Serena Williams To Appear In Print, Online Ads For Tampax Brand

Tampax Print Ads Featuring Williams Hit Newsstands This Week

Procter & Gamble's Tampax brand yesterday announced that tennis player Serena Williams will appear in print ads and online videos as part of Tampax' "Outsmart Mother Nature" campaign. Williams in the ads defeats Tampax' Mother Nature character, who attempts to deliver her "monthly gift" (P&G). BRANDWEEK's Elaine Wong noted the effort is being handled by Leo Burnett, Digitas and Starcom Mediavest Group. Print ads featuring Williams "hit newsstands this week, primarily in teen titles like Teen Vogue." Tampax also will "begin running videos with Serena Williams on its site." The videos, "which are part of a series, depict Williams in sticky situations with Mother Nature." Tampax Associate Brand Manager Courtney Schuster said the deal with Williams is "really huge for us." She added Williams "stands for so much and she is much bigger than sports and tennis." Wong noted Williams "landed the gig with Tampax despite" her incident with a lineswoman at the U.S. Open earlier this month. Experts predicted "no sports sponsorship dangers for Williams, and advertisers Kraft and Nike have publicly stated their support." Tampax' choice of Williams as a spokesperson -- a "first for the brand and unusual for a category like fem care -- seems to affirm that" (BRANDWEEK.com, 9/18).