Toyota is now the Official Automotive Partner of the NFL. The multi-year sponsorship deal was announced last week and fills a hole for the National Football League, which hasn't had an automotive sponsor since Ford vacated its spot as Official Truck Sponsor last year.
Toyota says it plans to use the partnership to communicate its brand message to football fans and grow brand loyalty as well as enhance football fans' experience.
“The NFL is the number one sports property in the U.S. with 205 million passionate fans,” said David Christ, group vice president and general manager, Toyota. “This partnership provides us the opportunity to connect with fans through a wide array of NFL programs and platforms, allowing us to share our brand message and promote our vehicles to a diverse and highly engaged audience.”
Toyota and the NFL say the partnership will extend beyond the bright lights of the stadiums and into communities. They say the League’s commitment to growing and prioritizing multi-cultural programs aligns directly with Toyota’s focus on diversity and inclusion, as the automakers seeks to leave no one behind in its goal to provide mobility for all.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Toyota, a brand that has supported both the League’s media partners and its clubs, now as the Official Automotive Partner of the NFL,” said Tracie Rodburg, senior vice president, Sponsorship Management at the NFL. “Toyota shares the NFL’s strategic vision and goals, prioritizing authenticity and a commitment to their consumers, our fans. We look forward to working together to bring fans exciting programs in the seasons ahead.”
This isn't Toyota's first partnership with the NFL but certainly it's largest. Toyota is currently the halftime sponsor for NBC's Sunday Night Football, something it's beem since 2006. Prior to that, in the 1980s, the “Toyota Halftime Show,” first appeared on ABC’s Monday Night Football.
Toyota also supports eleven NFL teams regionally through its network of dealer associations. Local activations will be driven by Toyota’s 1,200+ dealers across the U.S. Together, these partnerships will bring the shared mission of Toyota and the NFL into the living rooms and communities of fans across the nation.
“For more than half a century, Toyota and the NFL have brought American families together for memorable experiences and iconic moments,” Christ added. “With this partnership, and the combined resources of Toyota and the NFL, the best is yet to come.”
Photo Credit: Toyota/NFL.