Women’s tennis’ WTA body has brought in the Gillette Venus female shaving products brand as a new global commercial partner.
Through a deal unveiled today, that brand becomes the official razor of the WTA, and also of the end-of-season WTA Finals this year, which is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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Venus will work alongside the WTA on hosting community events, activations at WTA tournaments, and creating content with WTA Tour players. Specifically, three players – Alycia Parks, Peyton Stearns, and Taylor Townsend – have recently become Venus brand ambassadors.
This tie-up is the first sponsorship deal announced by the WTA since it launched a rebrand at the end of February, in its quest to promote itself as a leader in sports and entertainment.
The rebrand includes a fresh logo and advertising campaign centered around the slogan “Rally the World,” which the WTA hopes will bring greater brand awareness and boost commercial growth.
The project was developed over 12 months by WTA Ventures, the commercial wing of the WTA, in collaboration with creative agencies ChatperX and Nomad Studio. The advertising campaign, meanwhile, was led by the Brothers & Sisters agency.
Marina Storti, WTA Ventures’ chief executive, has said: “As the home of many of the world’s greatest athletes, the WTA has the biggest global reach in women’s sport and, by working with partners like Venus, we can create valuable opportunities to deepen engagement with fans.”
The rebrand has come at a strong time of strong growth for the WTA. During the 2024 season, on-site attendance at WTA events increased by 15%, while the cumulative global audience grew by 10% to a record 1.1 billion on television and streaming platforms.
The WTA also saw its followers across its social channels increase by 25%.
WTA Ventures was created in 2023 as part of a strategic partnership between the WTA and the CVC Capital Partners fund. It now oversees the commercial and media operations of the tour.
2024, meanwhile, also saw Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) become a major global commercial partner of the WTA.
Isabel Pimentel, brand vice president for Gillette Venus North America, added: “At Gillette Venus, we pride ourselves on helping women feel comfortable in their own skin by providing trusted shaving products designed with their bodies and hair in mind.
"We are thrilled to partner with the WTA to celebrate women both on and off the tennis court and hope to inspire the next generation of women in sport to do the same.”
In terms of other Gillette Venus commercial deals, the brand supported European women’s national team soccer’s European Championships in 2022, as well as the USA Swimming program in the build-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.
