Landor: The Women’s Tennis Association puts female players in the game

Australia’s 2021 tennis season is hanging in the balance. Meanwhile, Landor Australia has completed the first rebrand of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in a decade.

Landor Australia was appointed to take on WTA’s rebrand after the global governing body viewed the work Landor completed for the Australian Open (Tennis Australia). The scope of work included a complete rebrand of WTA’s strategy and visual identity plus development of a brand campaign to support the rebrand launch.

Jessica Murphy, general manager, Landor Melbourne, commented, “Our initial challenge was to work towards changing the brand position. The WTA was not founded on tradition. It’s made up of revolutionary women who challenge the status quo and continue to pave the way for those to come. This spirit guides the brand moving forward so we set out to reposition the WTA under the new brand idea ‘The Power of Association’, which is all about unleashing and uniting the competitive power of women. With this idea we have brought together all the key elements – the association, the players and the fans – that make the WTA such a powerful force, signifying a new era for the sporting body.”

The brand idea became the key component in the creation of the new brand identity, with Landor developing graphic elements to represent the lines of a tennis court. The iconic WTA purple was retained, complemented by a strong colour palette and suite of imagery to support the messages of the power, determination and the driving force behind the game and players.

“From both a sporting and a business perspective, we were inspired by the inherent qualities of leadership, courage and shared goals of the WTA and aimed to provide a brand strategy and visual platform that players and tournaments could use to amplify this powerful message,” Murphy explained.

“Fans are fascinated by individual skills and athleticism, but they also invest deeply in what motivates these women on and off the tennis court. Exploring these driving forces is a key element of the rebrand. I believe we have honoured the rich history of the WTA while appealing to a new age audience. It’s a rebrand that is flexible, personable and interactive, making audiences feel that they are part of the game.”

The hero of the rebrand launch is a 30-second campaign video:

The full branding includes TV graphics, print collateral, all tournament branding, advertising, promotion, and digital and social media.

Leading the initiative is an interative campaign, WTA For the Game.

Landor creative director, Sam Wall, stated, “We were tasked with creating a brand launch campaign to signify this new era of the WTA and support our rebrand. The WTA For the Game campaign concept stemmed from the brand strategy and visual identity and we built a suite of campaign assets to activate this. WTA For the Game takes a look behind the scenes of the court that we see at matches, identifying the moments that drive our favourite players. Through this interactive campaign, we have created a link between players and fans, giving an insight into the grit, passion and determination that goes into the game we love to watch.”