Warc, 10 July 2013
LONDON: Following the success of Andy Murray, the first
Briton to win the men's Wimbledon tennis title in 77 years, sports brands have
sprung into action with a raft of tactical marketing campaigns.
Head, which supplies Murray's racquets, is already running
Facebook ads, YouTube virals and Twitter promotions at the same time as it is
working with retail partners, including TennisNuts.com and Sports Direct, to
provide promotional content around its products.
Andy Catchpole, category manager for racquet sports at Head,
told Marketing Week that Murray's win could help the brand overtake its main
rivals in tennis equipment, Wilson and Babolat.
He noted that Murray had featured in three of the past four
Grand Slam finals. "As a brand that's massive because we've already got
the exposure there," he said.
"We're hoping that tennis clubs are ready for the
increased interest and that they will push on and filter down to the brand in
terms of racket sales," he added.
Health and fitness chains, including the Nuffield Tennis
Academy, David Lloyd and Virgin Active, are offering free tennis sessions to
attract new customers.
"We always plan promotions during Wimbledon because we
know there's going to be an increase in interest in tennis," said Jenny
Loughton, tennis manager for the Nuffield Tennis Academy.
"With Murray winning it allows us to reach out to a
broader group of people and get parents more involved," she added.
One of the few brands that Murray has a deal with is Adidas
and the Guardian noted how the sportswear giant had capitalised on his ease
with social media and arranged for him to knock up with 100 Twitter users on
public courts the day after his victory.
Murray also has deals with non-sporting brands including the
Royal Bank of Scotland, carmaker Jaguar and watchmaker Rado. Marcus Jon, the
global head of sport at marketing advertising agency Media.com, suggested to
the Independent that brands such as Coca-Cola and Visa could be possible
partners in future.
Other observers thought Murray would not be rushing to
exploit his success, noting that he had already turned down lucrative offers in
order to focus on his tennis.
One thing he will be doing, however, is taking part in a
tennis version of cricket's Indian Premier League, which will raise his profile
further and attract even more attention from brands.
Data sourced from Marketing Week, Guardian, Independent;
additional content by Warc staff
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