Nexen Tire Corp., South Korea’s smallest tiremaker, said Tuesday it has stepped up football marketing in Europe as part of its strategy to raise brand equity and sales.

The company, which recently inked a 1.2 trillion won ($1.17 billion) deal to build a tire production plant in the Czech Republic, said it has started advertising at football stadiums of nine professional teams belonging to Britain’s Premier League, Spain’s Primera Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A.

It said LED ads with the Nexen name have started to make an appearance at matches played by Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Everton, Southampton, Club Atletico de Madrid, Valencia, FSV Mainz, Lazio and Napoli. (Yonhap)