"Biggest miracle of all is that they actually had it available on their site" - Coco Gauff's US Open t-shirt campaign by New Balance explained

New Balance recently pulled off a marketing coup with its sponsorship of Coco Gauff, who won her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open on Saturday (September 9).

Gauff secured a thrilling three-set victory, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 over second seed Aryna Sabalenka at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

The World No.3 became the youngest US Open champion since Serena Williams in 1999, and the first American woman to win the title since Sloane Stephens in 2017.

Coco Gauff's sponsor, New Balance, had anticipated her potential breakthrough and had printed t-shirts with the slogan "Call Me Coco Champion". The t-shirts were worn by the American's family and team both during the match and the trophy ceremony.

A sports marketing consultant, Jordan Rogers, who spent ten years working at Nike, posted a video on Instagram on Monday (September 11) explaining why New Balance’s t-shirt campaign was a "marketing miracle".

"It's [US Open] in New York. Celebrities there. New York is a key city for a lot of these companies but we've got to talk about the t-shirt," he said, adding, "Getting a t-shirt printed like this really not that hard but you have to do this work ahead of time and there's a 50% chance that this work never sees the light of day."

He added that ensuring the t-shirts reached Coco Gauff’s family and team during the chaotic moments after the match was challenging. Making them available for sale on the company’s website seemed almost impossible as well due to various reasons.

"In the event that your athlete wins, there is a crazy moment that happens right after they win. They're overcome with emotion. Their family is overcome with emotion and there's a lot that happens. The tournament directors came in and so the New Balance team was able to get those t-shirts on her family, but that's not even the biggest miracle," Rogers said.

"First, they put them on and didn't put them over the shoulder or set them down in their emotion. Next, her dad became a focal point of the television interview afterwards and so he's there wearing the shirt in the moment and so what happens? Fans start searching the Coco Goff shirt or any combo of Call Me Coco and New Balance," he added.

Rogers then lauded the global brand for seizing the opportunity and crafting a memorable moment for Coco Gauff and her fans.

"The biggest miracle of all is that they actually had it available on their site for sale. I can't begin to tell you all the barriers that happen with this whether it's supply chain, minimums required, legal issues, selling in different countries, all kinds of stuff makes this nearly impossible," he said.

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A look at Coco Gauff's notable collaborations with New Balance

Coco Gauff wearing custom New Balance sneakers

Coco Gauff has been wearing New Balance shoes since she inked her deal with the company in 2018, at the age of 14.

However, her signature shoe, the NB Coco CG1, is the first one that she co-designed with New Balance. The shoe features a knit upper, a full-length FuelCell midsole, and a translucent rubber outsole.

The shoe also boasts Coco Gauff’s initials and signature on the tongue and heel. Over the years, she has launched many colorways of these sneakers.

The 19-year-old extended her longstanding partnership with New Balance by renewing her contract last year.

Gauff then unveiled the Coco CG1 ‘New Vintage’, ahead of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.