A 60-second spot from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) sees stars of the game – including Billie Jean King, Venus Williams and Naomi Osaka – introduce the follow-up phase to the organisation’s ‘Be Open’ initiative which first launched in 2020.
“When you’re open, you welcome all,” says Billie Jean King, while Williams add “And you never forget what matters,” and Osaka states “The point is to make people start talking.”
When you're open, you welcome all.
Share stories of people you know that are changing the world with an open mind using #BeOpen. pic.twitter.com/tESnL6aj3N
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2021
Launched at the start of the 2021 US Open tournament, the hero video features stars from both the men’s and women’s tour and acts as an appeal for diversity and inclusion as it introduces the ‘Open Canvas’ campaign strand which fuses art and sport as it decorates the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (in Flushing Meadows, New York) with giant works from 10 diverse artists.
The art pieces explore themes including racism, LGBTQ+ equality and homelessness and will be seen in person by the 700,000 fans at the event. The fans are invited to bid on the pieces via on-site QR codes and the proceeds benefit the USTA Foundation and select charities.
Take a piece of US Open artwork home for a good cause
Open Canvas art to be auctioned off to benefit USTA Foundation and charities. #BeOpen
Bid now: https://t.co/fKB4KRkLSt pic.twitter.com/kRBaHqb19T
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2021
The initiative, developed with agency DentsuMB and leveraging spiking tennis interest across the country, expands on an initiative from last year’s fan-free US Open which saw artworks placed in the stands instead of supporters.
An online flipbook spotlights all 10 paintings which include Niege Borges’ ‘Moving Mountains’ (which puts warriors in a contemporary context to comment on the inner strength of women of colour) and Steve Paul Judd’s ‘All My Revelations’ (which challenges the perception that Native American culture is a monolith and breaks down the figure into a tapestry of colors representing the hundreds of cultures and flavours within the Native American community).
“When we developed the program last year, it was born out of a desire to reimagine the empty seats with beautiful imagery, while also acknowledging the reality of the world at that time and giving a platform to social justice,” explained USTA Managing Director of Marketing Nicole Kankam. “The program was so well received that we were compelled to evolve it for this year, taking advantage of the opportunity to make a bigger impact. We selected artists who represent a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds. We looked at each artist’s prior work through the lens of how it could translate to a large canvas, selecting those with vibrant and impactful designs that would likely capture fans’ attention on-site.”
“’Together’ by Islena Mil “really pushed me to think about the collective struggle of underrepresented groups,” added DentsuMB Creative Director Mike Wegener. “The tennis ball is a nice link to the sport, but also represents shared greater purpose, which is a powerful notion.”
The campaign was created for USTA Marketing Managing Director Nicole Kankam by a team at agency DentsuMB which included Executive Creative Director Lee Remias, Creative Director Mike Wegener, Associate Art Director Kara Kummer, Executive Producer Jessica Eliasek, Senior Producer Of Integrated Production Marieme Sall, Senior Music Producer Libby Morris, Associate Producer Of Integrated Production Jessica Ryle, SVP Account Management Tom Smith, VP Account Director Kristen Eglitis, Account Executive Lexi Hom, VP Integrated Strategy Chris Robertson and Director Integrated Strategy Keely Adler.
The media company was ALCHEMY MEDIA, with production by Paradise and music by The Elements.
Comment:
The ‘Be Open’ social responsibility and inclusivity initiative first launched in late August 2020 when USTA President Patrick Galbraith said: “We are living in unprecedented times that have brought to the forefront the need for people to work together to solve the problems we face. It is our hope that the USTA’s ‘Be Open’ campaign will inspire the tennis community and the broader society to reflect on all we can do to solve these challenging issues together.”
When you're open you can pick up the torch, not just for women's tennis but for women around the world. pic.twitter.com/SWtqQhzbjV
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 29, 2020
This latest 2021 initiative follows on from the USTA’s August 2021 ‘Let’s Tennis’ participation initiative developed by agency The Many and which acts as an invitation for all people everywhere to pick up a racket.
Both ‘Let’s Tennis’ and ‘Be Open’ are part of the USTA’s strategy of broadening the appeal of a sport long criticised as exclusive and elitist.
Indeed, the USTA seeks to maintain grassroots tennis participation momentum which rose 22% between 2019 and 2020 as more people sought outdoor activities conducive to social distancing.
Other notable USTA activations and initiatives at the 2021 US Open ranged from a ceremony honouring ‘The Original 9’ (a group of pioneering women who redefined the sport: King, Rosemary Casals, Nancy Richey, Julie Heldman, Valerie Ziegenfuss, Kristy Pigeon, Peaches Bartkowicz, Judy Dalton and Kerry Melville), a nightly ‘Champion to Champion’ presentation recogniing teachers, healthcare workers, medical providers, frontline workers and first responders, coaches, and other community heroes, a Pride Tribute celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, and ‘HBCU Live’ which acknowledges the role of historically Black colleges and universities in American history.
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