Neu-Isenburg, Germany, 23 May 2024 – The saying “never change a winning team” applies perfectly to the partnership between Hankook Tire and UEFA. For the fifth consecutive time, premium tyre manufacturer Hankook is extending its successful involvement in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League for a further three years until the end of the 2026/27 season. Furthermore, through the sponsorship of the UEFA Conference League, Hankook’s second brand Laufenn will further increase its brand awareness in the important second-tier segment within the tyre industry. With the start of the 2024/25 season comes a new competition format that will bring added excitement with the introduction of the league phase and revamped knockout phase.
In the first year of the new three-year sponsorship cycle, the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League season evolves from a 32-team group stage to a 36-team league phase, giving four more teams the opportunity to compete in this prestigious competition. Each team will play eight matches against eight different opponents in this phase, four home and four away. In the UEFA Conference League, the number of participants that will participate in a league phase will also increase to 36 clubs, however, each team plays six different opponents. Football fans, customers, and partners of Hankook and Laufenn will thus be able to watch the competition of 72 teams in total. In the league phase format, every match, every goal, every point and every position in the ranking counts, featuring top clashes right from the first match day.
Adding to the excitement of the new format and season are the various sponsorship rights and activations that Hankook Tire managed to secure in UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League. Already well-known and successful initiatives such as the "referee mascots" will be used during the season and at the finals for fan engagement as well as CSR purposes, and frequently activated in partnership with the UEFA Foundation for Children (e.g. during the UEFA finals in Dublin and Athens in May 2024). In addition, numerous digital activities on UEFA and Hankook channels will engage football fans across Europe, for instance by giving away premium tickets for all matches via the hankook.win microsite and giving lucky winners the opportunity to travel to an exciting European city to experience matches live at iconic European stadiums.
Exclusive on-site rights such as the "Back Stadium Tour" provide customers and fans with unforgettable stadium experiences on match days. Hankook Tire will also continue its "Player of the Match" presentations after both finals. LED perimeter advertising and other familiar brand elements such as media backdrops during TV interviews and press conferences will further promote both brands, Hankook and Laufenn, at every match. One of the key sponsorship objectives for Hankook is to position itself as a global leader in EV tyre technology and premium brand by showcasing the Hankook iON brand, the industry’s first full range of tyres developed specifically for electric vehicles, on perimeter board advertising at the venues as well as through digital activities.
Hankook is paving the way for sustainability-driven innovation and will also emphasise this focus with its E.Circle strategy as part of the partnership. E.Circle aims to ensure the protection of the environment in tyre technology by applying four practices: recycling, renewable energy, reuse and reduction. As part of E.Circle, Hankook Tire strives not only to develop eco-friendly and sustainable products, but also to offer customers an optimal driving experience through a circular economy system throughout the product process.
"It is a pleasure to continue our successful partnership with UEFA for another three years", says Sanghoon Lee, President of Hankook Tire Europe. "Football is the most popular and loved sport in Europe. Millions of fans will follow the matches on TV and in the stadiums, and we are proud to be part of it. Our sponsorship of both UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League is a key element of our marketing strategy, aiming to further enhance the awareness and acceptance of Hankook and Laufenn in the European market. In particular, the significant brand exposure of our brand Hankook iON, premium tyres exclusively developed for electric vehicles, will support our goal to be the world’s leading EV tyre manufacturer. Furthermore, the introduction of the UEFA Conference League has already proven to be the perfect platform for raising awareness of our secondary brand Laufenn in Europe.”
“We are thrilled that Hankook, the UEFA Europa League’s longest-standing sponsor, will remain a partner for the next three seasons of both the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League, especially as we enter the new league phase format era of our men’s club competitions. We look forward to building on our fruitful relationship that we have had for more than a decade to further elevate the fan experience while also driving forward our mutual commitment to community engagement”, says Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Marketing Director.
Captions:
Image 1: Sanghoon Lee, President of Hankook Tire Europe, and Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA-Marketing Direktor, looking forward to another three years of sponsorship for UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League and the excitement with the new format.
Image 2 and 3: Bergamo striker and scorer of three goals in the final, Ademola Lookman, receives the "Player of the Match" trophy from Sanghoon Lee, President of Hankook Tire Europe.
