Wimbledon begins on Monday, and though the tournament has traditionally "preferred to let the tennis do the talking," this year a "major marketing push is underway, with a view to developing a stronger presence in the U.S.," according to Simon Briggs of the London TELEGRAPH. Wimbledon's public facade "remains defiantly uncommercial." The only logos seen on the grounds are those of its "working partners," which include Rolex clocks, Ralph Lauren uniforms and cans of Slazenger balls. All England Club Media & Commercial Dir Mick Desmond said, "We have been tracking ten territories for three-and-a-half years, to find out how Wimbledon was perceived around the world. There have been some surprises. In China, for instance, they didn't understand how close to central London we are, so we wanted to show them images with the city's skyline in the background." Briggs noted the next big challenge is to "break into Asia." Desmond: "That's a major battleground, because of the growing middle-class. When you talk about emerging markets, Wimbledon should be up there with the big international sporting brands: not just the Super Bowl but the World Cup, the Olympics, the Masters, the Premier League, the NFL and the NBA." But Wimbledon this year "has decided to start with the U.S." AEC Head of Commercial & Marketing James Ralley describes the focus as a "soft launch." Although the Super Bowl is seen as the "gold standard, the nearest match for Wimbledon can be found" at The Masters (London TELEGRAPH, 6/22).
MARKET WATCH: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Daniel Kaplan notes the tournament this week "will start releasing a series of vignette ads across a variety of mediums, including Pandora Radio, Facebook and Mode Lifestyle Magazine." It is also paying select celebrities "to tweet about the campaign." Ralley said, "This is the first time we have done anything like this. [We] see the U.S. as a market where there is a lot of low-hanging fruit." Wimbledon's creative agency, McCann Erickson, N.Y., "created its first slogan this year, 'In Pursuit of Greatness.'" The concept will be incorporated into the ads, "which feature among them the head groundskeeper for the tournament and a ballboy" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/20 issue).
