Wimbledon inspires variety of marketing efforts from luxury brands

With The Championships, Wimbledon in full swing this week, many luxury brands are taking the opportunity to share their latest tennis-themed marketing efforts with consumers.

Sporting events such as tennis tournaments or polo matches are popular with luxury brands looking to appeal to affluent consumers who frequent these international competitions. Many wealthy tennis fans from around the world will attend Wimbledon this year, making it an ideal opportunity for brands to reach out with new campaigns or special offers.

"Sporting events are great opportunities for brands to connect with their shoppers and attract new ones," said Marie Driscoll, chief executive officer and chief consultant of Driscoll Advisors, New York. "Sports tap into our desire for experiences, and smart brands have strategies in place to anchor these experiences with the purchase of a wonderful luxury good, thereby aligning the brand with the experience and deepening brand relationships.

"Exclusive luxury brands that try to whisper their marketing to a select audience, as well as lifestyle and athletic brands, can benefit by an association with Wimbledon," she said. "Auto, fine jewelry and watches, financial institutions, hotels and fine liquors are well suited, as are beauty and fashion to a lesser extent."

Game, set, match
Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, held every year at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four tournaments that make up the Grand Slam along with the Australian, French and U.S. Open tournaments.

Fortnum & Mason offered baskets of scotch egg to visitors

This year, luxury brands including Fortnum & Mason, Jaguar Land Rover and Rolex all introduced initiatives to mark the event.

British department store Fortnum & Mason created a special culinary offer for Wimbledon visitors. The store sent out its fleet of red tails to bring the famous Fortnum & Mason scotch egg to consumers waiting online to purchase tickets.

Fortnum & Mason's promotion highlighted the British heritage that the department store shares with the tennis tournament. Emphasizing heritage is an excellent way to appeal to consumers during an event.

Bulgari created unique chocolates to celebrate the tournament

Bulgari Hotel & Residences, London also created a culinary confection to celebrate the sporting event. Bulgari offered guests home-made tennis balls with a white chocolate shell and a filling of vanilla and mascarpone cream, strawberry confit and orange blossom sponge.

Britain’s Jaguar Land Rover is further capitalizing on emotions with a new initiative debuted at Wimbledon this year. The automaker is monitoring the emotional fluctuations of tennis fans at Wimbledon June 29 through July 12 to better calibrate its sponsorship efforts.

The brand devised the #FeelWimbledon campaign to put something concrete behind the claim that the tennis tournament generates emotion and to give fans unable to attend the chance to feel connected to those in the stands. Since sports depend on measurements of various kinds, the audience will likely regard the monitoring of emotion as a way to be more involved in the event, and a competitive element could easily surface (see story).

Jaguar has been present at the tournament this year

While Jaguar’s campaign will likely appeal to younger consumers who are interested in the latest technology, Rolex took a more classic approach to the event.

The Swiss watchmaker has been the official timekeeper of Wimbledon since 1978 and will continue in that role this year.

Rolex is keeping consumers informed by posting the latest updates of the matches on its Web site. Furthermore, it is sharing user-generated social media content on the site to give consumers an opportunity to participate themselves.

Rolex shared information on its Web site to keep consumers informed

Winner takes all
In previous years, brands like Rolex have introduced similar initiatives.

For example, last year the Swiss watchmaker amplified its exclusive Wimbledon partnership by adding digital content that aimed to simplify fans’ viewing experience and excite consumers for the championships.

The watchmaker introduced a Facebook application and short videos that promoted a partnership that will extend 30 years. By elevating its activity and visibility at Wimbledon, Rolex demonstrated to consumers that it is keen on renovating its value architecture (see story).

Wimbledon is not the only tennis tournament that is popular with luxury brands.

Last year, Swiss watchmaker Longines acted as the official timekeeper of the French Open held at Roland-Garros stadium in Paris.

As a supplement to its sponsorship, Longines asked fans to guess the time of each day’s longest match. Also, alongside the professional Grand Slam event, Longines sponsored a Future Tennis Ace tournament that hosted matches for aspiring tennis players, which collectively drew the attention of a wide range of tennis fans (see story).

Wimbledon is the ideal opportunity for luxury brands looking to connect with consumers.

"Wimbledon's appeal is to luxury consumers specifically and beyond that to lifestyle sports enthusiasts, thus potentially broadening the market potential for a luxury brand beyond luxury and luxury fashion shoppers," Ms. Driscoll said. "The Wimbledon heritage and elements of exclusivity, the only grass court and lack of promotions and British imagery lend a luxury element to this sporting event."

Final Take
Kay Sorin, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York