Sports marketing has long been a part of the tire spectrum. But for most of the last 100 years, that “sports marketing” was tied primarily to motorsports. “Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday” was the mantra of every major brand involved in motorsports, hoping that on-track success would lead to in-store success.

Times have changed, with major race series eliminating true tire competition. Meanwhile, more and more tiremakers became major players, and they started looking for other sports-related avenues to explore.

Over the past decade, tire tie-ins have been hatched with college and pro sports teams and leagues, and even the world’s greatest sports spectacle – the Super Bowl.

Less grandiose venues have also proved worthwhile, as Yokohama Tire Corp. has discovered through its team-by-team approach, working tie-ins with NFL, NBA and MLB teams.

While attending a recent driving event in Denver, we got a first-hand look at how the relationship between a pro sports team and a tiremaker can bring dividends to all parties – especially tire dealers.

The driving event was held in the shadow of Invesco Field, with local dealers and media giving Yokohama’s DB Super E-Spec and Avid ENVigor radials turns through an autocross track and braking lane laid out in the parking lot. Four Mini Coopers provided the power, and Yokohama had the chance to meet with its local dealers and show off its orange oil technology to Denver media outlets.

That same weekend, the Denver Broncos – sponsored by Yokohama – opened their 2010 preseason against the Detroit Lions. It being the preseason, not all aspects of the sponsorship agreement were engaged – such as a booth display outside of the stadium or tickets for local dealers – but other key elements were well in place.

For instance, Yokohama was a recognized sponsor of instant replays during the game on the stadium’s giant high-definition scoreboards, and the tiremaker had a coupon in the “Bronco Country Value Book” distributed to every fan as they entered the stadium. The coupon promoted Yoko­hama’s “Buy 4 tires, get a Broncos jersey free” promotion.

Yokohama also enjoys similar sponsorships and promotions with the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens, and will be active at all of their home games this season.

The one-year agreements with the three teams include Yoko­hama-branded signage at the teams’ stadiums; spots on their flagship radio stations; in-stadium displays and announcements on the public address system and on LED boards; as well as hospitality opportunities at select games.

Over the past few years, Yokohama has held similar deals with a number of pro sports teams. So why has Yokohama taken this spot approach? The answer is awareness, according to Yokohama vice president of sales and marketing Dan King. “We have been very successful in driving consumers to our dealers. Dealers get a sports-them­ed consumer promotion that is different from the plethora of undifferentiated rebate cards and resonates with passionate sports fans.

“Sports marketing is a great way to build our brand while partnering with our dealers,” he said.

As for the “piecemeal” approach, King said that was purely intentional. “We pick markets and teams based on several factors. First, we look at our dealer base in the market. If we have great partnering dealers, then the market is a priority,” he said. “We then look at the market size, our volume and share. It is not until after this that we determine if we can develop a great program with one of the sports teams. The Broncos was an example of a team that was willing to customize a program for us.”

Part of that success comes from dealers “activating” the program in their markets and locations, King noted. “We work with our dealers on consumer promotion, in-store point-of-sale, and in some cases, sales contests.”

Success for the dealers comes “where there is enthusiasm and strong, active partnership; where dealers integrate the sponsorship into their ad and promotion plans and actions,” he said.

Yokohama dealers have been positive about the programs, and the market response bears this out, according to King. “We are seeing significant increases in traffic and sales,” he said.

As for the future, King said that is purely a matter of having the right conditions. “When all the criteria are met and conditions are right, we will invest confidently,” he said of 2011 plans. “We are currently in negotiations, though no final selections have been made yet.”