The British summer is upon us and brings some cherished memories of Tennis fans worldwide as they eagerly tune in to one of the most prestigious and challenging Grand Slam tournaments, which takes place in the quaint English suburb of SW19.
Wimbledon has the luxury of being associated with the elegant aura it unabashedly emanates and has worked tirelessly with stringent British stoicism to retain its unique character.
The All England Championships holds the ethos that the association it maintains with multi-million-pound brands is that of partners, rather than commercial sponsors. And historically has sustained the grandeur of the tournament without giving into vulgar commercialisation that has befallen the world of sport in modern times.
And in line with the staunch belief of the AELTC, very few organisations have had the privilege of being seen under the illustrious spotlight of Wimbledon through its 136 years of rich and fabled history.
For aeons, Wimbledon has managed to hold on to the quintessential English aura that has kept the event pristine in nature and abstaining from giving in to garish and gaudy commercialisation.
The grass-court major seeks to partner with entities that can provide the event with goods and services instead of blatantly displaying symbols of the highest bidders among a sea of money-rich, trigger-happy brands that Would clamour at a chance to get their iconography on the perimeters of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet club’s centre court.
As Wimbledon welcomes innovations that can help in perpetuating its esteemed brand whilst also catering to a wider, growing demographic, some of the high-profile names in the world of marketing are taking big swings as they try to reach for the proliferation of the tennis-loving populace.
IBM: AI-generated video highlights commentary
The year 2023 sees a new advent in the world of advertising and associations as the pristine English major has embraced the advancement in cutting-edge technology and teamed up with long-term technology partner IBM to bring in video highlights packages which will include commentary generated by IBM’s Artificial Intelligence.
The roll-out will be available on Wimbledon’s official application and website, and will also be made available to BBC’s coverage of the major.
Barclays: Replacing HSBC at the SW19
Barclays are also entering into a first-time partnership with the SW19 in the 2023 edition as they bring in their own brand of activations with the ‘Take on Tiafoe’ simulator- headlined by the bank’s ambassador, American star Frances Stiafoe- at the Barclays Clubhouse at the queuing area,
The British bank’s deal with the tournament was reported to be around the 20 Million quid mark and replaces HSBC as the official partner of the grass-court major.
American Express: Fortnight
The official payment partner of the British major has seemingly struck gold as it presents ‘Race to Wimbledon’, a venture on the popular battle royale game Fortnite.
The game mode is embellished with Wimbledon-themed graphics and obstacles as the users try to navigate their way through a cartoon London to arrive at the centre court on a time frame not exceeding British icon Andy Murray’s record of 4 minutes and 45 seconds to enter a draw to stand a chance to win passes to the coveted VIP Experience in the year 2024.
Slazenger: Over a century of association
Slazenger’s association with the championships dates all the way back to 1902, making it one of the oldest partnerships in the history of the sport.
The tie-up serves to be one of the brand’s biggest accomplishments and has helped the sports goods name remain relevant in the marketplace and across tennis courts around the world.
Robinson’s: The Birth of the Famous Lemon Barley Water
As the tale goes, ‘Robinson’s Lemon Barley water was created at Wimbledon’.
A quick-witted salesman present on a hot summer day at the AELTC seized the opportunity by the scruff as he came up with the concoction of cold water, lemon juice, and powdered barley in an attempt to help the weary contestants rehydrate.
The English fruit drink brand ended its partnership with the All England Championships in the year 2022, bringing the curtains down on an association of nearly nine decades.
Evian: Keep the Labels Straight
The image of legendary Spaniard Rafael Nadal’s superstitious approach to the game on full display is probably the first memory to come to mind when one hears the name ‘Evian’.
The 22-time grand slam winner has always had the habit of aligning the bottles of water kept beside the player’s resting bench so that the labels face the court of action.
Ever since the beginning of their partnership with Wimbledon Evian has gained cognitive resonance in the minds of the Tennis fans tuning in and has the maverick southpaw to thank for it.
Babolat: Speaking of Nadal
The quintessential mental image that flashes before one’s eye when discussing Nadal inevitably sees him wielding a Babolat PureAero racquet with his sculpted arm as he unleashes a barrage of nearly supersonic baseline forehands across the court.
But Babolat did not stop there as they teamed up with the Championships in the year 2022 as the representative racquets, strings bags and shoes.
Ralph Lauren: The Outfitters
The SW19 platform has always offered a glimpse of the elegant high life that so many aspire to live and clothing brands have capitalised on the whims of the fashion-forward eyes and hearts every time the championships roll around.
The competitors have always been the grandest assets in the eyes of the big-name brands looking to get in on the grasscourt bandwagon, which inevitably seems to make the imagery all the more picturesque. But, Ralph Lauren jumped ahead of the curve as they opted to provide the umpires, line judges, ball boys and girls.
The American fashion brand release Wimbledon-specific collection which has driven the fans of the game to flock to their shelves to adorn their own personal closets.
Rolex: The ageless timekeeper
Roger Federer, eight-time Wimbledon winner- the most in the history of gentlemen’s singles in the illustrious annals of the AELTC- nearly personifies what it means to take centre court at SW19.
The ballet-esque backhand that oozes elegance fits the bill of reckoning the tournament has come to be synonymous with. The sheer grace and guile of the Swiss maestro will forever be plastered in the minds and hearts of all those who have had the luxury of witnessing Open-era tennis.
Hailing from the same nation as the expert craftsman, Switzerland- a land famous for its inhabitant’s timeliness and timepieces, watch manufacturer Rolex and its iconic ‘Crown’ found a befitting home at the SW19.
Coffee, Spirits, Cars, Phones and connectivity:
Lanson Champagne partnered with the All England Championships in the year 2001 and the relationship has continued to date, while spirits manufacturers such as Primm’s and Sipsmith have been proud names that adorn the exclusive list.
Lavazza attempts to spread the name of the long exiting brand of coffee through its association with SW19 ever since they signed a deal in the year 2011, while Chinese electronics brand Oppo’s push into the sports marketing world found a place in one of the game’s most famous lists with their 2019 masterstroke of a deal.
Jaguar Land Rover provides cars in the region of the 180 mark to help the operations during the two-week schedule of the event, while British telecommunication bigwigs Vodafone struck a deal with the AELTC in the year 2022 to utilise their strengths to in order to revolutionise the fan experience trough means of Augmented and Virtual Reality capabilities.
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