Local tire maker Kumho Tires announced Wednesday that it has signed a sponsorship deal with the National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League (NBA’s minor league) in a bid to strengthen the company’s presence overseas.

The company will be an official sponsor of both leagues ― a first within the tire industry ― until the year 2016.

The tire maker has sponsored individual professional sports teams, such as the LA Lakers and the Miami Heat in the NBA or the New York Jets in the National Football League, but this marks Kumho Tires’s first partnership with an entire league, according to the company.

“Through this sponsor agreement, we aim to drastically expand our brand awareness as a global tire company,” said Choi Hai-eok, the head of the regional sales division for North America.

In the U.S., the NBA is as popular as the sport itself, where each game averages an audience of roughly 20,000 people and is broadcasted globally, either through television or Internet, in 200 or so countries. Likewise, last season’s Game 7 of the finals is said to have reached more than 26 million viewers.

More recently, the company got its first taste of publicity during the NBA All-Star games that took place in New Orleans on Feb. 14-16, where its logo appeared in several places throughout the stadium including the scoreboard.

In the NBA D-League, Kumho Tire’s logo was also embedded in the players’ uniforms, further exposing the brand to the crowd, the company said.

Moreover, the company also plans to utilize the NBA’s broadcasting network partners, such as TNT, ESPN and ABC, during the regular and playoff season so that it may effectively advertise the brand to as many NBA fans as possible.

“We plan on exercising various brand marketing strategies to target the U.S. market, one of the world’s largest market for premium tires,” said Choi.

By Kim Joo-hyun (jhk@heraldcorp.com)