Act(s) named Conti’s ‘sponsorship marketing agency of record’ in North America

US-based company Act(s) Marketing has been named the sponsorship marketing agency of record for Continental Tire in the US and Canada. In this capacity, Act(s) will serve as the official and exclusive agency representing Continental Tire in the ongoing activation of current sponsorship programmes along with exploration and evaluation of potential new partnerships throughout the region.

“Our work with Act(s) Marketing over the past several years has allowed us to successfully drive our business through our partnerships with MLS and GRAND-AM,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing, Continental Tire. “As our exclusive sponsorship marketing agency, we trust Act(s) to help us continue maximising these relationships as well as identify new opportunities to expand our presence in the marketplace.”

Continental Tire first engaged Act(s) in 2009 to provide consulting and property evaluation as the brand sought to make sponsorship a more significant part of its overall marketing effort.  Act(s) negotiated with the organisers of the MLS and Grand-Am racing championships on behalf of Continental Tire, and has continued to manage all aspects of the programme’s execution along with property relationships.

“We believe that a proactive approach is the most effective and efficient way to approach sponsorship investments, and Continental Tire has experienced the benefits of that approach,” said Garret Mudd, Act(s) founder and chief opportunity officer. “We evaluated a wide-variety of properties on behalf of Continental Tire before engaging in complimentary partnerships with MLS and NASCAR for an involvement with Grand-Am.  Each of these deals brings unique aspects to Continental’s overall sponsorship program and we are excited to continue to work with Continental Tire to enhance their overall marketing efforts.”

In a deal that began in 2010, Act(s) negotiated a partnership which saw Continental Tire become the official tyre and exclusive supplier to the Grand-Am Series.  In addition to its role as tyre supplier to the Rolex Sports Car Series, Continental Tire became the title sponsor of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series, a road racing series for production-based sports cars. That same year, Act(s) directed the brand’s entry into the North American soccer landscape as  Continental Tire was named the official tyre of MLS and all 18 (now 19) MLS clubs.  In addition to category exclusively across all league and team assets, the agreement delivers a programme that provides visibility for Continental Tire at all MLS games and associated television broadcasts, as well as on-site activation, tickets and hospitality throughout regular and post-season games in both the US and Canada.

“As much as we love to see the Continental Tire brand on site during events and on TV during MLS matches and Grand-Am races, our sponsorship isn’t about making us feel good, it’s about the overall impact that it has on consumers and tyre dealers,” explained Roffler. “We constantly evaluate our partnerships based on the criteria and metrics Act(s) helped us establish up front.  Because we knew exactly what we were going to measure, and how we were going to measure it, we can clearly tell that our involvement with both MLS and Grand-AM are delivering an exceptional return on our current investments.”