Digitally or On Site, Brands Serve Up US Open Activations

The US Open showcases tennis’ brightest stars on its hard courts (Novak Djokovic being the exception again this year). But some of the event’s biggest names and longest-tenured veterans paid for their spot on the grounds. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing embraces its legacy as a former World’s Fair site by bringing some of the globe’s biggest brands to its annual summer spectacle. Longtime sponsor American Express is a perennial case study in marketing pageantry. This year, even before the US Open unlocked the gates, the financial services brand held a rooftop pickleball party and doled out Honey Deuce cocktail popsicles. The US Open’s Fan Week—the first week of the event— is when fans are allowed on the grounds for free to watch the tournament’s qualifying matches. And that’s considered the perfect time for a host of brands to announce their partnerships with the USTA. It’s a moment when marketers set up their spaces and activations at the tennis center. Yes, they’re seeking the attention and patronage. But it’s not just the more than 630,000 people who attended last year’s US Open (the first held with an audience since nearly 740,000 people attended in 2019) they’re trying to reach; it’s the nearly 10 million people around the world who check in on US Open digital platforms. “The global fan digital engagement is very attractive and important to our sponsors, in addition to the exposure and the association that they're able to gain by being visible on the court—or being able to engage with fans in person on the grounds,” said Kirsten Corio, the USTA’s chief commercial officer. As the US Open lets its first groups of fans through the gates, here are just some of the brands waiting for them on the other side. American Express Courts Cardholder Loyalty With Free Tennis During US Open IBM’s 30 love When IBM came to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park for the 1964 World’s Fair, it pushed a "People Wall" of 500 visitors into a theater designed by Eero Saarinen to see a film by Charles and Ray Eames. This year, the USTA and IBM recently announced a five-year renewal of their 30-year partnership that’s brought fans from the era of flip phones and office internet connections to cloud-based, stat-driven, real-time updates of player performance and odds. IBM helped launch USOpen.org in 1995 and the event’s mobile app in 2009. On top of that, the IBM Power Index with Watson was added last year to track player performance. This year, IBM bolstered the Open’s digital offerings by using its popular IBM Match Insights—which analyzes millions of data points from more than 100 million sources throughout the tournament—to power its new Win Factors feature. Win Factors considers variables including court surface, rankings, head-to-head records, games won, sets won, recent performance, yearly success and media commentary to predict a match’s outcome. It also considers “unstructured data," including an athlete’s social media posts. If a star player is looking strong coming into the tournament, but has been traveling a while and sounds homesick online, Win Factors knows it. IBM's Match Insights feature on the US Open app uses millions of data points to tell you just how wrong your prediction is. IBM’s letting fans make their own predictions with the app and the website’s Have Your Say functions. Those tools allow the audience to compare their picks with those of other spectators and IBM’s AI-powered Likelihood to Win. Both features join a redesigned US Open digital suite that already includes Fantasy Tennis and other features. “If you look at the nature of the partnership that we've got, it's about looking two, three, four years—maybe five with the new agreement—ahead of where we're going,” said Jonathan Adashek, IBM’s chief communications officer and svp of marketing and communications. “The average fan, player or commentator won't see them for a couple of years, but we're already starting to think about those things and starting to plan.” IBM’s offerings at the tennis center itself are changing as well. Through the app, fans can mark their favorite players and get more relevant information about scores, schedules and draws. The app also has an At the Open feature that allows fans to store their digital tickets, order food, pull up maps and receive personalized content. Ultimately, with help from IBM’s Red Hat OpenShift cloud platform, the US Open wants to create a more personalized experience built around modern sports consumption. IBM and the Open are bulking up real-time highlights, local content and analytics to ensure that fans around the globe are getting an experience as close to that at the tennis center as possible. “The digital outlet is the way that our partners engage with our fans around the world, as well as within the broadcast,” the USTA’s Corio said. “When the draw does come out and more functionality comes to life, you'll see the ability for sponsors to be more closely associated with different types of content, or with areas of bespoke engagement opportunities for fans.” Chase the dream Many tennis fans basically live at the tennis center during the US Open, and Chase is more than happy to meet some of their basic needs. Chase customers get a Chase Pass that gives them access to free snacks, private restrooms and air conditioning at the Chase Lounge. It also gets them a spot at the new open-air Chase Terrace in the Grandstand with views of courts 8-10 and free food and beverages. Finally, Chase patrons also get upgrades and exclusive benefits at the “Automated Tennis Machines” in the Chase South Plaza Booths that give away free swag and let fans pose with the championship trophy at different NYC locations. The Chase Terrace at this year's US Open features complimentary food and drink. For everyone else, there are more than 5,000 free mobile phone charging units throughout the grounds and an Infatuation Guide to the US Open that highlights all the best spots for food and drinks. Chase also provides free admission for finals weekend viewing parties on the South Plaza. For those who can’t attend, Chase sponsors a US Open sweepstakes with a chance to win a trip to the 2023 US Open, including a private clinic on Arthur Ashe Stadium court with a tennis legend, tickets to the US Open men’s final, and a behind-the-scenes tour. Chase also joins the USTA Foundation for Return The Serve, which