MARK OF A CHAMPION

TitleMARK OF A CHAMPION
BrandTENNIS AUSTRALIA
Product / ServiceTHE AUSTRALIAN OPEN
CategoryA06. Promotional Items
EntrantCUMMINS & PARTNERS Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Entrant Company CUMMINS & PARTNERS Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Advertising Agency CUMMINS & PARTNERS Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Production Company TOVO Brunswick East, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Chris Ellis Cummins/Partners Copywriter
Aaron Lipson Cummins/Partners Art Director
Steven Tortosa Cummins/Partners Creative
Sean Cummins Cummins/Partners Chief Executive Officer
Jason Ross Cummins/Partners Executive Creative Director
Jim Ingram Cummins/Partners Executive Creative Director
Ben Couzens Cummins/Partners Executive Creative Director
Christopher Tovo Tovo Director
Nigel Camilleri Cummins/Partners Agency Producer
Hayden Isaacs Cummins/Partners Group Account Director
Lorelle Silveira Cummins/Partners Account Director
Katie O'callaghan Cummins/Partners Account Director
Kirsty Muddle Cummins/Partners Chief Media Officer
Graeme Phillips Cummins/Partners Editor
Jo Juler Tennis Australia Marketing Manager
Tanya Tribuzio Tennis Australia Marketing Manager/Events

Brief Explanation

We handed Rod Laver a racquet to create a limited edition series of artworks – his “brush” an old wooden racquet, his “canvas” a white studio. Each artwork embodies the true mark of a champion. We captured ‘The making of’ on film to be shared. Just one of the unique artworks was auctioned for charity. The objective: to share the story of one of the world’s greatest tennis champions, inspire fans to attend Rod Laver arena and inspire the next generation. In doing so, we celebrated The Australian Open on the world stage.

The Brief

Our task was to celebrate Australia’s iconic Grand Slam tennis tournament, The Australian Open. A global event watched by an audience of 350 million, we wanted to draw attention to Australia’s rich history as one of the greatest tennis nations. We chose to immortalise the namesake of our main area – Rod Laver. One of the greatest players of all time, Laver has won more Grand Slam titles than anyone in history.

How the final design was conceived

Each one-of-a-kind artwork embodied the true mark of a champion, inspiring the next generation to make their own mark on the game. The ‘making of film’ associated the successes of Rod Laver with Rod Laver Arena – a building created in his honour for all that this champion has given to tennis, raising the profile of Australia’s Grand Slam tennis event.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The unique pieces were bestowed on the world’s foremost tennis dignitaries, with many gracing esteemed trophy cabinets and public displays including Wimbledon, Roland Garros and the US Open. Only one was made available to the general public in an online charity auction, which attracted attention the world over, raising funds for the Roger Federer Foundation and raising the profile of Australia’s Grand Slam tennis event. And when the ‘making of’ film was picked up by the media and aired during the tennis broadcast for zero media cost, it left a lasting impression on the 1.7 million Australians who viewed it.