Top WTA Ventures exec has glowing praise for China Open's marketing plan

BEIJING -- WTA Ventures Chief Brand Officer Sarah Swanson sat down with a pool of reporters at the China Open on Friday to discuss the important role the China Open has played in the continued grown of tennis in China. Swanson has been the driving force behind the Hologic WTA Tour's extensive rebranding, which was launched earlier this spring. Though the the most visible aspect of that project has been the unveiling of a new WTA logo and color scheme, Swanson emphasized the most important shift has been a change in strategy behind the scenes.

"It was so much more than a logo," Swanson explained. "We felt very strongly that women's tennis is the global leader in women's sports. I think our players and our athletes are so incredibly powerful, and we wanted a brand that was able to showcase that leadership position, that number one leader in women's sports."

Swanson's first visit to the China Open came last year, and she was so impressed by the event both on and off the court, that she made it the host site of the WTA Tour's annual marketing photoshoot this year. She also flew out a large portion o her team to experience the tournament's unique energy and offerings for themselves. 

"I've been so impressed with the tournament directors, with the marketing team," Swanson said. "From a brand perspective, the Asian swing and the China swing in particular is really important.

"I'm on the on the brand side of the business, and driving the value of the brand and driving the value of overall women's tennis is so critical. There's a reason we came back this year. There's a reason I'm here again. It's clearly very intentional, the investment into the sport, and you can see the results of that."

The China Open's investment is seen all over the grounds, from the improved sponsor area, addition of new practice courts, and continued renovation of the robust player areas.

Swanson also lauded the event's expansion to a three-week event, which now includes an ITF Junior event, ATP 500, and WTA 1000. A WTA 125 event is also running in Beijing this week. It's a tennis extravaganza in Beijing.

"I think you guys have the best of all worlds here in the China Open, because you've got the juniors, you've got the men's and the women's. So it's really a showcase of the power of tennis here in Beijing, and I love that that extended week gives younger players the opportunity to be exposed and play in the same place where the top players in the world are playing.

"I think it's an incredible pathway that's being built here."

Swanson has been particularly impressed by the China Open's fan initiatives. This year, a China Open ticket stub also unlocks a multitude of discounts at museums, restaurants and shops around the city. The tournament has also created 12 viewing parties throughout Beijing and one in Wuhan, where fans can watch the action. There are an additional 18 large viewing screens at shopping malls in the city. It's an initiative Swanson would love to see matched at out WTA Tour events.

"I love to see it, and I hope we can continue to work with more tournaments to do more of that," Swanson said. "The more people who can watch, the better. Even with this many incredible stadiums that you've got here, it's still only so many people can come through. So it's always going to come down to the broadcast.

"Viewing parties, I wish we did more of them, and so I love it. And I think we were talking with the organizers here about about next year, working even more closely together on some of those kinds of things, and how can we amplify what's happening here to the rest of the world."