Lavazza has announced a new global collaboration featuring tennis legend Andre Agassi.
The partnership positions Andre as Lavazza’s spokesperson for the world of tennis through an “I’m Back” campaign, which officially kicked off at the US Open in York City on 30 August.
Lavazza has been active in the world of tennis for many years, and in 2015 became the only food and beverage brand to partner with all four Grand Slams around the world – Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
“We began communicating the company’s passion for tennis over six years ago at Wimbledon, and tournaments quickly became one of our core strategic platforms from which to communicate our heritage, values and products,” says Lavazza Vice Chairman Marco Lavazza. “Indeed, investing in the sport makes strategic sense for Lavazza: our target customer profile fits perfectly with that of a tennis fan, and beyond that, presence at key tournaments and the four Grand Slams gives us an opportunity to further showcase our quality products in key countries .”
Lavazza searched for a partner that shared its pursuit of excellence in everything it does, and found that in Andre. He is one of the greatest tennis champions of all time, with an impressive track record of winning 60 ATP titles, eight grand slam tournaments, the honour of being world number one on six occasions, an Olympic gold medal, and one of the only athletes to have a Golden Slam – four grand slams and a gold medal.
“In my autobiography I write about my life-long love for coffee, so it is a natural fit for me to be partnering with Lavazza, a company that has been at the forefront of the industry from day one,” Andre says.
With the new partnership, tennis fans around the world will be engaged via onsite events, promotions and personal appearances at each of the four grand slams, and at other select regional tournaments where Lavazza is present including the BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells), the Mercedes Cup (Stuttgart), and the Rogers Cup (Toronto).
To launch the “I’m Back” campaign Lavazza posted a series of teasers on social media. It then amplified its message in New York City with a series of out-of-home ads featuring a silhouette of Andre’s iconic 1980s look, complete with neon pink headband. To complete the news, 150, 1980’s Andre clones were dispatched to run around NYC to interact with tennis fans in town for the US Open. Between the first and second evening match at the US Open, the clones came together for a performance at Arthur Ashe Stadium where a new advertising video was unveiled to officially welcome Andre back to the US Open after more than 10 years.
For every coffee drink sold at the two on site Lavazza cafés at the US Open, the company will donate $1 to the United States Tennis Association Foundation to benefit the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, which is dedicated to transforming public education and creating opportunities for children.
Funds raised will be specifically assigned to the foundation’s college readiness program Summer of a Lifetime at the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy school in Nevada, as well as financial assistance for college tuition.
