If you asked 100 teens what their favorite sport is, I bet less than 5 of them would answer tennis. As popular as tennis is world-wide, it’s just not as attractive to the younger generation as professional hockey or baseball.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) wants to change that. According to this post by Tim Nudd on Adweek.com, the USTA has commissioned a new campaign aimed at millennials which works to highlight the many benefits of playing tennis. The agency in charge of the campaign is DDB New York.
The theme of the campaign is “Tennis Makes You,” and according to the spots, tennis can make you “smarter, stronger, invincible, happier, and attractive.”
Here’s the five short online spots all put together in one video:
Personally my favourite spot is “invincible.”
The spots were directed by Jared Hess, perhaps best known for his cult classic Napoleon Dynamite, which helps to explain the “offbeat” style of the messages.
Personally I think these spots are great. They reel viewers in with claims such as “Tennis makes you invincible,” and show a funny little skit which I think really appeals to the target audience.
After capturing our attention they then provide actual information about the benefits of tennis, and physical activity in general. The ending of the “invincible” ad says, “Research shows people who play tennis regularly cut their risk of death by any cause in half.”
So what do you think, is the USTA on the right path to increasing awareness and involvement in their game among the younger generation?
Brent Goff 