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Fans attending the US Open won\u2019t need to fret if they forgot to pack their own sunscreen\u2014La Roche-Posay will once again have them covered.<\/p>\n
For the third year in a row, the skin-care brand is the official sunscreen of the US Open, and this year, La Roche-Posay\u2019s presence will be more pronounced than ever, with free sunscreen and dermatologists abound.<\/p>\n
Guillaume Monsel, VP and head of marketing and digital at La Roche-Posay, told us he\u2019s looking forward to having the brand continue holding the title as the tournament\u2019s official sunscreen for \u201cyears and years,\u201d particularly amid the brand\u2019s increased focus on tennis.<\/p>\n
\u201cTennis is one of those sports where you spend the most amount of time outdoors\u2026and we wanted to make sure we were also reaching a premium, affluent, and approachable consumer, as well,\u201d Monsel told Marketing Brew. \u201cOur goal as a brand is to make sure we\u2019re getting mass awareness and reach through these events as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
With this year\u2019s US Open now in full swing, Monsel told us he\u2019s thinking about ways to expand the brand\u2019s roster of tennis partnerships, both athletes and tournaments, and continue to use the sport as a vehicle for sunscreen-related PSAs.<\/p>\n
While La Roche-Posay partners with or sends products to skiing, snowboarding and surfing athletes, Monsel said tennis remains the brand\u2019s main focus.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really want to develop one sport well, and then once we feel we\u2019ve done it in the right way, we\u2019ll explore other sports, but not in the next six months,\u201d he said. \u201cWe really want to make sure we\u2019re making an impact in the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, tennis stars Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe appeared in a campaign for La Roche-Posay as brand ambassadors to promote everyday sun protection. The two were present at a La Roche-Posay-hosted press and influencer event at Edge NYC last week, where they played pickleball against fellow ambassadors and players Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur. Jannik Sinner, currently the world No. 1 in men\u2019s singles, is also an ambassador for the brand.<\/p>\n
The years-long deal with US Open marked the brand\u2019s first tennis tournament partner, and La Roche-Posay now sponsors several others, including the National Bank Open in Canada and the Miami Open. According to Monsel, the brand is also looking at ways to work with high school and college tennis players, as well as with the Professional Tennis Players Association to help support rising stars in the tennis world.<\/p>\n
Monsel said La Roche-Posay prides itself on providing free sunscreen to everyone who wants it at each tennis event, which is part of the reason why the brand has limited itself to fewer than 10 each year.<\/p>\n
Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
While some of last year\u2019s US Open attendees may remember getting free non-sunscreen products from La Roche-Posay, like the now-viral Cicaplast Balm, Monsel said that was a one-time experiment that won\u2019t be repeated this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to see if we would see a spike in sales in the New York market in the coming months but the product took off because of social buzz and attraction\u2026so it wasn\u2019t really a clean read on if it was the US Open or not,\u201d he said. \u201cThis year, we\u2019re gonna stick to sunscreen only.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s US Open attendees should expect to see a La Roche-Posay booth full of sunscreen and volunteer dermatologists from The Dermatology Specialists answering skin care-related questions. Three other sunscreen giveaway stations will be scattered around the grounds.<\/p>\n
As La Roche-Posay has grown its presence, Monsel said he\u2019s excited to see the US Open evolve into a luxury brand in its own right.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe brand of the US Open has really elevated in the last few years, and we\u2019ve been a part of that journey through the hundreds of influencers and celebrities we\u2019ve brought in,\u201d he said, citing Taylor Zakhar Perez, Noah Beck, Dixie D\u2019Amelio, Shaun White, and Lindsey Vonn as some athlete and influencer attendees that La Roche-Posay has brought to the grounds in recent years.<\/p>\n
Beyond the booth and social media partnerships, Monsel said La-Roche Posay will run ads during the tournament broadcast.<\/p>\n
Monsel said he\u2019s excited to hear from customers inside the booth and think of ways to utilize those one-on-one conversations. The brand\u2019s \u201cEveryday is a Sunscreen Day\u201d campaign from earlier this year was borne out of consumer conversations around some people\u2019s lax approach to wearing daily sun protection, he said.<\/p>\n
But there can be downsides to opening up a dialogue with consumers, especially in a country with expensive healthcare.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe derms sometimes tell us, \u2018This person wanted me to do a full-on body scan in front of everyone, like top to bottom,\u2019 or \u2018This guy showed me his behind to see if a mole was suspicious or not,\u2019\u201d Monsel said.<\/p>\n
While it is the Open, it\u2019s perhaps best not to be that<\/em> open.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n