ESPN Tennis Commentator and Former Player and Coach Brad Gilbert Stars in Voya-Branded Online Video Content Titled ‘Gilbert’s Glossary’
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), announced today that it will sponsor ESPN’s telecasts of Wimbledon and the US Open. For Wimbledon specifically, the company will serve as the presenting sponsor. Additionally, ESPN tennis commentator Brad Gilbert will appear in an episodic series of online videos titled “Gilbert’s Glossary” throughout both tournaments.
“As a newly branded company, we want to make sure consumers know our name and understand how we can help them get organized today so they can plan, invest and protect their savings for tomorrow. Our sponsorship of these two premier telecasts helps us do that,” said Voya Chief Marketing Officer Ann Glover. “Tennis is a passion point for many customers who fit our target audience and we want to communicate to them that Voya is committed to helping Americans get ready to retire better.”
Voya’s sponsorship spans the duration of both major tournaments, which will each air over the course of two weeks on ESPN and ESPN2. The agreement features television and digital media rights including broadcast mentions of Voya’s role, opening and closing graphics, Voya “Bench
Talk” features, a “Tennis Tracker” with on-screen branding and significant commercial inventory.
ESPN’s digital platforms will highlight Voya’s sponsorship of the tennis homepage, various banner media, and exclusivity around the tennis scoreboard, tennis schedule and expert picks. Voya’s campaign will also include promoted video tweets, along with the amplification of Voya-created social content.
In addition, Gilbert will star in a series of Voya-produced videos titled “Gilbert’s Glossary,” which will be promoted on various social and digital outlets. Twelve unique video shorts — six airing online throughout each tournament — will feature Gilbert using his unique personality and style explaining tennis terms such as Buggy Whip, Love, Breadsticks and Bagels, Can Opener and Moonball to name a few. Each video concludes with a slate that reads, “Brad Gilbert: Changing the Way You
Think About Tennis. Voya Financial: Changing the Way You Think About Retirement.”
“Voya’s brand voice is optimistic and forward-thinking and we want to change the way people think about retirement. Brad Gilbert was the perfect partner for a project like this — which is centered on the creation of fun and innovative social content,” added Glover. “The ‘Gilbert’s Glossary’ video series provides us with an opportunity to amplify our ESPN sponsorship with an engaging integrated media campaign.”
To view a sample of the videos in the “Gilbert’s Glossary” campaign, please visit http://go.voya.com/Tennis-BuggyWhip and http://go.voya.com/Tennis-Love.
