In the lad up to Wimbledon 2022, property owner the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) released an animated spot to celebrate 100 years since the opening of the Centre Court.
The celebratory carton commercial, titled ‘The Stage Awaits’, was created by McCann London and dropped on 6 June (ahead of the 20 June tournament start) to build pre-tournament buzz and excitement.
The 60-second spot follows three tennis fans taking in the excitement of the event and features the club’s famous grounds and legends such as Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic alongside new star Emma Raducanu.
The film ran across television and social media before and during the Championships.
The film was penned and art directed by McCann London’s Rory Peyton Jones and Elliot Lee and was helmed by Directors Smith and Foulkes at Nexus Studios and produced through Craft London.
“After two years of disruption, we couldn’t be more excited to welcome fans from all over the world back to Wimbledon. What makes this year even more special is the fact that we’re marking the centenary of Centre Court at Church Road,” said AELTC Director Of Comunications and Marketing Alexandra Willis. “This impressive milestone speaks to the legacy of The Championships, and this year’s campaign trailer ‘The Stage Awaits’ further demonstrates how the event is a pillar of inspiration for our fans worldwide. We can’t wait to see what the next 100 years has in store for Wimbledon – the next century starts now.”
“For one of the biggest sporting events in the calendar, Wimbledon has always been about much more than just tennis,” added McCann London Creative Rob Webster and Alexei Berwitz. “This film is packed fuller than a strawberry punnet with all the things that make Wimbledon so special, from history and architecture to spectacular floral and fashion displays and of course Serena’s epic forehands.”
“This was the sort of creative brief that you dream of, taking a cherished national institution and completely re-imagining it as a vivid dream,” commented Nexus Stiudios Directors Smith and Foulkes. “We looked at the iconic images of Wimbledon through a lens of surreal invention, packing every scene with unexpected twists, using a textural illustrative look and seamless transitions to create a fluid stream of consciousness. It was a chance to paint a picture of Wimbledon that isn’t all about the tennis, focusing as much on the iconic architecture and sense of social occasion, although there’s obviously a fair sprinkling of the tennis greats along the way.”
Comment
This is an upbeat and colourful campaign and follows in the creative footsteps of the AELTC’s previous ‘It’s A Wimbledon Thing’ in 2021 and its 2020 Covid-19 influenced ‘The Greatest Championships’ and ‘Wimbledon Recreated’.
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