Written by Kianna Best on Jul 23, 2024. Posted in General Interest

Zendaya finds a new challenger for On campaign

Challengers actress Zendaya stepped back into her tennis shoes in the recent campaign for sneaker brand On, this time facing off against Roger Federer. Taking part in a game of air tennis, the actress and the tennis star put the new range of tennis shoes to the test, with the familiar high octane techno theme music accompanying the intense make believe match up.

Following its release earlier this year, Challengers dominated pop culture, with social media eating up the tennis aesthetic and many admitting to catching the tennis bug. Taking full advantage of the craze, Swiss sports sneaker brand On named the actress as their ambassador for a their new commercial rollout, most recently pairing the fictional tennis star with real life grand slam winner Roger Federer.

“Me and you, air tennis, 3pm,” is all the note had to say for Zendaya to gear up once again for a match. Filmed outside of the brand’s Zurich headquarters, On’s two most famous collaborators face off in an intense game of air tennis, a humorous match but pushing the latest range of sneakers to the limits expected from a real competition. Zendaya joined long-time brand ambassador Federer, who was an early investor and partner for the brand. She also recently signed a multiyear deal across product development, global promotion and creative campaigns.

“It’s no secret that I’ve been a big fan of On for a long time. I’m always wearing them on set, or when I’m traveling, rehearsing or running around with my dog. So it’s a full-circle moment to make this partnership official,” said Zendaya on the partnership back in June.

The commercial also features some other Challengers Easter eggs, such as Darnell Appling returning to his role as the umpire, and Zendaya’s familiar irritated game face. The actresses first creative venture with the brand was cinematic 60 second short film titled Dream Together, directed by C Prinz, capturing a conversation on how movement brings people together.

Images courtesy of On