Osaka plays for Japan, which could result in even richer endorsement deals surrounding the '20 Tokyo GamesGETTY IMAGES
U.S. Open winner Naomi Osaka is "set to receive a bonus payment" from her sponsor, Citizen Watch, which said it is also "considering featuring the 20-year-old Japanese tennis star in television commercials," according to Takahiko Hyuga of BLOOMBERG NEWS. Leading up to Osaka's "dramatic win" over Serena Williams, Citizen spokesperson Noriyuki Mitome said that the brand "received an increasing number of inquiries about the watch" Osaka wore at the tournament. Mitome "declined to disclose details of the reward" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 9/10). In N.Y., Lisa Fickenscher cited sources as saying the "shy" Osaka is "poised to become a branding sensation." Sports media/marketing consultant Joe Favorito noted that Osaka's win "happened in front of major brand decision makers, because they were physically in the building." Favorito: "The fact that she succeeded in New York gives her another one-up." Osaka was raised in the U.S., but "played for Japan, which will likely result in even richer endorsement deals" surrounding the '20 Tokyo Games (N.Y. POST, 9/11).
QUEEN OF THE COURT: In Singapore, Rob Sherlock wrote there is "no doubt" that Osaka's win will "lead to some lucrative commercial deals in Japan and further afield." She currently has sponsorship ties to "Nissin instant noodles, Adidas, Yonex sportswear, Citizen watches and the Japanese broadcaster Wowow." All of those are "big Japanese brands, most of them global," and those companies will "see an immediate uplift from their association with Japan's new queen of the court." Osaka "represents a unique opportunity for other brands looking to back her as well." Her "unique mix of cultural diversity, emotional engagement and pure sporting brilliance makes her a very powerful ambassador" for the right brands (MUMBRELLA.asia, 9/10). Reuters' William Mallard noted the "#Yomiuri and #Asahi, #Japan’s leading right- and left-leaning newspapers, both ran prominent ads" featuring Osaka "alongside news stories on her #USOpen #tennis win." This breaks an "informal industry church-and-state rule" (TWITTER.com, 9/11).
Osaka this week posed for official photographs in a white dress from Rei Kawakubo of Comme des GarconsGETTY IMAGES
DRESS CODE: Osaka this week "posed for official photographs with her first U.S. Open championship trophy in a very special white dress from none other than Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons," Japan's "most major fashion brand." It "remains to be seen" whether this will be a "lasting partnership between Osaka and Kawakubo." It is "rare for the legendary Japanese brand to make a public endorsement of this kind" (VOGUE.com, 9/10).
