• by Larissa Faw , August 3, 2016

It could have been a disappointment. After two years in development, Wilson Tennis is introducing a new line of Pro Staff tennis rackets designed by superstar Roger Federer, the first time in its history that the tennis manufacturer has worked with an athlete on racket development. 

Federer himself was designed to serve as the racket's best brand ambassador. He was set to play with the new, all-black Pro Staff RF97 going forward in his career. But it hit a speed bump after he recently pulled out from all tournaments for the remainder of the year, due to an injury.

Now, the campaign will concentrate on Federer off the court. Developed with agency Phenomenon, the "From Federer" campaign includes long-form and 30 videos for TV and digital, social posts, and "surprise" engagements with Federer himself. DuMont handled paid media. 

To kick the campaign off, teasers were sent across Wilson’s social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get the fans excited. On Facebook, Federer posted a video on his fan page announcing the new Pro Staff racket, and for Instagram specifically, there was a huge tiled takeover using bold, iconic racket photography to announce the campaign. 

For TV, the campaign will be featured on the Tennis Channel, and the video and display will be featured across digital, including streaming on ESPN Live. For print, the campaign will be running in the U.S. Open edition of Tennis magazine. 

The campaign will also be prominently featured during the upcoming U.S. Open tournament held in New York City August 29 to September 11 despite the fact this outlay was planned when Federer was expected to play. Fans will be able to exclusively buy the rackets on-site beginning August 27. Global online and in-store distribution starts Sept.1. 

The creative is straight-forward and inspirational. The black-and-white clip features motivational messages from a group of athletes, ending with Federer sitting at a table writing a handwritten note. The spot ends with the tagline, "Designed by Roger and Wilson."

A spot on YouTube can be viewed here.

Wilson has a long history of working with elite athletes to create new products. Federer has worked with the tennis brand since he was a teen, and most recently on the 2015 Pro Staff RF97 Autograph. 

"We were delighted with how invested Roger really was in the process – he had so much on his plate on and off the court, but was always available during this journey," says Kristina Peterson-Lohman, corporate communications and PR director, Wilson Sporting Goods.

 "Ultimately, Roger took the time to develop this racket together with us after long hours, on several occasions and at locations around the world to get to the final racket we unveiled together.”