Kumho's Sponsorship
Kumho Tire will hold the 2016 Kumho Tire Women’s Open, a tour of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) and publicize its brand as an official tire supplier of the event via live broadcast in Korea and China.
The event will be held at Weihai Point Hotel and Golf Resort, Weihai City, Shandong, China from July 1 to 3 with a total of 500 million won at stake. The champion will take 100 million won. Weihai Point famous for its beautiful natural environment whose three sides are surrounded by the sea and challenging course was selected as one of the ten best golf courses in China. Leading female golfers of Korea and China will fiercely compete on the golf course for three days.
Kumho Tire has been sponsoring female golfers by holding the Kumho Tire Women’s Open four times since 2013. The tire giant began to support pro golfer Jang Ha-na by sealing a deal to support the female pro golfer in 2013. The following year, Kumho reached a deal to sponsor Peng Shanshan, “the Pak Se-ri of China for three years until the end of 2017. The two golfers play golf in uniforms with the Kumho Tire logos on in every golf championships while taking part in the tire company’s various marketing activities.
A total of 126 Korean and Chinese golfers will play in the golf event. Among them are Jang Ha-na (double crown winner of the 2016 LPGA tour who ranks ninth in the world, Peng Shanshan, a 12th ranker in the world), Baek Kyu-jeong, Bae Seon-woo who recorded her first KLPGA win this year, Park Seong-won and Lee So-young, a rising star rookie.
Jang Ha-na which Kumho Tire is sponsoring for the fourth year this year recorded her first LPGA win early this year and took home the trophy of the HSBC Women’s Championship. These records catapulted Jang to stardom in the world of women’s golf. Peng standing highest among Chinese female golfers recently won the Buick Championship of the Ladies European Tour for the second consecutive year.
Moreover, Peng significantly contributed to the enhancement of the Kumho Tire brand in China. “We will make endeavors to strengthen our brand image as a global tire company and become a friendlier company by way of a wide array of golf marketing such as holding golf events and sponsoring world-class golfers,” said Joo Gyeong-tae, an executive director of marketing at Kumho Tire.
On the other hand, Kumho Tire is actively sponsoring various sports in addition to golf marketing. The company is supporting the Kia Tigers in Korea by signing a uniform ad deal with the professional baseball club. The NBA (National Basketball Association) and the NBA D-League (National Basketball Association Development League) welcomed Kumho Tire as their official sponsor. In soccer, Kumho Tire is informing of its brand by sponsoring Spain’s Primera Liga and Germany’s Bundesliga, both of which are two of the world’s four major professional soccer leagues.