The governing body of men’s tennis has undergone a facelift after unveiling their new brand identity during this week’s Nitto ATP Finals in London.
In what is the first change for ATP in 10 years, the men’s circuit will now be named the ‘ATP Tour.’ Removing the word world that has been assigned to the tour within recent time. To coincide with the change, the organization has launched a new logo to ‘convey the energy and movement that optimizes world-class tennis.’ It is the fifth time ATP logo has been changed since 1972.
Big fan of new ATP Tour brand identity announced today which will be in place across the Tour for 2019. Interesting to see evolution of the logo since 1972: pic.twitter.com/LIrDoDepdB
— Simon Higson (@simonhigson) 13 November 2018
Besides the visual revamp, a new campaign has been developed to engage with ‘casual sports fans.’ Called ‘Love It All,’ the initiative aims to empathize the global reach of men’s tennis. In 2019 63 tournaments will take place across 31 countries on the ATP Tour.
“These ambitious and innovative initiatives will enable us to better engage and inspire sports fans around the world – from hardcore tennis followers to the more casual fans, who might currently only follow our sport during the Nitto ATP Finals or Grand Slam tournaments.” Said CEO Chris Kermode.
“This is about showcasing the fantastic entertainment and high-intensity action that is on offer all year round – raising awareness, driving engagement across digital and TV, and packing out stadiums wherever we go.”
In recent years there has been a push to promote the rising stars of the sport with the creation of the Next Generation concept. An approach that is used to both support and promote players under the age of 21 who are currently ranked inside the top 200. In 2017 the ATP launched the Next Gen Finals in Milan. An event where they test out a series of new rules with the possibility of applying them to the entire tour if successful.
“We’re taking a bold approach in everything we do at the ATP, from our pioneering broadcast partnership with Amazon Prime to the innovations we’ve been testing out at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. It’s an exciting time for the sport – with a mix of unbelievable legends still at the top of their game and the next generation of stars emerging – so this is a great time to be engaging new, younger fans around the world.” Kermode explained.
The re-branding was developed with the help of MATTA. A company that has also collaborated with The Football Association, sportswear company Umbro and England Rugby. Matt Hunt, who is MATTA’s Strategy and Brand director, said their research ‘highlighted the need to continue to improve the spontaneous association of the ATP’ among lighter tennis fans.
“We aimed to create a striking new look and brand for the Tour. Something simple, impactful and flexible where ATP stands out and is noticed by visually conveying the energy, power, and movement that epitomizes tennis as one of the most exciting sports in the world.” MATTA said in a statement.
From 2020 the ATP will also revive the World Team Cup in a move some say could threaten the Davis Cup. The tournament with take place in Australia at the start of each year with both prize money and ranking points up for grabs.
