Kia brand becomes official sponsor of UEFA EURO 2008™

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2007-04-25 10:12

Seoul--(뉴스와이어)--Kia Motors Corporation, in conjunction with Hyundai Motor, has become an official global sponsor of the upcoming UEFA European Football Championship™, or ‘UEFA EURO 2008™’.

Kia Motors Corporation President & CEO, Euisun Chung, and Chief Operating Officer of UEFA Marketing and Media Management, Philippe Margraff, held a ceremony for the UEFA EUROTOP partnership, which includes sponsorship rights of the UEFA EURO 2008™ tournament, at the grand opening ceremony of Kia’s ?1 billion Slovakia plant on April 24. The partnership broadens Kia’s long-term partnership with football, which started with the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan and now includes official partnerships with FIFA until 2014 and the Chinese national men’s and women’s football teams.

“We are honored to be in a fortunate position to sponsor the UEFA EURO 2008™ tournament as part of our EUROTOP partnership agreement with UEFA. This sponsorship, fittingly signed on this historic day for Kia Motors, will give a big boost to our brand awareness, not only here in Europe but also among the huge audience of football fans throughout the world,” said Mr. Chung.

Speaking at the ceremony at Kia Motors’ first European production facility, UEFA’s Philippe Margraff commented, “UEFA EURO 2008™ promises to be a spectacular sporting event enjoyed by millions all over the world. Kia Motors is not only strengthening its relationship with Europe today [by officially opening the Slovakia production facility] but it is also building an exciting relationship with one of the world’s premier sporting events.”

The UEFA EURO 2008™ sponsorship will entitle Kia to promote its brand on perimeter boards around the stadiums and through official UEFA TV broadcast partners during the event, and use the event’s official logo in company media materials. In addition, Kia will also provide official vehicles that will be used during the event.

In addition to UEFA EURO 2008™, the EUROTOP partnership means that the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group has obtained the right to participate as an official sponsor in all of UEFA's national-team competitions including the European U-21 Championships in 2007 and 2009, the European Futsal Championships in 2007 and 2009, and the Women’s European Football Championship in 2009.

This move, along with the grand opening ceremony of Kia’s manufacturing plant in Slovakia, is expected to boost Kia’s brand image and awareness across the European market. Kia’s Slovakia plant is producing the cee’d family of compact vehicles designed by and for Europeans, and will also begin producing Kia’s Sportage compact SUV later this year.

The UEFA EUROTOP partnership will allow Kia to continue to actively build its global brand and association with football, the most popular sport in the world.

ABOUT THE UEFA EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP™

The official name for UEFA EURO 2008™ is ‘UEFA European Football Championship™’ and it is the largest football event in Europe. It began in 1960 in France and it is held every four years in tournament format.

The figures from UEFA EURO 2004™ show the scale of the event: UEFA EURO 2004™ was broadcast on television in more than 200 countries, amounting to total broadcasting time of 30,000 hours and each of the 31 matches was followed live by at least 150 million TV viewers.

The official UEFA EURO 2004™ website clocked up 500 million page views and over 40 million users.

16 qualifying national teams from throughout Europe form four groups of four teams and play in a tournament every four years. Since the inaugural tournament in 1960, it has received much attention from football fans not only in Europe but also from all around the world. UEFA EURO 2008™ will be held from June 7th until the 29th in Austria and Switzerland.

The event has been a launching platform to fame for football superstars such as Johann Cruijf, Michel Platini, Marco Van Basten, Oliver Bierhoff, Zinedine Zidane, Michael Owen, and David Beckham. It is widely considered as an event that helps boost the brand image of official sponsors as it is aired all over the world.

Kia Motors Corporation (www.kiamotors.com or www.kia.com) -- one of the fastest growing automakers in the world -- was founded in 1944 and is Korea’s oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. As part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, Kia aims to become one of the world’s premier automotive brands. Kia’s 12 manufacturing and assembly operations in 8 countries produce more than 1.3 million vehicles a year that are sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 165 countries. Kia today has over 33,000 employees and annual revenues of almost $19 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Tennis Open and an official worldwide sponsor of the Davis Cup. From 2007 to 2014, Kia will be an official automotive partner of FIFA -- the governing body of the FIFA World Cup. Kia Motors Corporation’s brand slogan -- “The Power to Surprise” -- represents the company’s global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation.

웹사이트: http://www.kiamotors.com