Over the last 55 years, The Australian Open (AO) has transformed from a Grand Slam tennis tournament into a multifaceted global event, blending sport, entertainment, culture, and technology to deliver a festival-like experience. This shift, driven by Tennis Australia’s strategic vision, has redefined how brands engage with audiences through sponsorships.
Roddy Campbell, director of partnerships and international business at Tennis Australia, sat down with B&T to unpack this evolution and explain how the AO is setting a new standard for sports partnerships.
“The event itself has grown significantly in terms of audience reach (over 2 billion cumulative) and attendance (1.2 million),” explained Campbell. This growth, however, is not purely organic; it stems from an intentional strategy to position the AO as more than just a tennis event. “We’ve worked hard to strategically target brands that enhance the fan experience and optimise how assets are utilised across partners,” he said.
Tennis Australia has been proactive in its efforts, with international networking at key events in London, New York and Cannes. This outreach has attracted a blend of long-term partners, including Emirates, Mastercard, and Marriott, and exciting new collaborations with global brands like HSBC, M&Ms, and Haier. “For each there is a different value exchange between the event and brand, showcasing its versatility as a marketing platform. These are truly co-creations that benefit our tournament, our partners, their guests and the fans,” said Campbell.
Co-Creation at Its Core
Tennis Australia’s sponsorship model revolves around creating authentic connections between brands and fans. “We strive to deliver far more than just a logo and seek to find a genuine narrative and authentic platform for brands to speak to fans,” Campbell noted. This philosophy has led to unique activations that resonate with audiences both on-site and around the world.
For instance, in the first year of its multi-year partnership with the Open, Grey Goose promised to enhance the fan experience with an all-new summer cocktail honouring the iconic Grand Slam, along with two exclusive courtside hospitality offerings at the much-loved event, which has become a highlight of Australia’s cultural and sporting calendar.
The Grey Goose Lemon Ace, which has been named a signature serve of the Australian Open 2025, is a vodka-infused cocktail created exclusively for tennis fans. The citrus-forward creation combines a perfectly balanced blend of Grey Goose original vodka, passionfruit syrup and sparkling lemonade, served over ice and garnished with a lemon ball and fresh mint. Capturing the zest of the Australian summer, the Grey Goose Lemon Ace showcases Grey Goose’s renowned artistry in crafting visually stunning and fresh-tasting cocktails.
Further elevating Melbourne Park’s courtside hospitality, Grey Goose offered fans memorable and stylish ways to embrace the AO with two exclusive, one-of-a-kind experiences designed to complement the tournament’s electric atmosphere.
The Grey Goose Rooftop at the Courtside Bar–an innovative concept introduced last year with sweeping views over Court 6–was transformed into a Grey Goose haven, where fans could enjoy the action with a freshly mixed Grey Goose Lemon Ace, exclusive to the first-floor bar for ground pass holders. While there, guests could also order from a curated cocktail menu, with the bar’s chic ambience setting the mood from day to night.
Elsewhere, fans could enjoy Grey Goose Lemon Ace at a range of hospitality venues across the Melbourne Park precinct.
M&Ms brought fun and interactivity to families with the first-ever M&Ms store in the Southern Hemisphere.
Taking centre stage within the precinct, the store is the unofficial eighth store in the brand’s global portfolio. Working with Clemenger BBDO, the colourful, immersive experience drew design and creative inspiration from M&M’s flagship stores in New York, London, and Shanghai.
The activation featured interactive installations, limited-edition merchandise, and exclusive M&M’s customisation experiences. Fans could create a digital ‘Ace Shot’ photo, plus create a personalised mix-and-match M&M’s tube of chocolates.
Meanwhile, Red Bull energised younger audiences with high-tempo events like Bassline and the Red Bull Rally All Stars padel competition.
The physical design of the AO precinct plays a crucial role in delivering a seamless experience for fans while showcasing brand activations that appeal to the different kinds of fans entering the park. “The precinct is big enough to sustain them all, with vibrant areas like Grand Slam Oval and the Courtside Bar supporting multiple beverage brands,” Campbell explained. These designated spaces ensure each brand shines in an environment tailored to purpose, avoiding overcrowding or diluted experiences.
