Ahead of the 2021 US Open, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) launched a new ‘Let’s Tennis’ campaign in mid-August to reposition itself and the game as less elitist and to change the perception that tennis is not an accessible sport.
With its flagship tournament starting on 30 August in Flushing (Queens, New York), the USTA worked with agency Yard NYC on a campaign highlighting diversity and accessibility and aimed at changing the perception of the sport as being less elitist and more inclusive.
‘Let’s Tennis’, the first work for USTA by agency Yard NYC, is launched with a hero ‘One Court’ ad showing the sport being played by those of all ages, ethnicities and abilities in all kinds of all environments (from a classic outdoor court at a smart tennis club, to inner city courts, indoor arenas, a makeshift court on a farm and even a tennis video game.
The lead spot, ‘One Court’, was directed by Yoni Lappin and features real-life tennis players.
If you can hit stuff you can tennis. #letstennis
https://t.co/SSaTkyhezc pic.twitter.com/aCrcIEMXdZ
— USTA (@usta) August 19, 2021
The ad will air across the USA during the USTA’s 2021 US Open Tennis Championships and ‘Let’s Tennis’’ signage will appear across the tournament site at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The campaign also runs across print and outdoor sites with copy lines such as ‘tennis is a vibe’ and ‘tennis is a great first date’, as well as social and digital channels through and after the tournament and will invite viewers to the campaign’s web hub at www.letstennis.com to find out further information about court locations, health benefits and various program offerings to increase interest, participation and access to tennis nationwide.
According to USTA Chief Marketing Officer Amy Choyne, the campaign is driven by “ensuring that we position tennis to be open for everyone” and placing “diversity front and centre” in alignment with the USTA’s social justice initiatives.
Indeed, the campaign uses real people rather than models in its creative cast both via the USTA’s own contacts as well as by a casting agency.
“New players are picking up rackets and we want to make sure that these new players continue to play, as well as recruit new ones,” added Choyne. “We wanted to make sure that it’s open to everyone at every stage.”
“We wanted to smash the stereotypes, not only from the kinds of people featured but to the age range — there are players aged from nine up to 75,” said Yard NYC Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer Stephen Niedzwiecki. “We also wanted to bring in people with their own sense of style and their own expressions. It’s no longer about the classic white shirt, white shorts, polo top kind of tennis style.”
Comment:
For the 2021 tournament, the USTA has also linked up with fashion brand Paterson League for a capsule collection linked to the campaign. The co-branded collection – which will include t-shirts, hoodies, tote bags and hats – marks the first time that the USTA brand has collaborated on a line of clothing and merchandise and is available online today, at the tournament and at selected stores.
This campaign is both playful and punchy, but it certainly isn’t the first tennis initiative focusing on changing the image of the sport and making it more accessible.
Like a handful of other sports, such as golf, tennis brands and rights holders – from the LTA to Wimbledon – have rolled out accessibility and inclusivity initiatives at regular intervals in the last two decades.
And yet, despite the success of players such as Naomi Osaka, Coca Gauff and the Williams sisters before them helping to popularise the game and shining a light on diversity, for some, the sport’s image remains somewhat exclusive. But, the statistics suggest things are changing.
According to the USTA, there has been a solid rise in grassroots tennis during the pandemic – possibly because tennis is seen as a safe, socially distanced sport – with a 22% increase in participation in America (75% of whom are new players).
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.