Even if you don’t drive on Bridgestone tires it is hard to ignore them at this time of year. The company was title sponsor of the NHL’s outdoor Winter Classic played in Philadelphia yesterday, and on Feb. 5 will be the title sponsor of the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show with Madonna.

Bridgestone began its road to the Super Bowl during the Winter Classic by launching a marketing campaign that encompasses several sports. In “Time to Perform,” we see a Bridgestone technician at a press conference at Bridgestone headquarters in Nashville standing before a group of reporters.

“We are highly passionate about tire performance and we want to take our passion and technology beyond the road and to bring them to the world of sports,” says the technician. “I give you the Bridgestone Performance Balls . . . and Puck.”

The items are a football, a basketball and a hockey puck made from Bridgestone tires. “Some of the world’s great athletes will be helping us test these new products, which we believe have the potential to revolutionize sports as we know it.”

Among the athletes to be included in upcoming spots are Steve Nash, Deion Sanders, Troy Aikman and Tim Duncan. Among those in attendance were reporters, analysts and commentators from ESPN, TNT and other sports outlets, including Dick Vitale, Kenny Smith, Barry Melrose and Michelle Beadle. (See the full spot here.)

Support includes a dedicated Facebook site and YouTube, where Bridgestone has posted related teaser commercials in which the reporters vie to get the scoop on the new balls. The Facebook site is also offering consumers an opportunity to win two tickets to Super Bowl XLVI.

Bridgestone said the campaign would continue to expand through the Super Bowl, where the company is expected to air two new commercials.

Bridgestone will be sharing limited-edition versions of the football, basketball and puck. The tire company’s Bridgestone Golf division already produces golf balls but they were not included in the launch of this campaign.

“Bridgestone has been a great example of a company that has figured this out,” said John Collins, COO for the NHL. “The same as they did with the NFL and the Super Bowl halftime show. It’s not easy to activate behind big events and get proper value. Clearly, they do.”

This will be Bridgestone’s fifth consecutive title sponsorship of the Super Bowl halftime show and will continue as such under its current NFL deal through Super Bowl XLIX. The company has been title sponsor of the Winter Classic for four years.