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Thursday, February 8, 2024

Credit Where Credit is Due (aka Kudos, ATP)

Once in a while, they get things right.

As much as I'd like to say that in this case it was the WTA, I can't. It's the ATP.

The tone of the men's tour's fun new promotional campaign is *precisely* the sort of marketing gimmick I've been suggesting for years -- especially at the conclusion of the fake "Simply Irresistible" marketing campaign series in 2021 -- that the WTA tour should utilize.

The ATP tour as a scripted "reality" show, with players actually portrayed by actors with names like "Fraser McKnight" and "Bert Critchley"... hahaha. Brilliant.



A group of WTAers would have knocked it out of the park, as well. And, truthfully, likely would have provided the opportunity to be even *more* versatile. Extra credit to the marketing team that came up with fake accounts for the "real" actors playing the ATP characters...



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Meanwhile, on the WTA tour during the *same week*...

The Transylvania Open's "Drac" finally showed up on social media, but it was the *tour* -- not the tournament itself -- that threw up the image in a half-hearted attempt to do *something* to touch on the glorious social media engagement the Cluj-Napoca, Romania event instituted in its debut in 2021 (and carried over into '22, before seemingly abandoning the idea the last two seasons). Yep, we've reached the point where we have a tournament in Transylvania that refuses to continue to lean into the vampire culture of the region to promote the event beyond the borders of the arena.



At least Cluj itself was in on the event's unique color-scheme game...



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Meanwhile, this was a clue on the Wednesday (February 7) episode of "Jeopardy!" this week...



"Jeopardy!" now does a better job of promoting the WTA than the WTA does. (Although, whether "The Professor" is Aga's most well-known nickname is debatable, though she *did* once say it was her favorite... beggars can't be choosers, I guess.)

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Swinging back around to the ATP campaign, I almost think the reactions this week of people who didn't "get it," have no sense of humor, or whose sole purpose in life is to douse anyone's fun with battery acid, are almost *funnier* than the actual concept and execution. (Score! Unexpected gains!)



Luv ya, Vika!

Have similar campaigns been done elsewhere in the past? Yes, of course. (Though I don't even *remember* the NFL's apparently similar ad concept -- probably because the NFL doesn't *need* a marketing campaign to get attention and/or eyes on its product.) I mean, how many TV series or movies utilize the "fake/mock documentary" technique? Quite a few.

What matters is whether or not it works. And this one seems to. Quite well, actually. (I can't even say anything snide about Gael Monfils' efforts so, well, touché, ATP.)

Tip o' Iga's cap to this guy's response to Coco (psst... he gets it):



The fact that men's and women's players alike are commenting and admiring the ad, it's getting play on social media and offers the opportunity for a series of follow-up spots over the course of the season means it's already served it's purpose to publicize the ATP tour, create a buzz and build a sense of anticipation.

WTA players and fans are already calling for a version of the ad for the women's tour. Of course, the WTA has had a slew of personalities that they wouldn't even have had to make "characters" for a series of ads to work just as well, or even better. But with the ATP moving first (not that the WTA would recognize a good marketing campaign if it tripped over it -- no one ever gave two craps about the likes of the #ForTheGame or #ItTakes), the moment seems sort of lost now.



Didn't we almost have it all?

Yeah, probably not.

Kudos to the ATP's people, though.


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OF NOTE: "They Got the Beat: The Birth of a Fake WTA Marketing Campaign"(2019) and "Simply Irresistible: (Another) Birth of a Fake WTA Marketing Campaign"(2021)

All for now.
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