HANOVER, Germany (March 15, 2010)—Continental A.G. has extended its sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup soccer championship through the 2014 event in Brazil.
As part of the deal, Conti has acquired the worldwide rights to market its sponsorship of 2014 FIFA World Cup pro soccer and will link product communication in general with the sponsorship. In the fall of 2010, the tire maker's passenger and light truck tires division will develop a new marketing concept for Continental-brand tires for the sponsorship period.
“We are convinced that sponsoring the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil will allow us to markedly enhance our brand awareness, especially in regions where market demand is growing fast at the moment, like South America and Asia,” said Nikolai Setzer, Continental executive board member responsible for passenger and light truck tires.
The deal comes just weeks after Continental Tire North America Inc. secured a deal with Major League Soccer to make Continental the official tire of the North American soccer league for the coming few years.
“In addition, by sponsoring Major League Soccer we are, for the first time, able to use North American pro soccer as a national communications platform,” Setzer said. “Over the long run, we want to make Continental a top premium brand in the replacement tire business in the world's key markets and tie soccer sponsoring as closely as possible into our business relations.”
Conti said it is a “major player in the Brazilian replacement business, controlling over 10 percent of the market.” The company operates a passenger and commercial tire plant in Camacari, Brazil, which produced more than 4 million tires in 2009.
Conti already is one of six official sponsors the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament, to take place June 11-July 11 in South Africa. Conti was an official partner in 2006 and has supported European championships since 1995.
Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.