CASE STUDIES

Lexus Shifts Into High Gear for the BB&T Atlanta Open

CLIENTS

Lexus Southern Area

Job

The BB&T Atlanta Open is one of 61 male tennis tournaments held annually in 30 countries as part of The Association of Tennis Professionals’ (ATP) World Tour. In 2013, the tournament site was Atlantic Station in Atlanta, Ga., a mixed-use development that combines upscale shopping with dining and residential options.

Lexus Southern Area, a division of Toyota Motor Sales, became the official vehicle sponsor of the BB&T Atlanta Open in 2013. With two months to plan before the tournament was scheduled to begin, Jackson Spalding was called on to help Lexus Southern drive visibility and media interest in its sponsorship.

Objectives

With an updated lineup of exciting Lexus vehicles to work with, we aimed to integrate Lexus seamlessly into the sporting event. The ball was in our court, literally and figuratively. This would be the second year that Atlantic Station hosted the BB&T Atlanta Open, as well as Jackson Spalding’s first major event with Lexus since our partnership with Toyota began in January 2013. The JS team shifted into high gear when planning media day, which included targeted invitations for a behind-the-scenes tour for journalists from print, radio, television and online outlets followed by a challenge from Ronald Agenor, “The Haitian Sensation,” as he volleyed on the court with any member of the press corps willing to take him on. Following the press conference, they would have the chance to drive all-new Lexus vehicles on pre-mapped routes around Midtown Atlanta. Back at Atlantic Station, it concluded with a catered lunch of local Southern specialties.

Results

With full support of our partners – Atlantic Station, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and BB&T – our team followed through in maximizing the presence for Lexus at the tennis tournament. Thirty-five journalists and members of the media gathered on the media day hosted by Lexus for the sneak peak of the stadium. Bob Bryant, tournament director of the BB&T Atlanta Open; Mark Toro, managing partner of North American Properties; Brant Standridge, group/state president of BB&T, North American region; and Tim Bliss spoke to the journalists on the tournament's boost to Atlanta’s visibility and economy.

Lexus Southern Area’s sponsorship of the 2013 BB&T Atlanta Open received coverage in outlets including Fox Sports South, Midtown Patch, 92.9 The Game (CBS Radio Atlanta), Examiner.com and Atlanta INtown Paper. These stories equated to 9.6 million unique monthly visits (UMV) and 261,478 trackable social media impressions.