Hankook Tire America Corp. announced it has won a 2016 Business Marketing Association (BMA) B2 Award for its public relations and social media campaign to support its Formula Drift racing sponsorship. Hankook Tire was recognized in the corporate communications category for its campaign, “Hankook Tire Kicks it into High Gear with Championship” program.

Developed by Hankook Tire America Corp., along with its public relations and social media agency Brodeur Partners, the campaign was designed to leverage the visibility of the sponsorship to drive engagement with media, fans and consumers through social and earned media.

Last season, Hankook won the tire manufacturing championship, and Hankook drivers swept the Formula Drift podium, finishing in first, second and third place for the season. The competitive motorsports series involves professional drivers intentionally maneuvering their high-powered cars into well-executed, controlled sideways slides at high speeds through a marked course.

The integrated campaign implemented by Hankook and Brodeur included driver interviews, experiential events, a multimedia series and social programs offering the chance to win Hankook motorsports prize packages, to optimize brand engagement and attract more brand advocates.

“Designed to differentiate the Hankook Tire brand and showcase the performance of our tires among motorsports fans and consumers, the truly integrated PR and social campaign maximized our Formula Drift sponsorship throughout the season,” said Henry Kopacz, Hankook Tire America’s manager of public relations and social media. “As a result, we were not only able to amplify our sponsorship, but also increase brand awareness and transfer the excitement and energy from the drift track to our audiences through both earned and social media.”

For more than four decades, the BMA B2 Awards have consistently honored the most effective marketing programs. More than 260 companies entered the 2016 competition, submitting close to 700 entries in 82 B2 Award tactical categories.

“What makes the BMA’s B2 Awards prestigious and unique,” said Michael Palmer, general manager, BMA, “is that this award program recognizes business marketers who exhibit excellence in results, not just great creative. The entrants have to demonstrate how they have moved the business forward in a meaningful and measurable way.”