Bridgestone Amer-icas is extending its sponsorship deal with the National Football League (NFL) through March 31, 2016, but Bridgestone will shift its focus to a more year-round presence and away from the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The restructured contract will allow Bridgestone Americas to build on its “Time to Perform” advertising/promotion campaign, which includes national advertising, consumer marketing programs and promotions, and broadcast and online media elements.
Among the new aspects of the contract will be the creation of an award for the top individual and/or team performance of the year, which will be presented during Super Bowl week. The award will follow a season of promoting outstanding NFL team and player performances on a weekly basis via digital and broadcast media, Bridgestone said.
Financial terms of the deal, which keeps the Bridgestone brand “Official Tire of the National Football League,” were not disclosed.
Under terms of the revised deal, Bridgestone will use various means to reinforce the Bridgestone brand performance message, starting at the NFL Combine and culminating at the Super Bowl. The company will seek to interact more directly with consumers by allowing exclusive behind-the-scenes access at key NFL events throughout the year, Bridgestone said.
“…this revised sponsorship is an even better fit for where we are now as a brand, and we truly appreciate the NFL for helping us get here,” said Philip Dobbs, chief marketing officer, Bridgestone Americas. “It makes good business sense at this point for us to spread out our investment throughout the year and take advantage of the excitement associated with the NFL shield.
“We have seen tremendous results from our sponsorship over the past five years,” Mr. Dobbs said, “and with this new agreement, Bridgestone Americas is ready to take full advantage of the opportunities the NFL has to offer.”