• by Karl Greenberg , June 29, 2015

Hyundai Motor America has signed on as official automotive sponsor of the NFL, the Fountain Valley, Calif. automaker said in a statement. The company, which replaces General Motors in the sponsorship position, will have use of NFL trademarks across various marketing channels, including branded content, advertising and promotional materials. General Motors spent about $25 million per year on the deal to tout its GMC brand.

Hyundai says it will exploit the year-round status of the game, including off-season, extending activity agains the Super Bowl, NFL Combine, NFL Draft, NFL Kickoff and NFL Playoffs. Hyundai will also provide promotional vehicles at the Super Bowl and other events throughout the year.

Dave Zukowski, president and CEO of the Fountain Valley, Calif.-based Hyundai Motor America, tells Marketing Daily that the deal gives Hyundai the whole reach spectrum, from national to local. “Sports has has worked well for us. This gives us the ability to do a lot of things all year.” he says the Super Bowl gives it a big presence on the ground and in broadcast, and it also gets exclusive automotive access to the NFL shield. “It means we have a broad plan, with branded content and promotional materials.”

And, he says, some of the best benefits are those that don’t immediately spring to mind, such as how the sponsorship can power up dealership opportunities locally. “That is one thing we have learned from our NCAA partnership. It’s about engaging dealers and local markets that are football crazy.”

He adds that social media is going to be a big opportunity, particularly bringing its ownership of the NFL shield to tie-ins with fantasy football. “Those numbers are huge; broadly, we have our team and agency working with the NFL to flesh out some of the unique ways to go to market with this that give us the right look and feel, and access to different audiences.”