In Scotland, Dominic Jeff reported the Royal Bank of Scotland this week was scheduled to announce a "new sponsorship deal with Andy Murray despite making big cutbacks since its taxpayer bail-out.” The bank is "a long-standing backer of the Scottish tennis ace and his brother Jamie, with the last deal, struck in 2009, reportedly worth” US$3.25M annually. RBS would not comment on details of the latest arrangement, but it is “believed that it will require greater community involvement from the family.” The deal reportedly will involve Murray’s mother and tennis coach, Judy Murray, “fronting a campaign aimed at encouraging parents to play sports with their children” (THE SCOTSMAN, 6/13).
FOLLOW THE BOUNCING BALL: CAMPAIGNLIVE.co.uk's Matt Williams noted Sony is “revisiting its iconic ‘balls’ TV ad in an online campaign to promote its 3D coverage of the Wimbledon finals.” The U.K. campaign, via Crayon, London, is “spearheaded by a video featuring thousands of tennis balls bouncing through the streets of suburban Wimbledon, in the same way that Fallon's ad for Sony Bravia showed thousands of colourful balls bouncing through the streets of San Francisco.” The video will be “supported by a national press campaign, as well as radio, eCRM and experiential activity, with 10,000 branded tennis balls being handed out in London.” Users will also “be able to take part in a competition that challenges them to collect virtual tennis balls that have been placed on various web pages.” Each ball collected represents an "entry into a competition, with prizes including tickets to the final, as well as a range of Sony 3D products” (CAMPAIGNLIVE.co.uk, 6/15).
CREATING A RACKET: In London, Belinda White wrote it “seems that the fashion world is having a tennis moment.” The British Fashion Council is “capitalising on the worldwide interest in Wimbledon” by enlisting a "host of British fashion design talent to design exclusive outfits for the leading lights of the female tennis world for this year's pre-Wimbledon party.” Designers including Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Giles Deacon, Burberry, Richard Nicoll, Matthew Williamson, Hussein Chalayan and David Koma “have all offered their services for this one-of-a-kind project aimed at raising both the off-court profile of the stars of women's tennis, and the international profile of British fashion design talent.” Many of the designers “will be accompanying the WTA stars to the annual pre-Wimbledon party” at Kensington Rooftop Gardens on Thursday “to show off their creations, before the dresses are auctioned off during Wimbledon with the proceeds being split between WTA charities and the British Fashion Council's Princess of Wales Charitable Trust” (London TELEGRAPH, 6/13).
