Hyundai Takes Sun Bowl Title

Hyundai Motor America and its local Hyundai dealerships have agreed to a four year title sponsorship of college football's Sun Bowl in El Paso. The deal will allow Hyundai to serve as the game's title sponsor through 2013. Financial terms were not released.

The title sponsorship continues Hyundai's marketing strategy around major events, positioning the Hyundai brand around high profile global advertising venues including the Super Bowl, an exclusive automotive sponsorship of the Academy Awards and a global sponsorship of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

"The sponsorship of the Sun Bowl provides us with another great stage to tell the Hyundai story," said Chris Perry, vice president of Marketing, Hyundai Motor America. "College football fans are among the most passionate and dedicated fans there are and this sponsorship is an excellent way to reach this audience."

Helen of Troy has sponsored the Sun Bowl for the past six years at an annual cost of about $1 million a year, according to the El Paso Times.

“Hyundai Motor America is extremely pleased to be affiliated with the Sun Bowl as the event's title sponsor for the next four years. It is yet another sign of our expanding brand influence in the United States and we believe this prestigious game provides an excellent venue for continuing to communicate the great Hyundai story,” said Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai Vice President of National Sales. “Our association with one the most well established Bowl game traditions based in one of Hyundai's fastest growing markets seemed like a very natural marriage to us.”

The Sun Bowl, first played in 1935, annually generates close to $15 million in direct spending in the El Paso metropolitan area, making it the largest single event in terms of annual economic impact in El Paso. The 77th annual Hyundai Sun Bowl is slated for Dec. 31, 2010 at the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso and will be broadcast on CBS.