• by Karl Greenberg , September 1, 2010

Chicago's storied NFL charter team, the Bears, is one of the most popular in the league. Chicago is the biggest single-team NFL market in the league and has the sixth-largest local fan base in the U.S. (places like New York are bigger, but New York has two teams).

Toyota's Midwest regional office is taking advantage of the size of the club's fan base as first-string sponsor of the Chicago Bears through the 2011 season. The effort, which is being handled through Toyota's Midwest regional office, takes the brand from "Proud Partner" of the Bears in 2009, to "Official Car of the Chicago Bears."

The deal gives Toyota headline sponsorship of the team's official post-game show, "Bears Gamenight Live on Fox Chicago." Toyota will also be an associate partner of "Back to Football Week," a new grassroots effort that the team will launch prior to the Sept. 12 opener. Toyota will also sponsor a new "Fan of the Week" application on Facebook.

Furthermore, it will have a presence in LED signage throughout Soldier Field during Bears home games, and the brand is in the official GameDay magazine, pre-season television and the "Bears Insider" radio show.

Mike Rocco, general manager of Toyota's Midwest region, says that last year Toyota had signage, print ads, pre-season TV spots and a presence on the Bears' Web site. "This new deal takes it to the next level, especially with 'Official Car' status," he says. Per Rocco, Toyota's Midwest region -- comprising Illinois, Indiana, Minneapolis and Wisconsin -- is sixth out of 12 total regions. There are 30 dealers in Chicagoland who sold 40,134 vehicles last year, which comprised 36% of the four-state total.

Rocco says the effort is not focused on a specific product, but its aim is to grow awareness and prominence in the Chicagoland market. He says the Toyota logo will be affixed to events all over the Windy City, starting on Monday. "Our 30 dealers are also one of the few places where you can obtain a commemorative 'Back to Football Week' poster in the area." He says dealers will also get posters, signs, etc., and will be encouraged to use the "Official Car of the Bears" in their individual promotions.

The company is also the naming sponsor for Toyota Park in nearby Bridgeview, which is home to Chicago Fire, a professional soccer team.

Chris Hibbs, senior director of sales and marketing for the Bears, says the deal doesn't make Toyota the only auto advertiser around Bears stomping grounds, but makes it the only one with a multi-level integration. "We delineate between media advertising and true sponsorship," he says. "Certainly, there are other Bears [auto] sponsors, but [Toyota is] the only car partner in import non-luxury."

According to a 2009 Scarborough study, 2.22 million Chicagoans say they are very interested in the NFL. And more than 4.48 million adults in the Chicago DMA have watched, attended, or listened to a Bears game within the year.

Hibbs says Toyota fills a spot once occupied by General Motors, which had both luxury and non-luxury official auto status with the Bears (Cadillac was official luxury car). "Going back four years, we had a deal with Cadillac. Now the market is rebounding and the partnership with Toyota reflects that," he says.

The Bears fan base is one of the largest in professional sports of any kind, with a diverse demographic of 4 million to 5 million fans in the Chicago region. "We basically mirror the market," says Hibbs. "But people who come to games at Soldier Field are more affluent."

The Back to Football effort is a week-long grassroots program that includes things like private events for season-ticket holders, events on the first day of school at 10 Chicago public schools, bar parties and live broadcasts of a radio rally at Daley Plaza at lunchtime with radio talent and Bear alumnae. The University of Phoenix and the Chicago Tribune are co-sponsors of the week's events.

Hibbs says promotional plans, still in the works, will be tied to local Toyota dealers. He says the Facebook program launching next week, for example, will link to Chicago area dealers' Facebook pages. "The goal and motivation for them was to associate Toyota with what Chicago cares about."