Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications has signed an exclusive four-year sponsorship agreement with female tennis player, Maria Sharapova, to become the companys first global brand ambassador.
The Russian player, who turns 21 in April this year, will undertake what the company describes as a series of innovative new consumer brand campaigns specifically designed to engage Sony Ericssons core target audiences and to utilise Maria away from the tennis court. She will also be working with Sony Ericssons design team on a range of products and accessories.
The off-court agreement complements Sony Ericssons 6 year $88 million (45 million) global title sponsorship of the WTA Tour, which was signed in January 2005 and is the biggest deal in the history of womens sport. The company says its commitment to womens tennis has energised the game by bringing fans closer to the experience and taking the sport to new audiences through cutting edge initiatives like night tennis a fusion of tennis, fashion, music and dance.
Now in our seventh year as a company, the brand has evolved significantly and securing a global brand ambassador is a natural progression to take our brand to the next level in an increasingly competitive market place, says Dee Dutta, Corporate Vice President and Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson. Marias iconic status, determination, dynamism, success and charm match strongly with the Sony Ericsson brand, which prides itself on innovative and cool design with substance.
Sharapova says she is excited exciting to be working with a cool brand like Sony Ericsson which has such a strong reputation in the entertainment industry. She says:
Even though most people know me as a tennis player, I have so many passions beyond the sport like fashion, music, film and design, which Sony Ericsson and I are going to be exploring together through our partnership.