The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour will expand its online presence with the launch of a new video series based around the “Looking for a Hero” marketing campaign.
Sixteen players including Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Elena Dementieva, Vera Zvonareva and Caroline Wozniacki participated in the production which will offer an exclusive look into their lives.
The film series – set to launch in the coming weeks – marks the third stage of the Tour’s global marketing campaign, “Looking for a Hero?” and represents the central piece of its digital component, which will also include an online game and viral videos.
The “Making of a Hero” online films will add a significant push to the Tour’s global marketing efforts in the digital space and will be featured on the Tour’s soon-to-be-relaunched website.
The film series will also be distributed via online community sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube.
Sixteen of the Tour’s global superstars and next generation players participated in the digital campaign shoot, including Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Elena Dementieva, Caroline Wozniacki, Vera Zvonareva, Nadia Petrova, Marion Bartoli, Alona Bondarenko, Patty Schnyder, Dominika Cibulkova, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Peng Shuai, Sania Mirza, Aleksandra Wozniak and the doubles team of Kveta Peschke and Lisa Raymond.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in every stage of the “Looking for a Hero?” marketing campaign and more than ever I enjoy not only the creative process, but the unique way of being able to connect with the fans of women’s tennis,” said Venus Williams in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s announcement released on Wednesday. “This is a great campaign for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and it’s another sign that women’s tennis is spreading its wings to attract a new generation of fans.”
The “Making of a Hero” online film series will consist of short films based on the lives of the Tour’s brightest stars who are superheroes in their own right, and give fans a rare glimpse into their lives – from their beginnings playing tennis at an early age to becoming international tennis superstars, with all the glory and struggles that come along with the journey.
The films offer viewers an unprecedented unique glimpse into the lives of women tennis players and highlight their special talents and superhuman skills.
Shot in an avant-garde documentary style, the films will string together stolen moments that will bring the viewer closer to the players and their lives on Tour. Featuring enticing off-court interviews, edge of your seat physical action, and behind the scenes features far away from the court, the films will give tennis fans a rare look into the lives of professional tennis players.
In addition to filming the online films series, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour shot a series of viral videos, designed to portray the incredible superhuman on-court skills of its stars, including their speed, power and accuracy.
Additionally, the Tour’s digital marketing campaign includes a virtual “Hero Power Cards” trading card game, an online tennis competition where fans will be able to compete against one another using interactive trading cards of the Tour’s current roster of stars.
The online game will be unveiled to coincide with the relaunch of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour website and the grand prize winner will be awarded an all-expenses paid trip to the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar.
