There’s a Serena-sized gap within the skilled tennis panorama, however entrepreneurs aren’t dwelling on what they’ve misplaced—as a substitute they’re specializing in the following technology of potential scene stealers and trophy winners to attract followers to this summer time’s U.S. Open.
For a marketing campaign launching this weekend, executives on the U.S. Tennis Affiliation and company Dentsu Artistic additionally recruited an influential younger voice, TikTok’s Cookiee Kawaii, to relate the brand new advertisements and supply the soundtrack by way of her hit single, “Violin.”
A 30-second hero spot debuting Saturday on TV and social media prominently options rising stars like Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Frances Tiafoe underneath the tagline “Spectacular Awaits.” A second business teases the occasion’s high-profile movie star sightings, premium foods and drinks choices and on-site sponsor activations.
USTA officers mentioned it’s “undoubtedly a problem” to advertise a U.S. Open with out the marquee names which have dominated the game for the previous few a long time. Serena Williams and fellow champion Roger Federer each hung up their racquets on the finish of final season.
“There have been loads of expectations that we’d simply disintegrate in a post-Serena world, however we’re excited concerning the new gamers and the power round our occasion,” Nicole Kankam, USTA’s managing director of professional tennis advertising and leisure, instructed Adweek. “To not diminish Serena, who was a once-in-a-generation expertise, and her affect not simply in tennis however throughout sport, leisure and tradition was unprecedented.”
‘Social-first lens’
“Spectacular Awaits” will run for the following a number of months to advertise the tennis and leisure extravaganza, which kicks off in late August at New York’s USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Heart. It was first coined as an advert idea in 2022, however has developed to advertise this 12 months’s three-week occasion.
“We needed to insure we had been actually being modern and related,” Kankam mentioned. “We’re making an attempt to achieve a youthful, extra numerous viewers, so we developed the marketing campaign with a social-first lens.”
The music-driven work has “swagger,” Kankam mentioned, aiming to broaden the attraction of a sport that continues to bat again towards criticisms that it’s previous, white and elitist.
