Kia partners with the Telegraph to ensure Euro 2016 sponsorship is a win

Havas Media UK has brokered a deal between Euro 2016 sponsor Kia and The Telegraph, designed to associate the car brand with football in the build-up to and throughout the tournament.

To kick off the campaign there will be four events across the country at Kia dealerships – in Bolton, London, Bridgend Wales and Burton. The events have been timed to correlate with key events in the run-up to the Euros such as the England warm-up matches and squad announcements.

The events will feature high profile figures in football including John Barnes, Stuart Pearce, Dean Saunders, Garry Monk and Neil Lennon with the events all fronted by TV presenter Sue Thearle. To showcase the Kia Sportage, football talent will be asked for their tournament predictions, players and teams to look out for from the passenger seat of the vehicle.

Content captured at the dealerships will be published on the Telegraph website and social channels. Selected guests attending the preview events will be offered the chance to win tickets to the opening match of Euro 2016.

The second phase of the campaign, taking place as the tournament gets underway, will follow Telegraph sports writer Thom Gibbs on a road trip to France in a Kia Sportage. It will see Gibbs capturing the build-up, game results and fan reactions in a 36 day video series - Thom Voyage! - hosted on the Telegraph website and shared channels.

To further drive interaction with the campaign, the Telegraph has created a bespoke Kia penalty shoot-out game, offering a chance to win a Kia Sportage. The game launches today (11 May), and is fronted by ex-England Goalkeeper David James. It will be promoted across Telegraph platforms.

To close the campaign, there will be a series of features showcasing the best moments from the competition. These will run alongside high impact, tactical display activity at key moments throughout the tournament, celebrating, commiserating and congratulating teams on their performance.

Natasha Murray, managing director at Havas Media said: “Kia’s association with football and the Telegraph’s fantastic sports journalism make this a great brand fit. The Euros are a key date in the sporting calendar and we are thrilled to have brokered such a fitting collaboration. ”

Simon Hetherington, commercial director at Kia said: “Kia has a strong link with football. Euro 2016 this summer will ensure that as a brand we will gain cut-through with new consumers and current Kia owners.”

Keith Perry, group sport managing editor at Telegraph Media Group said: “The Telegraph Media Group is the number one place for sport, with an array of talent producing award-winning coverage. Alongside our newly relaunched website and video capability, this means we’re able to work with brands to create truly innovating and engaging content.”

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