Serena Williams on Her Super Bowl Ads and Brand Partnerships

Serena Williams exited professional tennis last September, following one final U.S. Open run, in a blaze of branding glory—with a pair of powerful ads from longtime partners Nike and Gatorade honoring and cementing her legacy as the sport’s GOAT. But while Williams has long been one of the industry’s most coveted spokespeople and brand partners—after all, she was Adweek’s 2018 Brand Visionary—the icon has redefined her own approach to advertising and partnerships now that she has stepped off the tennis court for good. (She doesn’t like the word “retired,” preferring instead to categorize this new stage as an “evolution.”) When it comes to working with brands now, “for me, it's really about spending as much time as I can with my family,” Williams—who has a 5-year-old daughter, Olympia, with husband Alexis Ohanian—explained to Adweek. “So it's always a big question: What is that like for me and my time? Because that's what means a lot to me now.” In other words, “It’s only worth it if you enjoy it,” which happens to be the tagline for Michelob, whom Williams first began working with in 2021. She returned for her third Super Bowl ad with the company this year (and the brand’s eighth consecutive in-game spot): hitting the golf course for the Caddyshack-inspired “New Members Day.” It was one of two extended Super Bowl 57 spots featuring the tennis legend, who also appeared in Rémy Martin’s “Inch By Inch” ad. During a break from filming the Michelob ad at Miami Shores Country Club in Florida last November, Williams sat down with Adweek to talk about her changing priorities when it comes to brand partnerships, the power of authenticity—and why her personal brand is still TBD as she charts the next phase of her evolution. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Adweek: You came back for another Super Bowl with Michelob, which is using a similar concept from Super Bowl 56. Why return for this? Serena Williams: I love the message that we have. Honestly, what I really love about that ad last year was it was really about equality. Having the same number of men and women in the ad; I thought that was really, really amazing. It’s the same thing again this year. Do you play golf in real life? If so, what’s your handicap? I don’t, but I actually recently decided I am going to pick up golf. I want to wear my cute outfits. Had you seen Caddyshack prior to this? I actually have not. Inside Michelob’s Game Plan to Become a Super Bowl Advertising Tour de Force Any anecdotes from the set? Everyone was surprised since I don’t play golf—and I was striking them so far. I was able to get golf tips from the original caddy from Caddyshack, Michael O’Keefe, on set. I was out there today and was like, this is so fun. It's so cool. I'm swinging a golf club and I’m on a golf course and I'm shooting a Super Bowl ad. How grateful am I and excited am I to be here? Last year, Williams appeared in Michelob Ultra’s Big Lebowski-inspired Super Bowl ad. So it was actually a really good moment just to breathe in and kind of live in the moment, which is hard to do. You don't really get that many opportunities to take a breath—especially me as a mom, I don't get that opportunity too much. So yeah, this is pretty awesome. When you're thinking about potential brand partnerships, like working with Michelob, how much does the fact that this is a Super Bowl ad factor into your decision? My biggest decision is, is it authentic? Is it something that I enjoy? And those are usually some of the things that I look for. And if the brand itself really encompasses who I am a lot. Mostly behind the scenes, I'm really someone that likes to make sure that I have fun, and that's what I did my whole career. I really enjoyed it. I think that's why it was able to last so long—and I think a lot of people miss that message of being able to really enjoy what they do and not forget to have fun, because it makes it easier to make some more lighthearted [ads]. And obviously a Super Bowl ad is always a bonus. The landscape has changed a lot. But nothing has changed in terms of authenticity. That’s super important. I think a lot of consumers now are able to see beyond just a face.Serena Williams, on her brand partnerships What else factors into how you choose the brands you work with? And how has that changed as your career evolves? The landscape has changed a lot. But nothing has changed in terms of authenticity. That’s super important. I think a lot of consumers now are able to see beyond just a face. They see, OK, is it really something that's true? So everyone I generally partner with has some sort of authenticity there, from whether I used it either when I was a kid or I enjoyed it later in life as an adult, like Michelob. Williams channeled Wonder Woman in a 2021 DirecTV spot. I think the keyword here is authenticity because I really don't want to just be a face on something. Obviously, things