WTA hires celebrity ambassadors to promote women's tennis

By John Reynolds, marketingmagazine.co.uk, Tuesday, 21 August 2012 08:30AM

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has recruited a host of tennis-loving celebrities including Sir Richard Branson, singer Aretha Franklin and golfer Rory McIlroy to promote its 'Strong is beautiful' positioning.

WTA: ads star celebrities such as Sir Richard Branson

A global campaign will feature US business mogul Donald Trump, actress Susan Sarandon and Girls Aloud singer Nadine Coyle explaining what 'Strong is Beautiful' means to them (see ads below).

The WTA, which is looking to raise the profile of the women's game, launched the strap-line last year.

The celebrities, along with tennis stars such as Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki, were not paid to appear in the campaign.

Andrew Walker, chief marketing officer of the WTA, said: 'There has been rapid growth in women's tennis, but now we think that tapping into the massive following of the celebrities will help.'

The campaign will run across TV and print media around this month's US Open tournament, including on Eurosport. The pan-European sports broadcaster holds the rights to coverage of the tournament until 2017, having renewed its deal earlier this year.

This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk