Serena Williams is finding money where her mouth is. The tennis pro stars in two separate promos for Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.'s Doublemint gum and for Unilever's Close-Up toothpaste. (She also has a cameo in McDonald's Winning Time game, whose prizes include a meeting with Serena and sister Venus.)
Chicago-based Wrigley this week launches a month long on-line auction, dubbed Feel the Green, with bid items including a private tennis lesson with Williams, tickets to the US Open (donated by Williams and sister Venus), a "Doublemint Feel the Green" Wilson racket signed by the Williams and assorted outfits the sisters wore in past tournaments.
The auction, held at doublemint.com, is intended to raise $10,000 for the Tom Joyner Foundation's scholarship program supporting historically black colleges. The Williams sisters star in Doublemint's current "Feel the Green" ad campaign via BBDO, Chicago, in a twist on the brand's historic use of identical twins in ads. It's the first promotion tied to the two-year-old campaign. Wrigley handles in-house with a p.r. assist from Edelman and auction execution by uBid.com, Chicago.
Greenwich, CT-based Unilever puts Williams on packages of Close-Up toothpaste, with a sweepstakes awarding a family trip and courtside seats to the U.S. Open in New York City. P-O-P and FSI couponing support the packaging launch; boxes feature three photos of Williams. Unilever handles in-house.
