Falken Tire signs MLB deal to get brand to mainstream

Falken Tire has signed on as an MLB sponsor as the company looks to increase brand awareness while repositioning from a performance trademark to a more broad-based label.

The deal includes the coming MLB playoffs and two additional years.

Falken has largely associated its brand with motorsports properties. Photo by: AP IMAGES

With a deal finalized so close to the postseason, any playoff and World Series activation won’t be easy. However, Falken hopes to have in-stadium virtual signage in place for the postseason and deliver point-of-sale materials to its nationwide network of dealers, including Discount Tire and Pep Boys, in time for the playoffs, which begin Oct. 6 and could run as late as Nov. 4. It also plans some sort of concourse presence at the World Series stadiums and will host around 100 people from its top retailers at Game 1 of the World Series, where it will hold a retailer meeting detailing its new direction and MLB strategy.

The deal additionally permits parent company Sumitomo Rubber of Japan to promote the company’s MLB ties outside of the United States for this postseason, so it will have location-appropriate video-inserted signage across Asia and South America.

Falken launched in 1983 as a brand for racing enthusiasts. As such, Falken’s sponsorships to date largely have been motorsports-focused (see chart). But with four new tires being introduced at the beginning of 2016, Falken wants a new image. The MLB sponsorship is part of a larger fall campaign that will see Falken run 1,600 TV spots in 45 days as it tries to convince both consumers and its retailers that its tires are not just for gearheads anymore.

“When consumers think of Falken, they think of performance, but as we expand our product line, we needed a broader platform,” said Richard Smallwood, Falken president and CEO. “MLB’s reach is just dramatically bigger than motorsports. We don’t want to lose our identity as a performance company, but we needed a bigger platform to get out to the masses. We’re an extremely strong brand in the youth market, but once you get over 25, it falls off sharply, so MLB should help us there.”

One of the few non-motorsports sponsorships Falken has is with the Detroit Tigers, a deal that began this season and served as a test drive. Noah Garden, MLB executive vice president of business, said that relationship led to the leaguewide deal.

“They are looking to MLB to deliver brand awareness across a wider target, so that makes us feel good,” Garden said.

Rick Brennan, Falken executive director of marketing, said lifting brand awareness will be the most important standard in gauging the sponsorship’s effectiveness.

“We’ll still target the [auto] enthusiast and continue with our motorsports activities,” he said, “but MLB gives us an opportunity to show Falken in a different light.”

For MLB, Falken replaces Bridgestone’s Firestone brand in the tire category. Firestone did not renew this year after five years as an MLB sponsor and has instead put sponsorship dollars behind country music festivals. Bridgestone remains the official tire of the International Olympic Committee, U.S. Olympic Committee, NFL and NHL.