The second half of November saw the Lawn Tennis Association encourage UK tennis fans to ‘Back The Brits’ by sharing a social message of support for the Aegon GB David Cup Team and thus enter a competition to have their name on the player’s tracksuits for the tournament final.
The campaign, called ‘Write Your Name In History’, aimed to amplify fan good luck messages for the GB vs Belgium final by offering tennis lovers a chance to have their own name put onto the team tracksuits to recognise the support of loyal fans.
Supporters were encouraged to post a personal message on the British Tennis Facebook or tweet @BritishTennis using the #BackTheBrits and #DavisCupFinal hashtags by 24 November to stand a chance to have their own names etched into the bespoke tracksuits the team will wear during the closing ceremony on 29 November.
The initiative was hubbed around the British Tennis Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/britishtennislta/) and amplified with a video posted on the LTA’s YouTube channel,
and also promoted across the body’s social platforms.
Tweet support using #BackTheBrits and #DavisCupFinal for a chance to get your name on the Aegon GB Team's tracksuit! pic.twitter.com/ti1M1UB1xc
— British Tennis (@BritishTennis) November 17, 2015
Tracksuit space was limited, so winners were picked at random.
‘Our journey to the Davis Cup Final has been one we couldn’t have done without the incredible support of our fans. The ‘Write Your Name Into History’ campaign is our way of recognising and thanking each and every one of them for being there with us every step of the way,’ explains Aegon GB Davis Cup Team Captain Leon Smith.
‘The whole team will feel immensely proud when they put their team tracksuits on and it will make it even more special to see the names of those who have supported us.’
Oliver Scadgell, the LTSA’s Director of Major Events and Competitions added: ‘This truly is a momentous time for everyone involved in British Tennis. We as an organisation have worked hard to support the Aegon GB Davis Cup Team, with the staging of three fantastic home ties throughout the year, and we couldn’t be prouder that they have reached the final. We can’t wait to share this moment with the nation, and hope fans will be supporting all over the country as the team take to the court in Ghent.’
Comment
This campaign is based upon a neat simple idea, albeit not an entirely new one.
After all, sponsors, kit suppliers and teams have been runnning ‘get your name on the kit’ type campaigns for several years now.
Nowhere has this tactic been more prevalent than in rugby union where the trends stretches from this year’s Castle Lager #HomeGroundAdvantage campaign with the Springboks for the 2015 Rugby World Cup (see case study), right back to 2008’s Adidas ‘Adithread’ strand of its All Blacks ‘This Is Not A Jersey’ initiative.
Despite this, the LTA’s campaign looks to have been a success on several fronts.
Not only did the Andy Murray led team win the Davis Cup for the first time in 79 years, but Team GB support was rampant at the event and around 4000 fans entered the competition itself.
The LTA’s activation around the Davis Cup was further supported with a series of tournament related short films on its YouTube channel – such as captain Leon Smith’s painting the country red, white and blue
and a Murray brothers ‘who’s the best at’,
as well as official Davis Cup property owner video content like a Team GB Quiz.
The Davis Cup (sponsored by BNP Paribas – a major tennis sponsor which activated its Davis Cup rights under its umbrella ‘We Are Tennis’ concept)
is effectively the Tennis World Cup for national teams and is the largest annual international team competition in sport with 126 nations competing in 2015.
Links
Write Your Name In History Campaign Website:
www.lta.org.uk/writeyournameintohistory
British Tennis Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/britishtennislta
British Tennis YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/britishtennislta
British Tennis Twitter:
https://twitter.com/BritishTennis
LTA Website:
