WTA Tour Launches Worldwide Brand Marketing Campaign

WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND – The WTA Tour announced today the launch of a landmark brand marketing campaign. The worldwide campaign, which centers around the slogan “Get In Touch With Your Feminine Side,” features many of the WTA Tour’s internationally-recognized stars, including Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams and Daniela Hantuchova, in a striking and vibrant 30-second television commercial and a variety of print ads.
The television and print ads, which represent the most significant branding effort in the Tour’s 30-year history, will at first be used primarily by WTA Tour tournaments in approximately 30 countries in the promotion of their events, strengthening the position of women’s tennis as the pre-eminent professional women’s sport. The print ads debut on billboards in prominent London locations this week, coinciding with the start of The Championships at Wimbledon.

“The launch of the ‘Get In Touch With Your Feminine Side’ campaign is a milestone for women’s professional tennis that will further highlight the unique appeal of our star athletes and game,” WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott said. “Women’s professional tennis is the leading global sport for women, and this campaign projects an exciting and consistent image to our growing fan base around the world.”

The brand marketing campaign took several months to develop and is the creative work of the San Francisco office of the prestigious global advertising firm TBWA/Chiat/Day, which also created highly successful advertising campaigns involving the Energizer Bunny and Apple Computers. The campaign aims to redefine the idea of femininity, as well as deliver the excitement of women’s professional tennis to a broader audience.

The marketing concept captures and conveys the strength and tenacity of women’s tennis, as well as the grace and femininity that it invariably exudes. The campaign is conspicuous yet fluid, and signals a noticeable departure from the more traditional sports advertising campaigns of the past few years.

“This new brand marketing campaign is designed to showcase our players and illustrate how the game has evolved in terms of attitude, athleticism and style,” said Dave Larson, WTA Tour Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “With this new emphasis in women’s professional tennis on fitness, strength and competitiveness, the notion of femininity has been redefined. Tennis is faster, more competitive and more exciting as a spectator sport, and we believe we have uniquely captured this new sense of empowerment and evolution in our brand marketing campaign.”

The television commercial and print ads, which are being packaged along with a Tour logo style guide as a “Tournament in a Box,” are an initial step in the Tour’s brand building efforts for its tournaments. The television and print ads can be customized by the tournaments to meet their individual promotional needs.

“I really like the theme and feel of the campaign,” two-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams said. “I think this is exactly the kind of marketing the game needs in order to generate even more exposure for our sport.”

The brand marketing campaign is the latest in a growing list of initiatives being launched by the WTA Tour in an effort to better serve the Tour’s constituents and grow the popularity of women’s tennis worldwide. The marketing campaign signals a significant feat in the advancement of the WTA Tour and women’s tennis globally.