Morgan Stanley’s US Open Campaign Backs Next Generation of Women Tennis Players

Ahead of the US Open, Morgan Stanley and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) are using a major marketing campaign to support the next generation of players.

This is part of the financial company’s multi-year partnership with the WTA, which it announced in March. Developed by agency The Marketing Arm, the ad shows Canadian tennis player Leylah Fernandez on the court as its lines explode around her.

The voiceover explains that while tenacity and grit might not be enough to overcome boundaries, Morgan Stanley and the WTA are working to make tennis more accessible to everyone.

“The WTA has a long history of looking at the needs of women in the sport and pay equity,” Morgan Stanley CMO Alice Milligan told Adweek. “We really saw it as an opportunity to level the playing field.”

Morgan Stanley is the presenting partner of the WTA’s Come Play initiative, which runs tennis clinics for 100 girls in New York ahead of the US Open and in other locations around the world. The partnership also incorporates a financial empowerment program for players and their families.

A growing market

Morgan Stanley is the latest brand to join the growing momentum around women’s sports.

“Women’s sports represents a huge marketplace opportunity, but also an opportunity to help demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion in driving women’s sports forward,” Milligan said. “It’s got a growing audience in terms of viewership, and firms are recognizing that and the importance of supporting the next generation of women leaders.”

The campaign builds on Morgan Stanley’s “See It to Be It” spot, also starring Fernandez, which coincided with last year’s U.S. Open. That ad kicked off a “Racket Drop” program that brought tennis equipment to underserved neighborhoods.

The “Boundary” ad will run across paid online video and social along with linear and streaming television.

The campaign will also incorporate a 3D digital billboard, running near New York’s Penn Station from Aug. 28 through Sept. 22, which will show a ball bouncing and blowing up outside the boundaries of the space. Morgan Stanley used the increasingly popular technology last year for a Times Square activation showing off a conceptual space suit designed for women.

“We’re always looking for ways to be innovative and different from other financial service companies in the marketplace,” Milligan added.