Advertiser: FRENCH TENNIS FEDERATION
Agency: CAKE (HAVAS SPORT & ENTERTAINMENT), HAVAS SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Category: Special Build
Account Manager: Brigitte Lerville
Other Credits: Romain Devisme - Client Services Director
Art Director: Austin Wang
Planner: Pierre Barthes (Consultant)
Other Credits: Xavier Daurian - Managing Director
Other Credits: Gilles Portelle - Ceo
Ambient Execution Description
In China, there are 80M tennis players but very few play on red clay courts. The French Tennis Federation (FFT) wanted to change that and bring red clay tennis to China, a growing market for sport. The FFT was already working with the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA) on promoting the red clay surface with professional athletes but they wanted to reach the general public. When Li Na won the French Open in 2011, she became a hero in China and the FFT knew it was time to act. But how? By partnering with the CTA to bring the Roland-Garros experience out of Paris for the first time ever and directly to Chinese fans. What better way to show off the thrill of red clay tennis than through the highest level of tennis performance in a unique environment and with a Parisian touch. We created ‘Roland-Garros in Beijing’, transforming a luxury shopping mall into a mini Roland-Garros stadium with Parisian accents to transport visitors into a special environment.Iconic French brands: Peugeot, Longines, and Lacoste, got on-board for the event and unveiled their limited edition products.Together with a hospitality center “Le Village”, and sponsors booths, visitors got a true experience of clay court tennis, which all began with a special gala during Li Na’s quarter finals in Paris. During the week-long event, fans could:•Enjoy daily screenings of the French Open broadcast Live •Learn the history of the tournament and discover old competition posters•Try out the authentic clay court and get free tennis lessons •Watch on-site competitions •Get daily updates and interact on the dedicated website and fanpage on Weibo where they could win lessons and free prizes from sponsors Our results exceeded expectations:Over 90,000 visitors got exposed to red clay tennis in 9 days40 hours of live broadcasting allowing 20,000 people to watch the games.10,000 fans followed the activities on Weibo 300 media echoed the news (TV, press, web)Fans enjoyed red clay tennis so much that FFT is doing it again this June.