Tennis Styles Fuel Seasonal Marketing Strategies

Tennis Styles Fuel Seasonal Marketing Strategies


The US Open, which starts next week in New York, will put tennis back in the spotlight, but consumers are increasingly embracing the sport's annual appearance.

Retailers say so-called basic tennis wear -- shorts, polo shirts and masks -- has declined during the pandemic and has continued with the return of prep styles and the rise of more people playing racquet sports, including pickleball.

People are always looking for athletic styles that can be worn or dressed up, and tennis fills that niche for consumers, said Jason Kim, senior vice president of marketing at Lacoste, a clothing, footwear and accessories company owned by Maus Freres SA. , said.

"It's always a big thing to feel good because people want to dress up and always want to feel good when they leave the house and are back in the community," Mr Kim said.

According to research firm GlobalData PLC, the US tennis apparel market is expected to sell $1.95 billion in 2021, up from $1.19 billion last year and $1.86 billion in 2019 before the pandemic. GlobalData estimates the category will grow 3.6 percent this year to $2.02 billion.

Tennis participation and equipment sales are also on the rise, with more than 22.6 million people playing the game in the United States in 2021, a 4.5 percent increase from the United States' 21.6 million last year. according to the trade group Council on Physical Activity. Some clothing brands are creating tennis-inspired looks for the first time.

San Francisco-based fashion company Rothy's Inc. and beverage brand Evian is launching a limited-edition collection of tennis shoes and accessories made using 72,000 plastic bottles collected during last year's US Open. The products include, for example, a bat bag with 33 plastic bottles and a mask partially made of four bottles.

Tom Herbst, Ruth says the rise of pickleball, the merging of tennis, table tennis and badminton, and the popularity of the movie King Richard about the father of Venus and Serena Williams propelled tennis into the mainstream. Deputy head of marketing.

Kim said Lacoste has also invested in updating some of its tennis styles, introducing women's tracksuits this year that can be worn to play tennis or hang out with friends, such as; B. polo shirts.

The company continued its sponsorship of the Miami Open tennis tournament and will continue to host fitness events with athletic apparel retailer Bandier Holdings LLC.

American Eagle Outfitters Inc. Check out the tennis influences in their 2020 Aerie outfits, with items like a sweatshirt that reads "Tacos & Tennis." Aerie has included tennis skirts, bras and tops in its diverse collection. Abby Vernon, senior vice president of marketing at Aerie Apparel, Aerie's Lingerie and OFFLINE, says tennis styles now make up a "double-digit" portion of her collection, compared to less than 1% in 2020.

"He's going to be an integral part of our group going forward," Ms Vernon said.

Ms Vernon said Aerie's marketing about the tennis range focused less on performance on the court and more on casual wear featured in consumer-generated content.

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“We love using user-generated content to tell the story and show how you bring this collection to life,” he added.

Sportswear brand Year of Ours Inc. Also in a small tennis style, it released a tennis skirt among several items in 2020 before building a full collection this year. As part of its marketing efforts, this spring we held tennis classes and practice sessions in Los Angeles to teach people how to play. Further projects are planned in Las Vegas, Denver and Miami in the coming months. The company hopes to host doubles tournaments and other major events next year and possibly partner with professional collegiate athletes, Year of Ours co-founder Eleanor Haycock said.

Ons Jaar plans to present a tennis collection in February or March next year instead of summer, as the company starts to see the trend of tennis clothing earlier in the year, it announced.

"People ... were very used to doing yoga or going to the gym and spinning," says Haycock. "Now we have these other sports that we've opened our eyes to."

Email Ann-Marie Alcántara at ann-marie.alcantara@wsj.com

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