Fairytale of New York: How New Balance made Coco Gauff's US Open win even more memorable
Sportswear brand show the cultural and commercial power of a well executed planned reactive campaign.
Sometimes addressing a problem head on can create an opportunity.
For New Balance and Coco Gauff who came together in 2019, there were two problems to address.
The 15 year-old had already commanded the attention of the tennis world by becoming the youngest ever player to qualify for Wimbledon.
But that was just the start…
The baby-faced Gauff then proceeded to defeat seven-times Grand Slam winner and one of her childhood idols, Venus Williams in front of a packed No.1 Court.
The young star from Delray Beach, Florida had instantly become a household name.
But it was the wrong name, as far as Coco Gauff was concerned, and that was the first problem.
Despite being officially named Cori Gauff in official reports and registered as such with the WTA, the precocious young tennis star had always been known as Coco, a nickname given to her by her grandmother.
Some journalists called her Cori. Some called her Coco. Some called her Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff.
It’s hard to build a brand out of an athlete when no one can agree on their name.
The second problem?
How do you create a campaign around such an exciting prospect, without piling unnecessary pressure onto someone who is also still a child?
New Balance’s campaign: Call Me Coco was the answer.
Speaking to Front Office Sports in 2019, Evan Zeder, global sports marketing manager for tennis at New Balance, explained the brand’s approach:
“Do we expect [Coco] at this age to be making consistent runs of second weeks in Grand Slams? No. Are we going to be excited if she does? Of course, but I think from our side, we’re there to support her and make sure that she’s doing everything she can to become a better player and person.”
With Gauff signed up as a New Balance ambassador, and with the US Open fast approaching, Zeder added: “It’s more about, ‘win or lose, call me Coco’ – she wants to go out there and just make a name for herself…we’re not going to be doing our jobs about telling her story if we’re not going to put something behind her to help get her name out there.”
Other activations with Gauff followed, including the launch of her first signature shoes - Coco CG1, with their bold red and white tones.
This collaboration with New York fashion brand Aimé Leon Dore, also utilised Gauff to tap into nostalgia and revive a New Balance tennis shoe from early 1980s - the T500.
All activations around Gauff and New Balance tapped into her personality and passions, deepening the relationship between player and brand.
But ultimately, it was the simple desire to help clear up the uncertainty around Gauff’s first name, while also not putting too much pressure on her, which led to a campaign that came to fruition on Saturday at Flushing Meadows, with a well choreographed planned reactive campaign.
As Gauff sealed her first Grand Slam title with a 2-6 6-3 6-2 win against Aryna Sabalenka in front of a raucous, passionate crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, New Balance got to work.
First Gauff’s parents, Corey and Candi, along with other family members donned white t-shirts with the words Call Me Coco Champion - a call back to the campaign and confirmation of the momentous win for the teenage daughter.
New Balance followed up on social media with this post, immediately met with a barrage of comments from fans asking where they can buy the t-shirt.
Every marketing director’s dream.
A video of Gauff’s team handing her the subtly-branded t-shirt, which she put on just before her press conference, was posted by the official US Open account.
Such is the power of the narrative and sentiment, the rights holder is helping to spread the slogan of a brand that is not an official partner…
And as of Sunday morning, you could purchase the Call Me Coco Champion t-shirt for $29.99 on newbalance.com.
A job well done on and off the court.
But that’s not all…
Earlier this year, on her 19th birthday, Gauff posted a clip of her 11 years ago, singing and dancing in the stands at the US Open.
The song? Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen.
Last week, as Gauff blazed a trail to the final of the US Open, the clip resurfaced and gained plenty of traction on social media.
Call Me Maybe…Call Me Coco. Call Me Champion.
When it comes to planned reactive marketing campaigns, I don’t believe in coincidences.
Either way, the viral video only added to the fairytale nature of Gauff’s rise, and by the time New Balance had pressed the button on their planned reactive campaign, her journey from fan to future champ was well known.
And like all good planned reactive campaigns, it placed the brand and product at the heart of an epic moment, but never once took away from the achievements of the player, who was completely invested in it.
Game. Set and Match. Coco Gauff and New Balance.
Inside Bayern Munich’s American Dream
Thanks to all of you who have listened to the first two episodes of The Sports Marketeer podcast.
If you would like to put forward a guest for the podcast please email me at amarjourno@gmail.com.
I have been delighted with the response and episode three will be coming very soon, with a very special guest who is at the forefront of digital content and modern football fan culture.
For the latest episode, it was a real pleasure to catch up with Bayern Munich’s MD for Americas Dee Kundra, as we discussed her strategies around growing the German club’s fanbase in the region.
We talked about FC Bayern’s partnership with Prime, how to leverage the marketability of new arrival Harry Kane and preparing for the FIFA World Cup 2026 amongst other things..
You can listen to it on all podcast platforms including Apple, right here on Substack or embedded below via Spotify.
Football clubs ramp up creativity and high fashion for kit launches
I’ve always found kit launches fascinating, as indicators for how clubs see themselves.
The quickest way to understand the essence of a football club’s heritage and identity is to look at how they launch their kits.
You will often see elements such as nostalgia, local pride and tribal values that helps firm up the connection between clubs, players and fans.
Clubs and their kit brand partners work hard to creatively think of ways to get fans to part with their cash.
This has led us to a place where shirts are now marketed as high fashion items, with players donning tweed jackets over them and not a shin pad in sight.
This piece in The Drum by Amy Houston features some of my thoughts on the trend, along with the perspective of other industry figures including Crystal Palace’s first in-house creative director Kenny Annan-Jonathan.
Getting to know ‘Generation Active’
While on the subject of The Drum, I’ll be speaking at The Drum Live on September 27. There will be some really interesting discussions and guests exploring modern marketing trends from the impact of AI on the sector to new agile business models.
I’ll be joining a great line-up to explore how brands can tap into the health and sport boom dubbed Generation Active.
When Pele tied his shoelaces…
The Brazilian Shirt Name podcast featuring two brilliant broadcasters Dotun Adebayo and Tim Vickery looking back at a famous football match from history, and reflecting on the music and news of the time, is a firm favourite of mine.
So it was a real pleasure to join Dotun and Tim for an episode to look back at Brazil v Peru at the 1970 FIFA World Cup, a fantastic match - and a hugely significant moment in the history of sports marketing.
How did Pele tying his laces change sports forever, I hear you ask?
The audio version is presently only available to subscribers but the full podcast can be viewed on YouTube below.
And finally…
Thanks so much to all of you who have shared and recommended this newsletter.
If you would like to join the 601 subscribers including professionals working at Premier League, Bundesliga and LaLiga football clubs, governing bodies, marketing agencies and global brands, please hit subscribe and share with your friends and colleagues.