Tennis Tourney Pitches Ads Between Action

W A S H I N G T O N, Aug. 21, 2004 -- The Olympics may have drama and spectacle but the Legg Mason Tennis Classic here has Charlie Brotman, a 76-year-old sports announcer whose folksy (some say corny) style has helped create a multimillion-dollar marketing enterprise.

As a result, Andre Agassi and more than two dozen of the world's top male tennis players — those not playing for the gold in Athens — find themselves competing for attention amid the signs and sounds of commerce at the William Fitzgerald Tennis Center.

How does it work?

First, in modern tennis marketing, signage is everything.

The stadium court is awash in signs promoting every enterprise from a rock 'n roll radio station (DC101) to an international airline (U.S. Airways). Everywhere the eye moves, from slashing ground strokes and booming serves to backdrops and sidelines, corporate logos capture fans' attention.

But it is Brotman's presence at a microphone high above the court which carries commerce to a new level.

Messages From Our Sponsors

Seated beside a thick binder of scripts, the former announcer for the Washington Senators baseball team arms himself with a stack of commercial messages. Each runs 10 to 15 seconds.

Every two games, as the players sit for a brief rest while changing ends of the court, Brotman's voice fills the air.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE AWARD WINNING MERCEDES BENZ AUTOMOBILE…"

In the stands, fans chat about the match, pausing to hear the latest from Brotman:

"TYSON'S BAGELS, FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS…"

Brotman keeps an eye on the chair umpire. As the official is about to call "time," signaling the players to return to their positions, Brotman winds up still another pitch:

"… SO, CALL GEICO AT 1-800-947…"

Then, as Andre Agassi or Lleyton Hewitt walks to the service line, Brotman ends his spiel:

"THANK YOU!"

Spectators chuckle or wince. Play resumes.

By evening's end, Brotman and the tournament's sponsors have blanketed the stadium crowd of perhaps 8,000 spectators with an estimated 100 commercial messages.