Rogers has partnered with Newad to turn Montreal into a tennis town ahead of this year’s Rogers Cup.
The prestigious tennis tournament runs from August 1 to 10, with the women’s competition taking place in Montreal at Uniprix Stadium and the men’s competition at the Rexall Centre in Toronto. Rogers has enlisted Newad to help them begin creating an environment in Montreal that makes residents of the city engaged with tennis before, during and after the event.
“It’s a way to create an experience with tennis and the city throughout the year,” Ariane Sylvain, communications coordinator for Rogers Communications, tells MiC. “It also gives that experience to the rest of the city who may not have a chance to get to the Rogers Cup.”
As part of the campaign, Rogers is once again going to be a part of the city’s MURAL Festival, converting a facade on Saint Laurent Boulevard into a massive tennis-themed urban fresco.
For the mural, Rogers has commissioned French artist Kashink, who has extensive experience working on large outdoor surfaces. They have given her total artistic independence to create a piece of public art that reflects her idea of tennis.
During last year’s festival, a mural at the same location was seen by over 800,000 residents and visitors during the week of the festival alone, with an average of 240,000 people travelling past it every month. Even though MURAL Festival only runs from June 12 to 15, the mural commissioned by Rogers will remain up until next year’s festival, contributing to Newad’s effort to help Rogers keep interest in the sport high outside of the event dates.
The mural will have an augmented reality feature that allows people to scan the poster with their smartphone, leading them to content on their website. That feature will also be present at other locations, as Newad will be utilizing their indoor advertising networks at restaurants throughout Montreal.
“They have great visibility and a big presence in resto bars, and that experience is very important,” Sylvain says of the appeal of working with Newad. “They have big experience with event planning and very good contacts with bloggers.”
The relaunched TennisRogersMTL.com will feature content produced by Montreal bloggers and writers who will lend their expertise on local nightlife, food, fashion, technology and, of course, tennis. This is meant to give both Montrealers and visitors the chance to see how to incorporate their other interests into their Rogers Cup experience.
“You can have access to all the information,” Sylvain says “If you want to make a reservation at a restaurant, or if you want to know about events before and during the Rogers Cup, it’s there for you all the time.”
When the website relaunches later this month, Rogers will also open a contest for an all-expenses-paid trip to the tournament in Montreal or Toronto, with daily ticket draws until June 25.
Rob Swann, chief commercial officer at Tennis Canada, tells MiC that many of the other events sponsors are still finalizing plans for their presence during the tournament, although one that has already taken shape is a new three-year deal with Mazda. The car company will have vehicle showcases, employee discount promotions and VIP lounge naming rights in both event cities, but the most exciting aspect of their activation is putting their vehicles on the ground to get the athletes around the cities.
“They get to drive around Roger Federer and Genie Bouchard all week, and it’s a win-win,” Swann says. “They are providing us a service and they are getting the prestige of showcasing these stars in their vehicles.”
Sylvain hopes that turning Montreal into a tennis city will bring attention from a younger audience and break through the image of the average, older, stuffy tennis fan.
“We really want to get all citizens involved,” she says. “Fans of the sport, of course, but also other people who are into art, or who like to have a social lifestyle. We really want to democratize tennis.”
Swann feels that, with the buzz around Canadian tennis players like Genie Bouchard, now is the time to capitalize on the sport’s popularity.
“Our TV numbers are at an all time high, and TSN has been seeing great results with the broadcast,” he says. “It makes sense to bring the brand to life as a central point in Montreal right now.”
