• Promo, Thursday, August 31, 2006 1:15 PM

Attendees of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, now in progress in New York City, will be hard-pressed not to notice that carmaker Lexus is one of the event's major sponsors. That's because Lexus is maximizing its presence at the tournament and will be seen all over the National Tennis Center as well as on TV in a new, tennis-themed ad campaign. One high-tech aspect of the marketing effort is the Lexus Insider Alert, a cell phone application that alerts attendees to Lexus activities on-site and provides audio tours of Lexus vehicles in a tent at the center. Also, five on-site vehicle displays will feature the brand's hybrid vehicles--including the LS 600h L. Attendees who drive their Lexus vehicles to the tournament will receive complimentary parking. For the players, Lexus is providing a fleet of more than 100 vehicles to serve as their official transportation during the tournament and will award the Men's Singles champion a GS 450h hybrid vehicle. Also, to coincide with the event, the automaker unleashed a new ad campaign called "Life of a Ball" with ads that broke Aug. 21 on the Tennis Channel. The ads will also appear on CBS, USA Network and online. The print campaign takes a humorous look through the eyes of a tennis ball as it pursues the ultimate tennis ball status: U.S. Open play.

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