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Maria Sharapova, one of the world’s top-ranked women tennis players, will star in her first solo marketing campaign for Nike, a multimedia effort to support the launch of a line of performance-wear that Nike designed in conjunction with the athlete.
Watch the commercial belowThe effort, “I feel pretty,” via Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore., will debut with a TV spot on Sunday, Aug. 20, during the “Teen Choice Awards” on Fox, then go into rotation on network and cable. Print and Internet will support, as will personal appearances by Sharapova in conjunction with the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 28 in Queens, N.Y. Spend for the campaign was not disclosed.
In the ad, it begins with Maria in one of her new Nike tennis outfits in her hotel room, and then follows her as she is driven to the tennis stadium and as she walks onto center court. Along the way, she passes workers in the hotel, fans, players and members of the media, who all sing “I Feel Pretty.” (The song was originally heard in the classic Broadway play, West Side Story.) Ultimately, the entire crowd in the tennis stadium is singing. But they are silenced when the match begins and Sharapova lets out one of her classic grunts as she returns a serve.
The TV spot is reminiscent of a commercial with Sharapova that broke in May for Canon’s PowerShot, “Attraction,” via Dentsu America, New York, in which tennis balls follow her from the court to her hotel room, eventually forming a giant smiley face outside her window.
Others featured in the new spot include John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe and two-time tennis Olympic gold medalist Mary Joe Fernandez.
"It's unbelievable," said Sharapova's agent, Max Eisenbud at IMG, Cleveland. "We're more than happy about the campaign and the apparel deal."
Sharapova, who turned 19 in April, is one of the world’s highest-paid women athlete endorsers. She’ll earn about $20 million in 2006 via deals with Nike, Colgate-Palmolive, Tag Heuer, Motorola, Parlux, Sega and Land Rover.
She is so beautiful
once again, your professionalism, grace, and beauty cant be matched. i wish you the best at the US Open and i will be there to support you all the way. your the best. Go Maria!!!
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