Additionally, a sustainability charter has influenced brand activations. “Partners supported our sustainability goals by eliminating promotional giveaways, reducing approximately 100,000 items from across the event,” Campbell noted. This thoughtful approach balances fan engagement with environmental responsibility.
Capturing the Youth Audience
Reaching the 12-24 demographic has been a key focus for Tennis Australia. “We leaned into beauty, gaming, and emerging tennis disciplines to engage this audience,” Campbell explains. Partnerships with brands like Fortress, MECCA, and Red Bull were strategically designed to appeal to Gen Z preferences, particularly through the highly successful TopCourt area.
This strategy also extended to entertainment. “AO Live Presents, our three-day music festival, drew 30,000 ticket buyers to John Cain Arena, ensured a young, energetic crowd in the later stages of the tournament,” Campbell shared.
Gamified experiences have also played a key role. Game On, powered by Fortress AO TopCourt, provided an immersive space with AR, VR, and other gamified experiences,” he shared. These activations appeal to younger audiences while reinforcing the AO’s position as an innovative leader in sports entertainment.
Social media has been a cornerstone of this youth engagement strategy. During January, AO YouTube became the biggest sports channel globally, with 375 million views. TikTok also played a pivotal role, with creator-driven content showcasing the AO’s fashion, beauty, and food elements. “TikTok allowed us to flex into different content territories each year based on how our brand partners wanted to show up in culture,” Campbell explained.
The Integration of Technology
Innovation and technology are central to the festival feeling of a day at the AO. “The introduction of a new electronic line-call technology with Bolt 6 has opened new possibilities for showcasing the AO,” Campbell explained.
AO LABS, Tennis Australia’s internal R&D team, developed AO Animated Feeds, which generated over 5 million views on YouTube and attracted global media attention.
The Australian Open don’t own all of their broadcasting rights (fairly common), so they’re live-streaming a Wii Tennis-like version of the matches on YouTube – love this 😂
This is Carlos Alcaraz’ match point: pic.twitter.com/HvxhYneWGH
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) January 13, 2025
A Culinary Journey
Food has become an integral part of the AO experience, with the tournament almost doubling as a food festival. “Food in Melbourne is such an integral part of the landscape, we felt there was an opportunity to up our game and represent the best of food across the country,” said Campbell.
The AO’s food offerings are dynamic, with only 25% of vendors returning each year and 75% introducing new culinary experiences. This ensures both novelty and reliability for returning fans. “We want to ensure it represents some of the best Australian cuisine and diverse cultural variety, appealing to Melbournians, interstate travellers, and international audiences alike,” said Campbell.
“When building out the plan for the 22 food locations outside the arenas, we work with vendors and chefs to ensure they offer something different than what is inside the venues. We want to ensure it represents some of the best Australian cuisine and diverse cultural variety, which is then appealing to Melbournians, interstate travellers and international audiences,” he said.
Looking Ahead
It is easy to look at such a diverse and structured event and think about what could possibly come next, but there is always more work to be done. Tennis Australia is already planning for the future, with opportunities for brands to own specific moments of the tournament, such as Opening Week, TopCourt, and AO Live. Campbell also highlighted the broader Summer of Tennis, which includes events like the United Cup and Brisbane International. These events have “truly established themselves as incredible events in their own right, breaking attendance records, having extremely positive patrons satisfaction and showcasing an incredible level of tennis”.
There is also an emphasis on year-round engagement and community programs within the Tennis Australia ecosystem. With a focus on growing the grassroots of the sport, youth programs like Hot Shots have great potential to further come to life at the event and are on the lookout for a great local partner to work closely with to make this happen.
Innovation will also remain a key priority. “We also want to partner with brands that can accelerate the tech & innovation prowess of the AO further and ensure that the AO continues to be at the forefront of digitally enabled and seamless experiences for both patrons on-site and global fans off-site,” he explained.
The Australian Open has pioneered a new era for sports partnerships, where the event itself becomes a platform for storytelling, innovation, and engagement. By integrating brand activations into the fabric of the event, the AO offers an experience where every fan, whether on-site or tuning in globally, can feel part of something extraordinary.
With its focus on co-creation, fan-centric design, and technological innovation, the AO is not just a tennis tournament; it is a festival of sport, culture, and entertainment.
