Source: KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / Getty
Panasonic’s latest brand ambassador is Namoi Osaka. According to the electronics company, they decided to partner with the four-time Grand Slam winner because her value system and perspective towards society “deeply resonates” with its own management philosophy.
More specifically, Businesswire reported that the three reasons why Panasonic chose the tennis champion as a brand ambassador were that “Ms. Osaka takes social issues seriously,” that the tennis player’s “intense and powerful playing is a source of energy and courage for people all over the world,” and that Osaka “continues to grow and evolve as her magnificent track record being one of the world’s top athletes is the result of her tireless efforts to refine each and every move in the course of her daily training and matches.”
The brand feels it relates to the 23-year-old on all of those fronts, considering that it believes people can only be happy “when both mental stability and material prosperity are secured.” Additionally, Panasonic mentioned they’d like Osaka to continue to grow and remain innovative in a “range of fields” — developing needed products that they hope make society feel “happy and uplifted.”
Osaka’s name has graced numerous headlines over the last few weeks. Her decision to opt-out of doing mandatory press engagements during the French Open, to focus on her mental health, resulted in being severely fined — subsequently withdrew from the tournament altogether. More recently, she also declined to play in the German Open and Wimbledon. With that in mind, she’s assured fans that she’ll be back on the courts for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics which begin on July 23.
In a video titled, “Why Panasonic Appointed Naomi Osaka,” Executive Officer Director Yoshihiro Morii of the brand’s Groupwide Strategy Division shared that in collaboration with the tennis champion, they want to “spread the message of how we are striving for an ideal world and seeking to invigorate the world with our activities and ideas.”
In the clip below, titled “A Champion. For Progress.,” Osaka notes that while tennis is her passion and she feels blessed to live the lifestyle that’s come with her success in the sport, the game doesn’t define all aspects of who she is as a person.
“I cannot ignore others who are less fortunate, nor remain silent — as some might prefer — in the face of injustice,” Osaka said. And I hope to inspire passion for a more perfect society in all I do.”
Despite all of the controversy surrounding her decision to take a break from the courts, brands are choosing to stand with Osaka’s choice to put her mental health and wellbeing first. In addition to this latest ambassadorship, the Calm app recently offered to pay the fines the tennis star accrued from the French Open. Osaka’s stunning Vogue Japan cover dropped June 21.
