Raising awareness for your tennis club, program or event has never been simpler or cheaper – and with social media’s global reach it could even get cheaper!
Players are working to refine their social media strategy. Instagram and TikTok provide eye-catching visual content targeted to younger audiences while working to counter cyberbullying while finding an equilibrium between modernizing their sport while upholding deep-seated traditions.
Branded Merchandise
Branded merchandise provides fans and players a tangible way of showing their dedication and support for their favorite athletes. Products range from clothing (hoodies, jerseys and hats) to accessories like stickers, pins and water bottles; each time fans wear or carry such merchandise they demonstrate their devotion and build community and foster loyalty within a sport.
Studies on branded merchandise’s role in fan experiences have been undertaken using various theoretical frameworks; identity theory and social identification theory being popular choices. Although different frameworks were utilized for each paper’s research, most shared similar themes, including how increased commercialization affects fan identities, attitudes and emotions.
Social media provides fans with another outlet to express their opinions and thoughts about a game, even without purchasing merchandise directly. While not considered direct marketing strategy, this form of engagement provides invaluable feedback about fan experiences while helping identify gaps in customer service delivery.
USTA New England’s branded merchandise campaigns have generated donations to Citation2020 – its 501(c)(3) charitable arm – while also raising awareness about USTA New England’s efforts to increase tennis participation and support young tennis players across New England.
No matter if they attend events live or watch on TV, audiences around the world share an intense passion for tennis. According to ATP Tour data, tennis is one of the world’s most beloved sports and enjoyed by both Gen Z and Boomer audiences alike.
Even though spectator numbers at tennis games might be small, USTA and IBM Services’ business design unit IBM iX recognize that more intense fan engagement with sport through television, computers, and apps is possible. They are working closely to develop innovative digital technologies which will allow viewers to actively interact and immerse themselves into what they are watching.
Social Media
Social media, an online communication medium that uses digital networking to form communities, enables individuals to share information and ideas globally while creating personal profiles and interacting with users via likes, shares, comments and other forms of engagement.
Social media platforms have revolutionized how fans connect with their favorite players, teams and events. Their development has been driven by our desire to connect as human beings as well as advances in digital technology that has made this possible.
Initial social media was intended to facilitate networking among friends and family as well as like-minded individuals they may never have met in person. Desktop access to services like CompuServe and Prodigy during the 1980s and 1990s led to some of the earliest forms of online social networks, such as email and bulletin board messaging, which allowed real-time online chatting.
Social media platforms became an invaluable marketing tool as their popularity grew and businesses adopted them to increase brand recognition and promote products and services. Businesses could leverage tools like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter as powerful ways of tracking consumer trends and building their business presence online.
Social media allows fans to engage with players, clubs and tournaments directly via direct engagement with social media has created an unprecedented level of intimacy between tennis and its followers that was unthinkable in the past. Players such as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic utilize their accounts regularly to keep followers up-to-date on day-to-day activities; this has helped attract younger audiences while growing its following base.
But social media’s power can have its downsides, too. By making content easily available to a global audience, its global reach allows people to more easily find and distribute offensive material which may damage reputations or induce feelings of Schadenfreude (taking pleasure from someone else’s misfortune). Furthermore, heavy social media use has been linked with depression, loneliness and suicidal thoughts according to some studies.
Influencers & Youth Ambassadors
Tennis has long used social media as a vehicle to increase brand recognition among younger audiences, and players have used various social platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok to connect with fans. From its early digital days onwards, athletes created accounts to manage their image, promote products or even launch entrepreneurial ventures; later these social media platforms like these became matured enough for closer interactions between fans and athletes.
Influencer marketing grew as platforms adopted features like verified accounts to protect high-profile users from impersonators and encourage authentic content creation. Players have taken advantage of their reach and authority as influencers to launch successful e-commerce businesses while others use their following to advance important societal issues, such as Serena and Venus Williams elevating female sports by relentlessly campaigning for equal pay, challenging narrow views of ideal female athletic body types with natural hair styles like cornrows decorated with beads cornrows adorned with beads as an inspiration to young women to follow their dreams both on and off the court.
Some brands partner with an influencer to form an even closer bond between athlete and audience. Boxed Water took advantage of this strategy to increase sales and customer engagement; as a reward, he endorsed their eco-friendly packaging and raw material-sourcing practices.
As tennis continues to captivate younger generations, players are using their reach and influence to promote charitable initiatives. Tennis star Sloane Stephens leverages her social media accounts to spread word of her Sloane Foundation; which seeks to improve quality of life for underserved youth through tennis and education. Kevin Anderson leveraged his following to raise money for eliminating single-use plastic from tournament venues – like water bottles and bags for newly strung racquets – such as water bottles and bags used during events.
The USTA recently unveiled Net Generation Aces, an initiative to recognize junior athletes who display leadership, creativity and community impact through tennis programs. Ten young athletes from around the globe were invited to the US Open to engage with USTA senior management and professional players while giving feedback on current initiatives as well as providing their own input regarding future programming for Net Generation Aces.
Deepening Engagement with Younger Audiences
Over 4.7 billion people globally use social media, giving brands an invaluable opportunity to reach audiences on platforms that provide a highly tailored, immersive experience. By understanding individual consumer behaviors on various social media channels, companies can create content tailored specifically for certain demographics.
Engaging fans through tweets, Instagram posts or podcasts is one of the best ways to foster brand loyalty and open up new markets. By targeting specific social media engagement trends of consumers, sports teams are able to build deeper relationships with their fan base while increasing brand value.
Older generations still prefer traditional television and radio coverage of events, while Gen Z respondents overwhelmingly favor digital media for watching sport on their smartphones or tablets. Therefore, tennis teams should prioritize creating content tailored specifically for this audience.
By taking advantage of various digital platforms and social influencers, younger tennis fans are more likely to connect with the sport. Young audiences tend to look for on-demand content more frequently than older audiences; therefore it is critical that tennis teams establish strong presences on streaming services like Netflix.
As youth-oriented influencers and tennis ambassadors can be used to promote brand products to a broader audience, youth-oriented influencers like Sloane Stephens from US Open squad tennis regularly use social media channels like her social feeds to showcase her sponsor products as well as raise awareness about her foundation that strives to enhance quality of life for underserved youth through tennis and education.
While older viewers still love watching live event coverage, tennis teams should prioritize engaging younger audiences by creating plans to connect with them through fast-paced forms of the game that appeal to younger viewers. By adopting methods that engage them more fully and increase commercial revenue over time, tennis can extend its reach and revenue growth over time – as long as no drastic changes push away viewers with existing relationships with it.