change as time goes on. Deals look different. For me, it's really about spending as much time as I can with my family. So it's always a big question: What is that like for me and my time? Because that's what means a lot to me now. Whereas before, maybe I wasn't looking at that as much. You've worked with a lot of brands over the years. What have you learned about what makes for a successful brand partnership above and beyond authenticity? One thing I love is having these different relationships throughout the years and still working with someone or a team. It's like, you don't really lose that relationship. It becomes almost like a contact for a lifetime. And so for me, I've followed other people's careers, they started at one company and went to another company and another company, and [they] still are close. And so I think that's what's really important in this: to always just build relationships. The 2022 Michelob spot focused heavily on joy and was a bit more lighthearted. The ad this year is in a similar vein. But you've also been featured in more serious ads. When you're thinking about the brands you work with, do you look for some kind of balance between the two? There’s definitely two sides to everyone's life. Everyone has a time where they have a lot of fun, like Michelob, and you enjoy that. And then there's other times where you need the serious ads, like the ones that Nike did based on my career. Sometimes when you see an ad like what Michelob is doing here, it's almost like a breath of fresh air. I'm especially particular with what I do with my everyday job. It's a lot of work … and so, when you do something different—I'm not on a tennis court, I'm on a golf course. How often do I get to be at a golf course? That alone is super exciting. It's like, oh my god, this is so different. I literally can't wait. And then you get to work with people that are super iconic and you really love to meet. For me, I would never really have any other opportunity to work with them. So that's really cool, too. Williams has been a Lincoln brand ambassador since 2018. The last ad that we did with Michelob, I was really excited to work with Steve Buscemi. I've been following his career for so many years. Random movies that he couldn't believe I even knew. I was a fan. [With this year’s Michelob ad], it's so cool having these different people on set. It’s the guy from Succession; that’s pretty amazing. Not everybody gets to work with Brian Cox, but I did thanks to Michelob, and it was pretty cool. So you can't help but enjoy it. And you really get the sense of what the meaning is behind the brand, the meaning behind the company, the meaning behind really enjoying these moments and … just putting everything into this and putting the new versus the old in this ad as well. They do so much diversity and … so many different looks as well on the golf course. It's just really cool. Your co-stars have talked about what a dream it was to work with you on these ads—who would be your dream co-star? Any one of the Avengers. Your Instagram bio says, “I'm Olympia’s mom,” which I thought was so sweet. Beyond being a mom, how would you define the Serena Williams brand? That's definitely an interesting question. I don’t know what my brand is. I’m talking to Adweek—I should definitely do a branding exercise. I can answer that for other companies that we [work with]. But for myself, personally, I need to figure out what that is. Serena Williams Will Exit the Court, but Her Title as Brand Icon Is Assured You were featured in two of arguably the most inspirational ads of 2022, which both paid tribute to your tennis legacy: the Gatorade ad, "Love Means Everything," and Nike’s "By Changing Nothing, She Changed Everything." What was your involvement, if any, in bringing those ads to life? I wasn't involved at all—just my career … it was an incredibly exciting surprise to see that. I'm very emotional. Another longtime brand partner, Gatorade, celebrated Williams’ enduring legacy with an emotional spot last summer. One of your recent Instagram posts had the caption, “Here's to continuing to leave a legacy to remember.” What do you hope your legacy will be? It's just hard work. I mean, there's so many things I hope for my legacy. Most of all, I think just humility. I think above all, that’s it. Obviously, you have to work hard … but I think above all, just when people meet me, it's usually the same. It's nothing different than friendships. I just like to keep that humble spirit. This story is part of Adweek’s Advertising Redefined digital package, which spotlights all the ways that the industry is evolving as brands face greater challenges than ever in reaching consumers.

Super Bowl Commercials

Serena Williams Holds Court on Her Super Bowl Ads and Reevaluating Brand Partnerships

After exiting tennis, only ‘authenticity’ will pull her away from family time

Lisa Lacy

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