9 August 2023 | Tennis Australia

We chat with Tennis Australia Head of Tennis Brand Marketing Carly Duncan to find out more about the new look Tennis Brand.

How did this new look Tennis Brand project come about?

The role Tennis plays within our community has shifted dramatically in the last few years. We have evolved from our fundamental role of organising and governing the sport, to now playing a significant role in elevating the values that Australians live by. Whether that’s on a local court or the global stage. As we experience this shift and reinvent the future of tennis in Australia, we have been working to revitalise the brand in a way that better reflects and connects with Australians.

We want our new look to represent our vision of creating a playful world through tennis in a way that is relevant for today’s audiences and media channels. We have achieved tremendous success with the AO brand and now aim to leverage and learn from this success in order to build equity in the core of what we do.

What has been the process for designing the new brand for Tennis?

Last year, we engaged one of Australia’s most highly regarded brand agencies Hulsbosch to design a brand world that modernises Tennis whilst also connecting our play brands of Hot Shots Tennis, Cardio Tennis, POP Tennis and Padel.

The brief for Hulsbosch was ultimately to create a world where each brand has its own personality, bringing to life what consumers love about the individual product, whilst still feeling part of a family and clearly fitting Australia’s modern, playful and inclusive brand of ‘Tennis’.

How have you engaged the tennis community throughout the project?

It was really important for us to get input from the people that interact with the Tennis brand the most.

We engaged coaches, parents and kids, players, clubs and event organisers from around Australia. This took several forms such as consumer quantitative and qualitative surveys, focus groups, concept testing, vox pops and qualitative interviews.

This means that the system we have created lays the foundation for elevating Tennis as a Masterbrand and leader in today’s sports & recreation landscape and we have confidence that it is reflective of the community. We have undertaken a comprehensive design process, learning from the success and strength of the AO rebrand, to create a revitalised brand which has been developed through the eyes of the consumer and has been tested and validated through research.

Why is it important to introduce this new look now?

We are at a critical juncture in Australian tennis, and have spent the last year designing a new strategy with all members of the community to get more people playing tennis more often regardless of what, how or where they play it.

We have aligned the implementation of the Game On strategy with our revitalised brand as a visual confirmation that Tennis is changing for the better. By launching our new strategy, brand and new look programs together we are creating the best possible platform for impact, whilst also being as efficient as possible.

How will the new look work digitally?

One of many core objectives for revitalising the brand was to ensure it can live and thrive in an increasingly digital landscape. With an evolved brand that has been designed with digital in mind, we are armed with the toolkit for creating the most effective consumer facing digital world for Tennis.

When will we get to see it?

The launch of the new brand system will coincide with the implementation of the Game On participation growth strategy as new initiatives are introduced into the Tennis community and activity of focus gains further momentum.

Specifically, the first outward facing use of the brand will be aligned to Coach Membership renewals, with all collateral supporting coaches given a fresh look.

The new look Hot Shots Tennis and Cardio Tennis programs are also due for release at this milestone and therefore the new brands for each program will align with the renewed content and structure.

The first use of the new Tennis brand in a consumer marketing campaign will follow this, highlighted by brand activations at the 2024 summer series and Australian Open.

Anything else that coaches need to know?

For now, all you need to do is get ready and we will continue to provide regular updates in the lead-in to October.

If you have any questions, please make sure you ask them at your next Coach Exchange or get in touch with a member of the team.

Find out more about:
New Look Tennis launching October 
New Look Hot Shots Tennis

New Look Cardio Tennis