Brand Union has partnered with the International Table Tennis Federation the global governing body for table tennis, in developing a new format of the sport. Brand Union Singapore was challenged to mastermind a completely fresh take on the sport of table tennis and create an overall brand identity and experience that would drive youth participation and add to the sport’s global appeal. The announcement of the new format, called Table Tennis X (TTX) was revealed at an exclusive event on the opening day of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.
The updated version of the game is a new time-bound format expected to “reduce the skills gap between participants and increasing the level of variety and unpredictability to gameplay.” The new sport is not restricted to indoor tables or venues, but is intended to be played anywhere with redesigned equipment that includes heavier balls and simplified racquets to encourage longer rallies, diminish the reliance on spin, and make the game more accessible.
Beyond being a new sport, the TTX brand has been created with a lifestyle spirit at its heart, with the ambition of becoming a catalyst for disruption and high-level engagement within the category.
The new identity, ‘Live the Beat’, uses a multi-colored palette to convey the inclusive diverse nature of the new format, and “express the spontaneous, freestyle nature of the experience and its intended audiences.” TTX will be rolled out globally in a phased approach over the next few months, with a launch event earmarked for May 2017, at the World Table Tennis Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany. Comments Dan Ellis, Regional Creative Director, Brand Union: “It’s been a great experience to develop this new brand with ITTF, involving strategic and creative minds from the very beginning. The result is a dynamic new identity that is disruptive, unexpected, and full of attitude.” Brand Union is owned by WPP.
