Tennis Stars Volley to Vault HSBC Wimbledon Role
It wasn’t quite Wimbledon, but Monica Seles and Jim Courier volleying on a mini-tennis court on Fifth Avenue inevitably jogs tennis fans’ memories.
And that’s just what HSBC intended when it set up sidewalk mini-courts outside several of their Manhattan branches yesterday to boost the bank’s new Wimbledon Tournament sponsorship role. HSBC has a five-year pact in place.
So past Wimbledon winners Courier and Seles stepped out of a classic London taxi at each stop and mixed it up with doubles partners selected from among the admiring fans. Neither player hit any scorching ground shots with the Nerf ball they were politely volleying.
But HSBC got marketing traction from the display, and hopes to get more with a sweepstakes it’s running, offering a trip for two to the 2009 Men’s and Women’s Wimbledon finals in early July, including a first class flight over to London, hotel accommodations, Wimbledon merchandise and a $500 HSBC Gift Card.
“Tennis is definitely a global sport. That’s what makes it attractive to us,” Linda Recupero, HSBC executive vice president of public affairs, said. “It’s a sport that matches our broad demographic.”
Along with the sweeps, HSBC will keep hyping its Wimbledon connection by serving strawberries and cream—a traditional Wimbledon treat—each weekday from carts outside of some New York City branches during the tourney starting today through July 3.
HSBC also will screen video highlights of great Wimbledon moments in some branches during the tournament. The bank is building awareness of the sweepstakes with signage in its branches.
During the opening week of Wimbledon matches, Courier will play host at a tennis clinic for children from the City Parks Foundation at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills.
