Tennis star, Milos Raonic who currently holds the highest tennis ranking in Canadian history is the latest face a Tennis Canada new public service. The campaign was developed by Bensimon Byrne, spots cleverly feature a humorous reversal of roles: Raonic is portrayed having difficultly playing Kids’ Tennis against a young girl. By contradicting the expectations of the viewer in a funny way, the PSAs are able to connect with children on their level to underline the enjoyment of playing tennis. The campaign also marks Raonic’s first-ever television spot and his debut as Tennis Canada’s official ambassador for Kids’ Tennis.
“A key priority for Tennis Canada is to increase participation, particularly in the under 12 demographic,” said Hatem McDadi, Vice-President, tennis development, Tennis Canada. “Kids’ Tennis is our version of tee-ball or mini-soccer in that it is an introductory format that helps teach children the fundamentals of the sport but on a smaller scale so they have success which translates to more fun. Milos is a great ambassador for Canadian tennis. Having him support Kids’ Tennis means so much as he is a role model for our future stars.”
Tennis Canada is supporting the campaign on its website and through social media with behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot. One of the spots is also available on YouTube so fans can view it anytime and share it with their social media networks.
“At its core, this campaign is about kids having fun playing tennis,” said Joseph Bonnici, Creative Director, Bensimon Byrne. “That’s why we took a light-hearted approach when developing the concept for the PSA. Having Milos participate was a huge asset as well because he’s the face of Canadian tennis and a big inspiration to many up and coming tennis players here.”
Pep talk 1 from Bensimon Byrne on Vimeo.
Pep talk 2 from Bensimon Byrne on Vimeo.
The new campaign’s focus is to promote the active, healthy living of children through the sport of tennis and includes two PSAs and print elements. The spots will begin airing this coming weekend on Sportsnet ONE during the final of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami and will run continuously on several stations throughout the summer. Credits for the spots include:
Agency: Bensimon Byrne
Production House: OPC
Audio: Pirate Radio