provides financial assistance and programming to local youth tennis organizations. This year, Return The Serve awarded $215,000 in grants to 29 organizations. It’s handed out more than $1.3 million total since the program began. Checking in with Andy Roddick In its fourth year as the official hotel partner of the US Open, IHG Hotels & Resort is bringing the open right into guests’ rooms. IHG brought back 2003 US Open men’s singles champion Andy Roddick to help create the “Guest How Andy Roddick Guests” Room. Setting up at the Kimpton Hotel Eventi in Midtown, IHG has stocked the room with Roddick’s favorite snacks and sushi), freshly brewed coffee, ergonomic pillows and more. IHG One Rewards members who win also get courtside tickets to Arthur Ashe Stadium for two games, a meet-and-greet with Roddick and signed memorabilia. Bidding at auctions.ihg.com ends Aug. 28 at 5 p.m. ET. IHG set up a hotel room with a Roddickulous amount of 2003 US Open men's champ Andy Roddick's favorite snacks. IHG’s set up another room at the Eventi, the Racquet Room, that features a size-large tennis-ball-shaped bed, furniture made from racquet material, eye-catching tennis ball lined walls and décor, and court-style turf flooring. Fans can apply to book the room at experienceihg@ihg.com. Finally, IHG threw an "Epic Summer Celebration” featuring performances from Joe Jonas and DNCE, as well as a table-tennis match between Roddick and WTA Tour Champion Amanda Anisimova. If you couldn’t make it, get your phone out: IHG shared highlights across its social media. The Cadillac LYRIQ will be at the US Open. If you drive to the tournament in one—or any Cadillac—you can park for free. Does tennis have Caddies? During Fan Week, the USTA announced a multi-year deal making Cadillac the official vehicle of the US Open. Starting this year, General Motors will show off its Cadillac Lyriq EV and debut the 3,000-square-foot Cadillac Electriq Theater to tout the brand’s all-electric future. It isn’t quite GM’s Futurama exhibit from the World’s Fair, but Cadillac’s US Open presence is a similar, dreamy look ahead. “At Cadillac’s core is the desire to champion each of us to become the most aspirational and bold version of ourselves,” said Cadillac’s global CMO Melissa Grady Dias. “As an organization, the USTA also champions people and organizations that are bold and disruptive, and working towards a better future.” https://twitter.com/JRBlake/status/1559181805663559682 The brand is going all-out in its first year of sponsorship, affixing its white crest to the nets on all of the event’s courts and providing transportation around the grounds for more than 250 players. Cadillac owners who drive to the US Open can park free select paid lots around the tennis center. On Friday, Sept. 2, Cadillac sponsors both the day and night sessions and will provide lucky fans with a front-row, courtside seat upgrade. During the night session, the first 10,000 fans through the gates will receive a Cadillac “Be Iconic” hat. “The US Open and Cadillac are a perfect match,” said Deanne Pownall, managing director of corporate partnerships for USTA. "We are thrilled to be welcoming Cadillac to the US Open as a major sponsor that will electrify the fan experience and play an important role in the overall operation of the tournament for many years to come.” Chris Evert Will Sell You a Sandwich to Help Even One Kid Play Tennis Ambush ads: Spirits edition The US Open has its own signature cocktail, the Honey Deuce, that it promotes heavily with help from official spirits sponsor Bacardi and its Grey Goose vodka brand. The event is also so strongly associated with tennis legend Billie Jean King that her name is on its host site. None of the above prevented Connecticut-based Diageo from committing a double fault this year by producing billboards for its Johnnie Walker Scotch featuring quotes from King. Johnnie Walker is using quotes from Billie Jean King to grab tennis fans' attention in Queens. Those billboards were then posted all around the tennis center in Queens at Northern Boulevard and Broadway; Astoria Boulevard and Steinway Street; Northern Boulevard between 35th Avenue and 42nd; and Northern Boulevard and 48th Street. A fifth will appear at the Long Island Expressway and Van Dam Street later in the tournament. Aware that using King’s words to sell whisky to the US Open’s well-heeled spectators might seem somewhat inappropriate, Johnnie Walker is donating proceeds to the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative—King’s non-profit organization dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The US Open doesn't have sports betting partners, but DraftKings made a tennis-ball fragrance for it anyway. Ambush Ads: Gambling edition The US Open doesn’t have partners within the sports betting industry. In fact, it’s been vocal about just how cautiously it’s approaching that sector. “The sport of tennis has perhaps been more conservative than others in inviting that aspect of fan engagement into its universe,” the USTA’s Corio said. “We understand that it's here to stay and that many fans do consider that an important part of their engagement with a live sporting event—and that evolution is inevitable—but how that comes to how that comes to be embraced by official tournaments and official governing bodies like ours is still a work in progress.” The USTA’s taking a conservative approach to betting and figuring out how to fit it within its ecosystem while preserving the integrity of the game. That hasn’t prevented online gaming company DraftKings from partnering with VaynerMedia and releasing a fragrance—Love Love—just in time for the tournament. https://twitter.com/DKSportsbook/status/1564973845961998337 Designed to smell like a freshly opened sleeve of tennis balls, Love Love is only available as a prize. For a chance to win, fans must place a bet on the US Open online via the DraftKings Sportsbook through September 11. If you’re in town for the Open and want a free preview of what a tennis-ball-can fragrance smells like, visit the Love Love Scan and Sniff Mural at 49th Street and 7th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Serena Williams Reminds Us How Important It Is to Own Your Narrative

Sports Marketing News

Digitally or On Site, Brands Serve Up US Open Activations

From custom hotel rooms to free parking for Cadillac drivers

Jason Notte

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Jason Notte