Bridgestone Americas, NFL Announce Sponsorship Extension

Focus on Season-long Reinforcement of Bridgestone Performance Message and Enhanced Consumer Activation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (Bridgestone Americas) and the National Football League (NFL) are pleased to announce they have extended their sponsorship agreement for an additional four years, through March 31, 2016 ? continuing a successful relationship that began in 2007.

As part of the new agreement, Bridgestone Americas will shift its focus from sponsoring the Super Bowl Halftime Show to reinforcing the Bridgestone brand performance message, starting at the NFL Combine and culminating at the Super Bowl, and to engaging more closely with consumers by allowing exclusive behind-the-scenes access at key NFL events throughout the year. The Bridgestone brand will continue as the ?Official Tire of the National Football League.?

The newly-structured contract will allow Bridgestone Americas to build upon its successful ?Time to Perform? campaign, which includes national advertising, consumer marketing programs and promotions, and broadcast and online media elements. There will be a focus on highlighting outstanding NFL team and player performances on a weekly basis via digital and broadcast media, culminating in awarding the top performance of the year during Super Bowl week in New Orleans. Plans are being finalized for a high-level of consumer activation that will provide the opportunity to better connect with consumers by providing them with exclusive access to major NFL events from the offseason to the Super Bowl.

?We have achieved great exposure for the Bridgestone brand through the Bridgestone Super Bowl Halftime Show and the commercials we have showcased over the past five years,? said Philip Dobbs, Chief Marketing Officer, Bridgestone Americas. ?But this revised sponsorship is an even better fit for where we are now as a brand, and we truly appreciate the NFL for helping us get here. It makes good business sense at this point for us to spread out our investment throughout the year and take advantage of the excitement associated with the NFL shield.

?The NFL has done an outstanding job of building its brand, supporting its sponsors, and generating year-round excitement,? Dobbs continued. ?We have seen tremendous results from our sponsorship over the past five years, and with this new agreement, Bridgestone Americas is ready to take full advantage of the opportunities the NFL has to offer. We are looking forward to extending the Bridgestone brand?s reach throughout the entire NFL season.?

?We are pleased to expand our relationship with Bridgestone Americas,? said Keith Turner, NFL?s Senior Vice President, Media Sales & Sponsorship. ?Performance is core to both the NFL and to Bridgestone?s tires, and we are excited to continue working together to reach our fans in innovative ways all year round.?

About Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations:
Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) is a business unit of Bridgestone Americas, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. Reporting into the BATO business unit are the company's Latin American tire operations; the U.S. and Canadian consumer and commercial tire businesses; and Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC, which operates the largest network of company-owned automotive service providers in the world. BATO develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The commercial tire division is focused on retail, wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying tires to passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off road, motorcycle, agricultural and retread markets

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