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Agassi, American Express team up for US Open
NEW YORK: American Express has announced that tennis star Andre Agassi will promote the company’s sponsorship of the 2003 US Open Tennis Championships through a number of advertising and promotional programmes.
These will include a new television commercial. The campaign will also include new print creative featuring tennis celebrities Monica Seles, James Blake and Daniela Hantuchova.
The tournament kicks off next Monday. Last year, Agassi lost an emotionally charged final to Pete Sampras. For the past 10 years, American Express has served as the ‘Official Card of the US Open’. Through this year’s integrated campaign, the company is looking to provide unique experiences and special benefits for card members, a release said.
The new Agassi commercial builds on the ongoing umbrella advertising campaign The Official Card, which leverages the official card status that American Express holds with a variety of sports and entertainment sponsorships including the US Open.
In the spot, the tag-line is The Official Card of Parenthood showcasing Agassi’s personal interests off the court. It shows Agassi in a humourous scenario using his American Express Card to purchase a ball hopper, which he then takes home and uses to pick up toys his son has scattered across the floor. The campaign will also incorporate a television ad featuring Seles, in the Official Card of Being Yourself, which debuted during last year’s US Open.
Besides Agassi and Seles, rising stars James Blake and Daniela Hantuchova will also be featured in the ‘Official Card of the US Open’ campaign. Each of the players will appear in traditional and non-traditional media — including print, online and major outdoor venues throughout New York. They will also be seen on highway billboards, ferries, buses, subways, taxis and at the US Open.
In addition to the ad campaign, American Express will also have a substantial presence on-site at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows and will feature several special card member benefit programmes throughout the tournament.
American Express has sponsorship relations with a number of entertainment and sports properties including Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall, the NBA and WNBA, the US Open, Tiger Woods, Tribeca Film Festival and World Golf Championships.
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Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
