Sony Ericsson WTA Tour
Jan 26, 2009
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Precious few sports, if any, can claim the revolutionary growth in popularity of women's tennis in recent years. With Venus and Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova as household names, the professional women's circuit has achieved not only a high level of athletic excellence but a glamorous buzz as well.
A good deal of that success can be directly attributed to the partnership of Sony Ericsson and the Women's Tennis Association. Since the global telecommunications firm became the tour's title sponsor in January 2005, the collaboration has not only solidified and expanded the popularity of the sport but dramatically helped to bring women's tennis to new audiences and new media platforms.
In addition to the six-year title sponsorship agreement, Sony Ericsson also has become an event sponsor for a number of Tour events, including the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami and the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championship in Doha, Qatar. To top it all off, Sharapova is the company's global brand ambassador.
The Tour recently implemented its "Roadmap" strategic plan for the year ahead that includes reforms that ensure players a longer off-season, a streamlined calendar of events and a first-of-its-kind revenue-sharing agreement. The changes, according to Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott, also are aimed at increasing fan enjoyment and adding more value for sponsors.
"We've instituted some major reforms for this year that are all designed to present the sport in a cleaner, more streamlined format for the athletes, the fans and the sponsors, who, I think, will see a stronger, more innovative product," he says.
Another key to the success of the tour has been a renewed emphasis on what Scott calls "the duality" of the tennis players - women who exude athletic power while on the court and glitz, glamour and marketability off the court.
Central to that two-pronged initiative is the ongoing, multi-media advertising campaign dubbed "Looking for a Hero?" The $15-million effort debuted last June and will hit its full stride in 2009. Before all is said and done, the campaign will play out over 18 months in 75 countries and feature more than 50 Tour players.
"It's the first time we've done anything on this scale," Scott says. "The campaign exemplifies everything that the Tour has to offer: Athleticism and glamour in a family friendly, advertiser-friendly package. That's really our sweet spot."
Indeed, the campaign is just the latest success that has come out of the symbiotic partnership between the Tour and Sony Ericsson. As with any top-notch doubles team on the court, the two entities have brought out the best in each other and together have become a force in the sports marketing arena. Sony Ericsson has brought to the table a number of technological advancements, including the Mobile Event Guide, a digital interactive application that debuted in November 2008 and allows users to download tournament results, players' stats and tourist information to their cell phones. In turn, the Tour provided Sony Ericsson with an invaluable entrée to a relatively untapped market of young tennis-loving adults in far-flung locales such as Australia, Japan, Russia and Brazil, as well as the United States.
"They've been very good to work with," Scott says. "When you're talking about something like a title sponsorship, you have to make sure it's a good brand fit. What we like about Sony Ericsson is a strong reputation for great performance and sleek, good-looking handsets. Those attributes of performance and style mirror the attributes personified by our athletes."
For more Sports Marketing coverage:
Turning Lemons into Lemonade Part I
Turning Lemons into Lemonade Part II
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour
Turner Sports
