AEG LAUNCHES MARIA SHARAPOVA MEDIA PROMOTIONS CAMPAIGN FOR WTA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS PRESENTED BY PORSCHE, NOV. 10-15, AT STAPLES CENTER November 3, 2004 "Got Sharapova!" is a theme built around Wimbledon champion Russian beauty competing in year-end WTA Tour Championships, along with Davenport, Mauresmo, U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova, French Open champion Myskina, Dementieva, and two more players to be determined LOS ANGELES - An edgy media campaign focusing on Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova has been launched by AEG in conjunction with the WTA Tour Championships presented by Porsche Nov. 10-15 at STAPLES CENTER in Los Angeles. "GOT SHARAPOVA!" is the theme of a campaign that includes print ads in various Southern California publications, billboards throughout the Los Angeles area, and radio and TV spots. The billboard locations include a 48-feet by 14-feet image on the Sunset Strip at Horn Ave. in Hollywood. The other billboard locations are: Sunset Blvd. and La Brea Ave., Melrose Ave. and La Jolla St., Hollywood Blvd. and La Brea, Olympic Blvd. and St. Andrews St., La Brea and Santa Monica Blvd., Wilshire Blvd. and Centinela Ave. and Venice Blvd. and Midvale Ave. TO VIEW THE BILLBOARD, GO TO WWW.WTACHAMPS.COM/SHARAPOVA. Since Sharapova officially qualified for the Championships on October 26, excitement behind the tournament has risen significantly. Tournament organizers have said that more than 4,000 additional tickets have been sold for the year-end event. In addition to Sharapova's qualification, other promotions boosting ticket sales for this year's Championships, according to Tournament Director John Arrix, are a tennis racquet giveaway, Wolfgang Puck's popular Courtside Cuisine and a Lindsay Davenport bobblehead doll giveaway. KaZaZZ recently announced that "Sharapova" was the top searched term on the internet. FoxSports.com has called Sharapova ". the hottest woman there's ever been in sports." Sharapova, born in the Siberian region of Russia but now a resident of the United States, took the tennis and sports world by storm with her Wimbledon triumph this summer. Other players who have qualified thus far for the elite eight-player singles field are No. 1 ranked Lindsay Davenport, Amelie Mauresmo, U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, French Open champion Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva. Four players -- Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Jennifer Capriati and Vera Zvonareva -- still are battling for the final two spots The top eight singles players and the top four doubles teams in the final Porsche Race to the Championships standings qualify for the prestigious Championships. The Championships singles winner will earn $1 million in prize money and a Porsche to donate to their favorite charity. The schedule: Promotions at the WTA Tour Championships include: a sports and entertainment career fair Thursday, Nov. 11; Ladies Night ($39 wine, food and ticket package) and Lindsay Davenport bobblehead giveaway Friday, Nov. 12; A tennis racquet giveaway to the first 5,000 fans in attendance Saturday, Nov. 13; a jumbo tennis ball giveaway to the first 5,000 fans in attendance Sunday, Nov. 14. Family packs -- 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 sodas and parking for $59 - are available for Saturday and Sunday sessions. Seniors, USTA members, military organizations and students all receive the group discount for Wednesday-Friday sessions. Wolfgang Puck's Courtside Cuisine features an international flair of food from throughout the world. Individual tickets range in price from $20.50 to $75.50 per session. There are discounts for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are available by calling 1-866-WTA-CHAMP, online at www.wtachamps.com, or at STAPLES Center box office. The WTA Tour Championships presented by Porsche is the largest and most lucrative women-only sporting event in the world and dates back to 1972. The top eight singles players and top four doubles teams in the Porsche Race to the Championships standings on Monday, November 8 will qualify for the season-ending tournament. The singles winner receives a record-tying $1 million, equaling the largest winner's check in women's sports. Former champions include all-time greats Chris Evert, Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, Tracy Austin, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams. Kim Clijsters stands as the two-time defending champion. The Porsche Race to the Championships standings are updated weekly and posted on the WTA Tour's website, www.wtatour.com General tournament and ticket information is available on the WTA Tour Championships Web site at www.wtachamps.com or at 1-866-WTA-CHAMP) 1-866-982-2426) The WTA Tour is the world's premier professional sport for women with more than 1,100 players representing 76 nations competing for more than $58 million in prize money at the Tour's 59 events in 29 countries, as well as the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. More than four million people attended women's tennis events in 2003 with millions more watching events on television networks around the world. The WTA Tour season concludes with the WTA Tour Championships presented by Porsche at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California, November 10-15, 2004. Further information on the Tour can be found on the Internet at www.wtatour.com. MEDIA CONTACT: |
back to top | close window |