Leading tire brand to use top ice hockey competition to strengthen brand’s character across European markets
Zug, Switzerland – Infront, the exclusive media and marketing partner of the Champions Hockey League (CHL), has welcomed GT Radial as the Official Tire Partner of the European ice hockey competition from the start of the 2021/22 season.
The three-year agreement provides GT Radial with extensive brand exposure through traditional and digital activation opportunities across all rounds of the competition. This includes advertising at all games, its logo on official media backdrops and on the CHL website and tickets.
Digital is at the heart of the agreement and GT Radial will also use CHL’s fast-growing online and social media presence to improve its presence in Europe. It will also leverage onsite activations with fans, creating money-cannot-buy experiences when possible.
Stefan Brohs, Marketing Director - Europe for Giti Tire, manufacturer of GT Radial, said: “We have a perfect fit between GT Radial and the CHL. The brand is driven by an exciting and fast-moving personality, all descriptions you can use to describe ice hockey at its highest level. We plan to utilise in full the European format of the CHL and its very high-profile, massively popular digital platforms, especially in the key northern region countries where the game is extremely popular.
Martin Baumann, CEO of the Champions Hockey League, said: “We are proud to announce that GT Radial has come on board as a new Official Tire Partner of the Champions Hockey League. We believe this to be a perfect fit, as GT Radial is one of the leaders in their market and is known for producing innovative products of the highest quality, sharing the attributes that the CHL brings to European ice hockey. Both brands hold the values of performance, precision, and speed very highly, underlining the synergies between them and paving the way for further cooperation. We view GT Radial as a very active and committed partner and look forward to a close, very fruitful, and mutually beneficial partnership as we both strive to be leaders in Europe.”
Michael Witta, Infront Vice President Marketing Sales and Services said: “GT Radial’s decision to become a CHL sponsor was driven by the fast-moving and precision-based nature of the sport, perfectly matching the way it wants its brand to be perceived. We are happy to have helped the company identify a new way to engage a growing audience and boost awareness of its winter portfolio.”
This year’s Champions Hockey League will kick off with its Group Stage draw on 19 May 2021, followed by the Group Stage games starting on 26 August. The tournament will conclude with the final on 1 March 2022.
About the Champions Hockey League
The league is fully owned and operated by Champions Hockey League AG/Ltd which includes, as its shareholders, 26 European clubs, six National Leagues and the International Ice Hockey Federation. The Shareholder Leagues are from: Austria (ICEHL), Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. The best teams from the Challenger Leagues (Belarus, Denmark, France, Norway, Poland, Ukraine and United Kingdom) are awarded participation Wild Cards. The 2021/22 season will feature 32 teams from 13 different leagues and 14 countries that will compete in 125 games from August to March. One will ultimately be crowned as European club champions. The CHL season culminates with a one-game Final showdown which will be played on 1 March 2022.
