Need to Know
15 : 07 : 22

London – In a bid to make tennis more accessible and inclusive, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is launching a creative campaign to challenge preconceptions about the sport and attract new players. Created with marketing agency The&Partnership, the #YourCourtYourRules campaign invites everyone to play the sport their way.

A high-energy campaign film shows how tennis has evolved over the years, contrasting black and white footage with a diverse and colourful vision of the modern game. Elsewhere, a series of vibrant posters focus on the individual personalities of the people featured in them, highlighting how people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities are enjoying the sport on their own terms. ‘We continue to make tennis more relevant, more accessible, more welcoming and more enjoyable, and it really doesn’t matter how good you are, wherever you play, play your way,’ says Richard Daish, marketing and commercial director at the LTA.

As Sportive Affluents continue to revive interest in traditional sports, the sector is increasingly catering for shifting consumer values with inclusive campaigns that align with the growing influx of Generation Z athletes.

California – Breaking down long-standing stereotypes in the gaming industry, beauty brand elf Cosmetics has launched an eight-piece collection to bring together gaming and skincare. Dubbed Game Up, the collection challenges the notoriously male-dominated industry, helping to make space for gamers of all backgrounds.

The collection focuses on bright, bold colours, taking advantage of innovative formulas designed with screen-users in mind, allowing the brand to effectively tap into an underserved market of women gamers and beauty enthusiasts. Each item contains a secret code that can be redeemed for bonus points and gift cards, while prices are kept low to ensure they are accessible to everyone. ‘We want to uplift and empower all creators in the gaming world through inclusivity, positivity and accessibility,’ says Patrick O’Keefe, vice-president of integrated marketing communications at elf Beauty. ‘We are excited to continue to break boundaries at the intersections of entertainment, gaming and beauty.’

As retailers begin to build long-term metaverse strategies to future-proof their businesses, gaming offers a tangible entry point into the space.

With social media platforms full of idealised body images, young men are feeling the pressure to live up to unrealistic standards. According to research by health and fitness company Origym, a third of young British men try to change their appearance in a bid to conform to social media’s picture perfect culture.

The study also found that social media culture is affecting the mental health of one in 10 of those surveyed. According to Origym, this negative impact is also leading a lot of men to abuse steroids, which can cause breast growth. ‘This is a real challenge because [men are] a bit less used to it than women are, we’re more recently exposed to these kinds of pressures and regretfully women have been exposed for a lot longer, but also there’s very little movement at the moment against pressure on men,’ says Rob Willson, a psychologist from the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation.

This research calls for brands to take greater responsibility in supporting the health and wellbeing of men. For more insights on the societal shifts affecting young men, explore our New Masculinity series.