Menu
Download the app

SBJ subscribers – Enhance your experience with the revamped iOS app

Marketing and Sponsorship

American Express Teams Up With Maria Sharapova For New U.S. Open VR Campaign

Tennis player Maria Sharapova has "signed a two-year partnership with American Express for this year and next year’s U.S. Open, marking the first time" the two have worked together, according to Nathalie Tadena of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. In addition to appearing in a "You vs. Sharapova" virtual reality game, Sharapova yesterday began appearing in "out-of-home ads" that "promote the services American Express is offering on and off-site." The ads, which highlight Sharapova’s "competitive spirit, will appear in locations along the route fans take to the U.S. Open," such as Grand Central Station, the 7 subway train headed to the tournament, the U.S. Open boardwalk and the Citi Field Long Island Railroad station. The creative is a continuation of AmEx's "'Journey Never Stops' campaign that launched in February." The VR game "lets U.S. Open fans return the tennis legend’s serves with their own moves, the latest example of a marketer embracing new technologies to create immersive experiences for consumers" and is just one element of AmEx's "broader marketing efforts around the tennis tournament, which the company has sponsored for more than 20 years." The game uses "live action and computer generated imagery of the athlete" (WSJ.com, 8/17). ESPN.com's Darren Rovell noted Sharapova "spent nine hours in a virtual reality studio in California to pull off the promotion." She said, "I think our sport has grown so much because we as players have been able to get closer to the fans, especially through social media. This takes it to another level." AmEx VP/Entertainment Marketing & Sponsorships Deborah Curtis said that Sharapova's game is the "first virtual reality experience to feature live action (the fan swinging a racket) combined with a computer-generated image of an athlete" (ESPN.com, 8/17).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2015/08/18/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Sharapova.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2015/08/18/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Sharapova.aspx

CLOSE