Roger Federer lands a prime time slot in Super Bowl LIX extravaganza
Roger Federer has released a cheeky new advert to promote On shoes, with the film set to air in a primetime slot on US TV during Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Swiss tennis legend Federer is captured chatting to Muppets character Elmo as they discuss some confusion created by the On logo.
Elmo’s suggests that the On symbol is not as easy to read as it should be, as he argued it look a lot more like ‘QC’ than ‘On’, with Federer concerned the company may have made a bid mistake with their logo.
“As On continues to grow, we are always looking for new and inspiring ways to stand out as a sportswear brand. This starts with our logo, which, while simple, is often amusingly misread as ‘QC’—something we’ve long wanted to clear up in a fun and memorable way,” said Alex Griffin, On’s Chief Marketing Officer.
“What better way to do this than during one of the most-watched sporting events in the world, alongside our longtime partner Roger Federer and Sesame Street’s Elmo—a beloved icon we’ve also been working with on our next run campaign centred around softness. Stay tuned for more.”
Swiss shoe company On Running has exploded in popularity since Federer was given a slice of the company in return for the use of his iconic name and images as the ultimate promotional tool, with the value of that share cut now believed to be worth tens of millions of dollars.
On was valued at around $11billion last year, with the popularity of the shoes growing since then so the next valuation is expected to be even bigger.
Federer called time on his career in 2022 with on-court earnings of more than $130million, yet that figure is nothing compared to what the tennis icon has collected through commercial deals.
His contracts with Nike, Uniqlo and Wilson have pulled in huge financial windfall and now his association with Swiss shoemakers On is reaping remarkable dividends.
Reports suggest Federer was given around 3% of On’s shares as part of his high-profile endorsement of the brand and his shareholding has soared since the company gathered real momentum with online shoppers during the Covid lockdown.
It means his decision to walk away from his enduring deal with Nike and sign up for a long-term Uniqlo and then take a stake in On was one of the best business deals executed by any athlete in recent years.
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“I wanted to help a Swiss brand create something cool. Do something different and make something meaningful,” said Federer of his association with On.
“Obviously, I wanted to play tennis forever. That was my dream when I was a little boy.
“But when that was officially over, I had more time and I could be here at the On Lab, working and talking together.
“So I started to really get a sense of how important my opinions could be on a product and we’ve had a lot of good moments since – a lot of fun – and I love coming here.
“On does a really nice job of inspiring new people, new communities, to get involved as well. And that has always been very important to me, as I’ve had my own foundation for 20 years, where we’ve been trying to do similar things.”
Federer has successfully launched his first branded On tennis shoes named ‘The Roger’, while Iga Swiatek and Ben Shelton are among the big names stars sponsored by the company.
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