UK tennis governing body The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) asks ‘U IN?’ in its latest campaign launched ahead of Wimbledon and created by agency The&Partnership.
Rolled out on 18 June, ‘U IN?’ is a rallying call-to-arms to people of all ages, sizes, cultures, and skills which urges them to get outside and play tennis and spans TV, VOD, OOH, DOOH, digital and social.
Working with The&Partnership and Agile Film’s Zac Ella, the energetic campaign is led by a 30-second hero spot which includes fast cut montages and fresh camera angles and features YouTuber and entertainer Chunkz.
The lead commercial starts with a young woman heading down a bustling high street (reflected a vignette of contemporary Britain) when phone notifications ping from all directions. She is challenged by a man from the barber shop, with hair half-cut, and a tennis racket in hand. He’s ready. At the same time, a text message from her phone appears, asking: ‘U IN?’ From there, the film follows a frenzy of bouncing tennis balls and eager locals, wanting to play anywhere and everywhere.
The TVC debuted on 18 June and its attitude isn’t about being excellent or elite at tennis, but about enjoying the sport in their own way and it aims to introduce a new audience to tennis.
The concept and message that ‘everything’s a net’ is being amplified across social channels throughout summer with the twin #PlayYourWay and #EverthingsANet hashtags.
There’s only one question this summer, U In? #PlayYourWay https://t.co/0WYfhKGqmQ pic.twitter.com/5wSOH84xJO
— LTA (@the_LTA) June 20, 2021
The&Partnership London ECD Yan Elliott commented: “U IN?’ is such an energetic and diverse creative platform that we’ve used throughout every channel and touchpoint in this campaign. It’s been great fun to continue to re-write the rules of tennis again this year.”
This campaign launches after a year in which, according to the LTA’s own research, more people have picked up tennis rackets than ever before and the organisations aims to deploy a campaign which will trigger a nationwide chain reaction to inspire the British public to take up tennis wherever they can, by seeing the entire world as their court.
The campaign was created for the LTA’s Marketing & Commercial Director: Richard Daish, Head Of Brand Marketing Adam Hewlett, Brand Marketing Manager Jo Walsh and Brand Communications Manager Laetitia Redbond by The&Partnership.
The creative agency team included Executive Creative Director Micky Tudor, Join Executive Creative Director Yan Elliott, Creatives Matt Wood and Tom Loveless, Head Of Integrated Production Charles Crisp, Producer Angus Lees, Managing Director Steve Parker, Account Director Hannah Gray, Account Manager Rebecca Geheran, Chief Strategy Officer Emily Harlock, Senior Planner Tony Wright, PR Director Alexandra Pinder, PR Division Director Saffron Steele, PR Senior Account Managers Sarah Dewe-Mathews and Andre Bogues and PR Senior Account Executive Becky Steel.
The media agency was The Kite Factory and the production company was Agile Films.
Comment:
The campaign followed on from the June 2020 launch of the LKTA’s ‘Play Your Way’ brand platform which formed a commitment to opening up tennis to the whole country by challenging misconceptions about the sport and making an inclusive invitation to people of all abilities everywhere to pick up a racket and have some fun.
“After launching our The brand platform ‘Play Your Way’ last year, ‘U, IN?’ will help accelerate LTA’s efforts to open tennis up,” claimed LTA Marketing And Commercial Director Richard Daish. “The campaign is fully inclusive and leads with a clear invitation to people of all backgrounds and skill levels, to get out there this summer and socialise again through playing tennis their way!”
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