CASE STUDY
Lawn Tennis Association
THE BRIEF
We support the Lawn Tennis Association in showcasing the breadth and depth of tennis and the organisation’s work across Great Britain; from celebrating the sport’s vast volunteer community and driving grassroots participation, to communicating high-performance strategy and increasing ticket sales for major tournaments.
Our team were initially appointed to ensure that the announcement of Transforming British Tennis Together (TBTT), a historic £250 million investment to transform grassroots tennis facilities, reached Britain’s regional communities.
We now continues to work in close partnership with the LTA across a range of strategic priorities.
Activity
We produced a sophisticated regional public relations strategy to engage a network of stakeholders, from regional partners to the media and public. This involved extensive media relations conducted across the entirety of Great Britain, culminating in dozens of media events and activations designed to showcase the very best of LTA work and ensure messages and initiatives became embedded in all corners of the tennis community and beyond.
While plans were tailored to individual products and events, the overall strategy sought to strongly underline the breadth of LTA work and investment, drive participation and celebrate the sport’s thriving community, and encourage positive storytelling that reflects the widespread passion for the game.
This positive media environment encouraged regional partners and LTA stakeholders to work increasingly closely to drive growth and participation on the ground. In some areas, this had a direct impact, for example through increasing the female workforce.
Getting the LTA messages right at local and regional level is absolutely vital to increasing accessibility and encouraging people of all ages and backgrounds to turn onto tennis, whether they are picking up a racket for the first time or revisiting the game after years away. We are proud to continue working with the LTA on this mission.
The Results
- In the first 6 months of 2018, results included 400+pieces of media coverage across regional broadcast, print, and online outlets stretching across the country, for initiatives such as TBTT, She Rallies, British Tennis Awards, Trophy Series, Tennis for Kids, Nature Valley Classics.
- Over 120 TV and radio features across the country, including Sky Sports, BBC and ITV National, Regional TV and Radio.
- Print and online coverage with key written media, including The Times, Mail Online, Birmingham Mail, Express, Star, Manchester Evening News, Yorkshire Post, and Portsmouth News.
- An uplift in positive sentiment towards the LTA by showcasing the expansive role the organisation plays in supporting tennis communities up and down the country, including in non-traditional areas.
- An increase in the female workforce by driving sign-ups to the She Rallies Activator course – volunteers running community-based tennis programmes for girls – through regional media events for the roadshow with founder, Judy Murray.
- Helped to drive increased ticket sales and raise the profile of the Nature Valley Classic, Nature Valley Open, Nature Valley International, and Fever Tree Championships amongst target audiences in the respective localities through a focused programme of media activity across the major events portfolio.
