Moderna taps the power of tennis legend Arthur Ashe in new ‘Change Makers’ campaign

Moderna is spotlighting tennis champion and social activist Arthur Ashe in its second “Here’s to the Change Makers” campaign. Ashe, who died in 1993 of AIDS-related pneumonia, is featured in a new black-and-white TV ad in computer-generated imagery and animation both on and off the tennis courts.

Simple text statements “He changed the rules,” “He changed the game,” and “He changed the world” appear in sequential order as Ashe serves. Behind the text, the animation shows a “Whites Only” tennis court is unlocked, followed by Ashe lifting a trophy and appearing as a speaker in front of an audience.

Moderna is focusing on the US Open as it falls right before the beginning of the typical seasonal vaccination period, Moderna chief brand officer Kate Cronin said, adding, “We need to remind people that Covid still remains a top four killer in the US during last year, so we want the population to stay up to date on their vaccine and other seasonal vaccines.” 

Ashe was the first Black man to win a singles Grand Slam tournament (US Open in 1968) and was the first Black man selected for the US Davis Cup team. He remains the only Black man to win Grand Slams at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open. Off the court, Ashe championed Black rights, speaking out against apartheid in South Africa and social justice issues affecting Black Americans. Ashe later became an HIV and AIDS activist after he was infected by a blood transfusion during heart surgery, advocating for patients and calling for research and treatments. He founded both the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health and The Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS.

Kate Cronin

“We’re leaning in on Arthur Ashe as a change maker (for) the health and equity focus that he had,” Cronin said. “We think it’s a natural connection, and it’s authentic, especially given the kind of impact Covid has had on the Black community in particular.”

The Ashe campaign is the second iteration of Moderna’s “Change Makers” effort that debuted last year during the US Open with tennis legend and women’s rights advocate Billie Jean King. The new TV ad will run on ESPN, and the campaign will feature prominently at the US Open through next week with signage, in-stadium ad airing and on-site booth that includes photo opportunities and mRNA information.

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