First Published: 08 September, 2022
Most agree she is not just the GOAT (Greatest of all Time) of tennis but of all sports.
The thing that is undeniable is that she is the GOAT of advertising campaigns, having appeared in dozens of major ads across her 27 year career proving her impact not just in sports and culture but on Marketers bottom line too.
We celebrate the icon by taking a look at 5 campaigns that bid her farewell over the past week as well as 10 of the best ever advertising commercials in which she featured.
The Marketing world said goodbye to Williams with a number of brilliant long-form brand ads that told the legend’s story in various forms but had a number of commonalities.
They all focused on how she transcended sport and culture and also touched on her fashion notoriety.
The tone and style were centred around love and in the form of letters or thank you’s with narration by powerful women or diverse casts that shone a spotlight on black women.
They all no doubt left a few tears in everyone’s eyes.
Gatorade created a tear-jerker of a brand ad titled ‘Love Means Everything’.
The bad-ass video was beautifully shot, beautifully cast and beautifully narrated (by Beyonce) and celebrated not just Serena’s tennis talent but what she has done for women, particularly black women.
What we loved most was how it opened as a love letter ‘For Serena, With Love’ and cleverly delivered the insight around ‘Love’ equating to zero in tennis but meaning everything in life. It finished with a sentiment around ‘loving yourself’.
Gatorade also made the ultimate brand tribute by changing their iconic logo across their channels from ‘G’ to ‘S’ to honour the sporting great.
This powerful ad focuses on how Serena wasn’t afraid to stay true to herself while smashing down barriers to become the best.
The central idea and end frame copy; “By changing nothing, she changed everything” will no doubt send chills down any person’s spine.
Tennis and equality legend, Billie Jean King earnestly narrates a letter to Serena on behalf of the tennis world.
It’s a heartfelt send-off from one legend to another that celebrates Williams’ impact both on and off the court and ends with the tagline “Thank you for defining greatness”.
Sport’s network, ESPN also used an iconic woman to narrate a letter to Williams - this time it was Oprah sharing the words from the sporting world in what was an emotional tribute that played out at Flushing Meadows while Williams and the crowd watched on.
While technically not a traditional ad ‘spot’, Nike’s fashion activations played a key role in Marketing’s send-off for Serena.
Williams US Open diamond encrusted outfit (with SW initialled shoes) was a bespoke design created in partnership with Nike and inspired by figure skaters that tapped into the many feats of Williams career.
Sparkling from head to toe, her jewelled hairstyle was a nod to her first Grand Slam win at the age of 17 at the 1999 U.S. Open, while her swirling skirt references the six wins she’s taken home at the New York City tournament. To top things off daughter Olympia, donned a matching look.
Williams also spent time on social media ‘unboxing’ a number of customised Nike shoes that matched a different iconic outfit from her illustrious career.
Williams has appeared in a plethora of marketing campaigns for the world’s best brands. She’s one of a few to appear in multiple Super Bowl commercials and has played a feature role in some of the most talked about ads ever.
Here are 10 of our favourite Serena Williams Ads:
The aptly titled ‘Goat Camp’ out of Gatorade Brasil features Williams alongside other sport code Goats including Lionel Messi, Michael Jordan and Usain Bolt and follows a number of visitors on a guided tour of a magical training camp for Goats.
Direct TV literally showcased Williams as a tennis ball striking super-hero in this entertaining mash-up where Williams becomes Wonder Woman after two viewers get caught switching between channels watching tennis-ace Serena Williams and the Wonder Woman’s super-hero series.
Serena Williams appeared in Super Bowl’s ad break for female-first dating app, Bumble when they celebrated and encouraged women to make the first move.
We love the lines; ‘The world will tell you that you’re not strong enough to play’ and ‘What they don’t tell you is that you already have the power’.
The Michelob Ultra Super Bowl ad featured a star-studded line-up that included Peyton Manning, Alex Morgan and basketball star’s Nneka Ogwumike and Jimmy Butler but it was Williams who appears in the closing as the ultimate Goat in this fun and entertaining commercial staged at a bowling alley.
In what is our all-time favourite campaign, Williams narrates and stars in this emotive and powerful ad that showcases the barriers sportswomen have faced and continue to face. A line referencing people who think sportswomen are crazy for trying the unthinkable is re-visited at the end with the tagline telling women to “Dream Crazier”.
The ad opens with a question from a reporter asking a young tennis girl “If you were a tennis player who would you like to be like? ”. It then takes us on a journey of Williams breaking new ground before the same girl says “I would like other people to be like me”.
This clever execution is made up of carefully crafted words that are used to showcase Serena Williams’ career. Each word is used to tell a powerful story of resilience, determination and inspiration and ends with the word ‘female’ being deleted in the phrase “Greatest female athlete ever”.
JP Morgan celebrated Serena Williams’ return to the US Open after giving birth to daughter Olympia in this ad that showcases the beauty of a world-class athlete and mother. The powerful lines are whispered, “Don’t call it a comeback…I’ve been here for years” before ending the ad with “Mama said knock you out”.
Beats by Dre does a great job of conveying Williams as both a mother and athlete in this fun video that also features fellow Queen, Nicky Minaj and is a nod to the US Open’s location of Flushing Meadows in Queens.
Nike deliver this video that redefines what it means to be a woman by highlighting how there is no wrong way to be a woman. It showcases how Williams never fitted the traditional labels that kept women, particularly black women in a box; “..over-sized, over-confident, too mean, too black for her tennis whites…”.
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