The U.S. Open began yesterday in N.Y., and several sponsors are reaching out to tennis fans through "on-site digital activations," according to Lauren Johnson of ADWEEK. Champagne producer Moët & Chandon's sponsorship "gives its long-term social #MoetMoment campaign a physical presence." Life-size Instagram frames around a terrace "prompt attendees to take and upload pictures in front of a branded backdrop." Photos tagged with the campaign’s hashtag "are then entered to win sets of drinking glasses." Moët will "also buy geo-targeted Promoted Tweets and Facebook ads to amplify its social push." Meanwhile, players "will sign autographs at Esurance's booth" for the first week of the tournament, and calls-to-action on Twitter "will give at-home viewers the chance to talk to these players by tweeting." They will then "be able to video chat via a Web camera while the players sign autographs." Esurance Senior Manager of Brand Partnerships Chris Lee explained that fans at home "will have a similar interaction with players as those on site." Johnson reported Mercedes-Benz "swaps out rearview mirror hang tags with dashboard parking tags this year that are embedded with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology." The tags "include a bar code that attendees scan inside Mercedes-Benz’s brand center to win tennis gear and merchandise." AmEx is "using RFID technology for the first time this year with a program called MyOpen Pass." Once attendees register for the event, a wristband with an embedded technology chip "will collect data about five of the on-site experiences housed within the U.S. Open American Express Fan Experience" (ADWEEK.com, 8/24). Electronics company LG has a 1,300-square-foot brand space at the tournament called the LG Winner's Circle. It features an "LG G3 Selfie Station." Through the tournament's official app, users can join the US Open Live Prediction Challenge Presented by LG G3 (LG).
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USTA SPONSORS
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| Adecco |
The N.Y. Times Co. |
| AmEx |
Olympus |
| Citizen Watch |
Panasonic |
| Esurance |
Polo Ralph Lauren |
| Evian |
Starwood Hotels & Resorts |
| Gatorade |
Ticketmaster |
| Grey Goose Vodka |
Tiffany & Co. |
| Heineken |
United Continental Holdings |
| IBM |
Visit Orlando |
| JPMorgan Chase |
Westin |
| Kraft Foods |
Wilson Sporting Goods |
| Mercedes-Benz |
Xerox |
| Moet Henessey |
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Source: Resource Guide Live
SILVER SURFER: IBM is celebrating its 25th year as a USTA sponsor, and Fox Business' Cheryl Casone said it has "really been interesting to watch kind of the evolution of IBM as a sponsor." Casone: "Just a few years ago they were ... powering the big board. Now they're powering everything that is mobile, and I'm talking about the tracking technology to track all the great players that you love." She noted she can track "every single thing" that Serena Williams is doing on the court and "pull down all the analytics that, frankly, the sportscasters have as well." IBM Global Sponsorship Manager Elizabeth O'Brien said fans attending the tournament are "having a lot of the same experience" as fans watching at home on television. She said IBM uses its sponsorship to "showcase a lot of our technology, so the same technology that we use at the U.S. Open is the technology that we use for clients and industries around the world" ("Countdown to the Closing Bell," Fox Business, 8/25).
