International Tennis Federation

The International Tennis Federation had taken the bold decision to rebrand their global women’s team tournament, Fed Cup, to the Billie Jean King Cup. In doing so, the tournament was to become the first major global team sport competition to be named after a woman, ushering in a new era for the historic tournament and representing a landmark moment in sport. The announcement of the new name followed last year’s changes to the competition format and the increase in player prize money to $12million, which brought the prize fund in line with the equivalent men’s tournament, Davis Cup.

As a truly global tournament (116 nations took part last year) and with the power to reach and inspire women and girls all over the world, it was vital that our coverage reflected that. Our campaign needed to be international in scope; it needed to communicate why the ITF were making this change; and it needed to convey what makes this tournament so special and unique.

It also needed to honour an icon. Billie Jean King has done so much to drive positive change both on and off the court, and has campaigned for diversity, equality and inclusion all of her life. The renaming of the tournament is a fitting tribute to all she has achieved and we needed to ensure that the coverage reflected that.

News of the rebrand made headlines across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia… the story was told the world over as the new branding was unveiled.

The positivity was overwhelming. 100% of media coverage tracked was positive, with the tournament’s new name welcomed as a fitting tribute to the great Billie Jean King.

Our campaign key messages were conveyed throughout the coverage. The ITF’s commitment to equality, as well as the global nature of the tournament, the opportunity to inspire, and the fact that this was a landmark moment for sport, were all communicated consistently throughout the worldwide coverage.