Campari Group’s marketing tie-up for its Aperol flagship with the US Open tennis tournament is returning for its second appearance later this month.
The aperitif, which agreed an ‘official partner’ arrangement with the two-week-long championships last year, has recruited actor Ashley Park, who appears in the Netflix drama/comedy Emily in Paris, as the face of its sponsorship. Another change to last year’s debut sees an online merchandise shop offering Aperol-branded tennis apparel to US consumers.
As well as an Aperol Spritz Bar on-site, the brand will also feature on bar carts around the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York during the tournament, which runs from Monday 26 August to Sunday 8 September.
Speaking exclusively to Global Drinks Intel following the release of Q2 and H1 results last week, Campari Group CEO Matteo Fantacchiotti was optimistic about the brand owner’s prospects in the US. “There’s definitely an opportunity there [in the US], although it’s a challenging trading environment,” he said. “In terms of portfolio, we’re very well positioned to continue to outperform the market.
“When you look at the big [spirits] categories, there are two that are really growing: aperitifs and tequila.”
