Serena Takes Disney World Detour En Route To Her Tennis-To-Business Transition
Monday, September 12, 2022 at 07:30PM By Barry Janoff
Photo: DisneySeptember 12, 2022: When tennis star Serena Williams recently talked about moving on from tennis to focus on family, business and other aspects of her life, she referred to it as a transition rather than retirement.
She forgot to mention that there would be a detour en route — to Disney World.
Williams appears in a new campaign for Disney World, official referred to as “What’s Next?” but more commonly known as “I’m Going To Disney World!”
Which is what Williams says in a commercial, which was filmed as she was leaving the court at the U.S. Open for the last time following her three-set, third-round loss on Sept. 2 to Ajla Tomljanović.
No doubt she will bring her daughter, Olympia, with her to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
“Like so many titans of sport who have reached the pinnacle of their athletic careers, Williams is marking the evolution of her career beyond tennis in the most magical way possible — by going to Walt Disney World Resort!,” according to Disney.
Disney did not give a specific time except to say it would be “in the coming weeks.”
The spot pays homage to Williams both on the court via a series of action shots, and off, with attention to her family, social, philanthropic and business endeavors.
The commercial “celebrates her impact beyond the court where she inspires working moms, advocates for women's rights and gives a voice to social issues. And she does it all with Vogue-worthy style and flair,” says Disney, with a reference to her cover appearance and first-person article in the September issue of Vogue.
The national ad, “Disney Celebrates The GOAT” will air during sports and other programming on network and cable as well as online and social media.
Text in the spot offers, “From Compton to champion. A queen is crowned. The greatest of all time. Your story inspires the world.” When a voiceover asks, “What are you going to do next,” she replies, “I’m going to Disney World!”
According to Disney, “Williams left the court at the U.S. Open as the queen of the game, a transcendent figure whose inspiring ascent from humble beginnings to the throne of women's sports is the stuff of legend.
“No one has won more major tennis tournaments in the Open era. And no one has had a bigger impact on women's sports during her era, bringing endorsement opportunities, TV ratings and global awareness to heights not seen previously.
"Likewise, her power game and athletic flair changed tennis and inspired a new generation of tennis prospects who are more diverse and more empowered than the generation before.”
The Disney campaign started in January 1987 when New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms appeared in the first “What’s Next?” commercial following his team's Super Bowl XXI victory.
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