MARK OF A CHAMPION

TitleMARK OF A CHAMPION
BrandTENNIS AUSTRALIA
Product / ServiceTHE AUSTRALIAN OPEN
CategoryA01. Mailings
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
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
Steven Tortosa Cummins/Partners Creative
Christopher Tovo Tovo Director
Hayden Isaacs Cummins/Partners Group Account Director
Lorelle Silveira Cummins/Partners Account Director
Katie O'callaghan Cummins/Partners Account Director
Nigel Camilleri Cummins/Partners Agency Producer
Graeme Phillips Cummins/Partners Editor
Jo Juler Tennis Australia Marketing Manager
Tanya Tribuzio Tennis Australia Marketing Manager/Events

The Brief

The Australian Open is a global tennis event watched by an audience of 350 million. The world’s foremost tennis dignitaries were invited. So to celebrate Australian tennis on the world stage, we created a unique gift celebrating the namesake of our main arena: Rod Laver, 75.

Creative Execution

We presented V.I.Ps with an individually numbered and signed piece of history, and a DVD showing ‘the making of’. Not only did each unique artwork embody the true mark of a champion, the film captured the heritage of tennis in Australia, raising the profile of this Grand Slam tennis event on the world stage.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

To target the world’s foremost tennis dignitaries, we leveraged the tennis player with more Grand Slam titles than anyone in history – Rod Laver. He picked up a racquet to create a limited edition series of artworks. His “brush” an old wooden racquet, his “canvas” a white studio. We created 50 one-of-a-kind artworks, and captured it all on film. Our initial aim was to engage only 50 VIPs, but the project took on a life of its own.

Results

The unique pieces were bestowed on the world’s foremost tennis dignitaries. 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 – almost 10% of Australia's population.