As part of its creative sports sponsorship policy, BNP Paribas is launching a website “ wearetennis.com “ entirely dedicated to tennis news. A first among sports sponsors, this unique initiative will provide tennis fans with a constant flow of information on tennis events all over the world, reporting on both the professional game, the amateur game and wheelchair tennis competitions with coverage of all the annual tournaments on the ATP, WTA and ITF circuits.
BNP Paribas intends to make wearetennis.com the must-visit tennis meeting-point for all age-groups, projecting the values embodied in this popular sport. The website content will be created by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. In line with this philosophy, the Bank has decided not to advertise any banking services on the website. Visitors will find:
· An information service on world tennis, with a tournament calendar, up-to-the-minute match results, news, statistics and information on the players
· A dedicated blog created by two tennis-insiders, one French, the other English, in an unbiased tone. They will be following the circuit and bringing us tennis news both on- and off-court. The blog will also provide exclusive items such as original video-interviews and reports from ‘behind the scenes' at tournaments. It will take an interactive approach and visitors will be able to post their comments.
· A section entitled ‘Tennis and Us', in which BNP Paribas Group staff worldwide will talk about the sponsorship work carried out by the Bank in its various localities.
· A game section, where site visitors will be able to win tickets plus prize packages for the various tournaments sponsored by BNP Paribas. The first of the game, entitled ‘the practice', will run until 20 March, enabling European tennis fans to test their skills and win seats at the Monte Carlo Masters Series, one of the prizes being a VIP week-end to see the finals.
· A link to social networks: wearetennis.com is accessible via Facebook and Twitter.
Wearetennis.com is the fruit of the experience acquired by BNP Paribas during almost 40 years of partnering tennis at all levels, combined with the Group's expertise in website creation. The site, which uses HTML 5, was set up with the help of E-com, a BNP Paribas group IT development and consultancy company, whose technical knowhow helped to realise the site concept, particularly as regards interactivity via the social networks Twitter and Facebook. Wearetennis.com is available in both French and English, and Italian, Spanish and Dutch language versions will follow shortly. The graphic elements reflect the new BNP Paribas tennis visual identity. ‘We are tennis' says it all, underlining the unwavering commitment to the sport which the BNP Paribas group has shown for many years.
Since 1973, BNP Paribas has shown unrivalled enthusiasm in its partnership with tennis and its support for both players and fans, from the rising young star to the seasoned professional, from the umpires to the ball-boys and -girls, from the family sitting in the stands to the veteran who goes out on the courts at weekends. Since the very first days of its association with tennis, the Group has always sought to involve as many people as possible in the game.
With the creation of the wearetennis.com site, BNP Paribas demonstrates once again its dynamic approach to global sports sponsorship and underlines its position as the number one partner of tennis at all levels.
Get in the game with BNP Paribas!
BNP Paribas and Tennis
Long-standing partner to the sport of tennis (unavailable link) since 1973, BNP Paribas is actively involved in the game at both local and international level, and in club, schools and social tennis as well as professional events. BNP Paribas has gradually become the number one sponsor in world tennis: official sponsor of Roland Garros since 1973 and sponsor of five ATP Masters events - the BNP Paribas Masters since 1986, Monte Carlo Masters since 2005, Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome since 2006, BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells since 2009 and the Shanghai Masters since 2010. The Group is also title sponsor of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas since 2001 and the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas since 2005, as well as being actively involved in many other international competitions including the Bank of the West Classic in California, the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca, the Open 13 in Marseille and the BNP Paribas Showdown in New York. BNP Paribas is also an official partner of International Wheelchair Tennis. Through its support for more than 20 national tennis associations, 2000 clubs, 550 amateur tournaments, plus schools and social programmes around the world, BNP Paribas helps to promote tennis and encourage widespread participation in the game. The Group's commitment to social values is reflected in the sports sponsorships it has undertaken in numerous projects, including Yannick Noah's ‘Fête le Mur' Association and the tennis Téléthon in France, the Oberer Tennis Camp in Switzerland and the BNP Paribas ‘Taste of Tennis' in the United States. The Group's new sponsorship slogan ‘We are tennis' underlines the fact that BNP Paribas promotes tennis for all, at all levels.
About BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas (www.bnpparibas.com) is one of the six strongest banks in the world*. The Group has a presence in more than 80 countries and more than 200,000 employees, including more than 160,000 in Europe. It ranks highly in its three core activities: Retail Banking, Investment Solutions and Corporate & Investment Banking. In Europe, the Group has four domestic markets (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg) and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the leader in consumer lending. BNP Paribas is rolling out its integrated retail banking model across the Europe-Mediterranean zone and boasts a large network in the western part of the United States. In its Corporate & Investment Banking and Investment Solutions activities, BNP Paribas also enjoys top positions in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas and solid and fast-growing businesses in Asia.
* Rated AA by Standard & Poor's i.e. 3rd rating level on a scale of 22.