January saw Häagen-Dazs unveil the world’s number three tennis player Grigor Dimitrov as its latest global ambassador through work leveraging the start of the new tennis season and the Australian Open.
The brand introduced its new sports endorser with a multi-platform marketing push launched on the day the 2018 Australian Open began and led by a fresh film simply called ‘Introducing Grigor Dimitrov’.
From 15 January, the ambassador led activation is amplified across the brand’s digital and social channels (linked by the hashtags #HaagenDazs #GrigorDimitrov #HelloExtraordinary #GDlovesHD)
While on the ground at the tournament, Dimitrov debuted his new ice cream partnership by serving up his first bespoke flavour creation to fans on-site at the Häagen-Dazs Bar at Melbourne Park on AO Kids’ Day.
Thrilled to become the first ever global tennis ambassador for Haagen-Dazs. This ice cream is from somewhere else! 2018 just got so much cooler @haagendazsuk#HaagenDazs #helloextraordinary #GDlovesHD pic.twitter.com/82M4OxxEEl
— Grigor Dimitrov (@GrigorDimitrov) January 13, 2018
Through the year, Dimitrov (who was recently crowned champion at the 2017 season-ending Nitto ATP Finals at London’s O2) will endorse the brand through marketing focusing on ‘extraordinary experiences’ for Häagen-Dazs shoppers and consumers in line with the brand’s new positioning.
This fresh positioning was unveiled in a 2017 rebrand initiative that rolled out partly through its tennis partnership activations with Grand Slams such as Wimbledon and the Australian Open.
“We are delighted to welcome Grigor to the Haagen-Dazs family. We’ve been enamoured with his fantastic rise and charismatic personality both on and off-court. Grigor has a genuine place in his heart for Häagen-Dazs,” explained Häagen-Dazs Europe-Australasia business director Matt Salter.
“Not only does he live and breathe our key values, in terms of being an obsessive perfectionist with his own craft, but he is also a true cosmopolitan trendsetter who resonates with our millennial audiences around the world. We can’t wait to cheer him on in what promises be a defining period of his young career and tell some inspiring brand stories along the way.’’
Grigor Dimitrov added: “I’ve been a huge fan of Häagen-Dazs since I can remember. It’s a cool classy brand and of course their ice cream tastes amazing –so that’s a killer combination. I like to think of Häagen-Dazs as my go-to little luxury that I can indulge in, even with my strict regime. I’m both thrilled and honoured to be their first ever global tennis ambassador and can’t wait to create some extraordinary moments on our journey together.’
Comment:
This endorsement further cements the brand’s association with tennis and cements its alliance with Dimitrov who has previously worked with the brand on other campaigns.
The Australian Open linked work follows on from the ice cream giant’s Wimbledon 2017 campaign which saw it focus on design and partner with clothes brand Björn Borg (see case study),
Is this tie-up another sign that brands in the tennis space are seriously beginning to look beyond the so called big four of the game (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray) as the established dominant quertet begin to age and suffer from injury and a new generation of ATP players begins to take over at the top fo the game?
If so, Bulgarian Dimitrov seems a sensible choice.
He has won six ATP singles titles, including the Queen’s Club Championships and the Nitto ATP Finals, and he has been a fixture in the world’s top 10 since 2014.
It’s just a shame that this early creative is so, well, so very vanilla!
Links:
Haagen-Dazs
https://www.haagen-dazs.com.au/
https://www.youtube.com/user/HaagenDazsLive
https://twitter.com/HaagenDazs
