Peak Hill Climb.
Finally, the tiremaker has launched a second round of billboard advertising in New York City’s Times Square, which the company claims will be seen “by more than 1.5 million consumers who pass through Times Square every day.”
