When it comes to the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, many things are off limits, or at the very least, viciously protected. Such things include the size of branding on player equipment, the strictest policing of broadcast imagery, an alignment with only the most fervently British hospitality brands and an incandescent presence of all white uniforms for players at all times whilst they’re on court.

On face value then, it might seem as if the Wimbledon Championships’ three year deal with Snapchat to show live imagery via the social media platform is somewhat of a surprise.

However, those who’ve watched on from afar or had an inside track on the behind the scenes action at SW19 would know differently. It is indeed, the polar opposite, with Wimbledon achieving quite frequently what some would suggest impossible from a sports organisation that retains such tradition. That is, achieving the pinnacle of digital activity in sport.

The face of digital innovation

Having the privilege of sitting down with Wimbledon’s head of digital Alexandra Willis before last year’s edition of the tournament to discuss the new digital offerings including the unorthodox website redesign and the small matter of drones soaring majestically over SW19, the deal with Snapchat, one of the world’s fastest growing platforms (and one of the most popular in the UK according to many recent reports) comes as no surprise.

Of course, being the first Grand Slam to establish a “Social Command Centre” and one of the most unique website designs for a sports organisation (particularly one so ‘traditional’) is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, it is the Championships’ outside-the-box thinking such as the beautifully compiled drone flyover videos that sets it apart from other slams.

At the end of the day, any site can design a website or set-up a social media campaign, but it takes innovation, true understanding of the brand and true knowledge about what fans want from the brand to execute such digital plans with stunning effectiveness.

The shining beacon of tradition

A phrase used during Digital Sport’s chat with Ms Willis from the AELTC last year referred to the Championships as almost being a victim of its own success. And inevitably, as it reaches further and further, the fan expectation of what it will deliver increases with it.

Revered for its tradition, Wimbledon’s leap into such a fast growing platform is certain to raise a few eyebrows, not least because it’s a social media network that’s yet to be fully explored but because many are unsure how it will maintain the ‘Wimbledon Experience’.

By no means will this be Wimbledon’s first foray into Snapchat but it will be the most comprehensive with the tournament having an Official Live Story throughout the entire two weeks. And it will be interesting how this ‘Wimbledon Experience’, which they’re so keen to retain, will be translated through Snapchat with advertising.

Snapchat demands a vastly different approach in comparison with providing content through the more ‘traditional’ platforms of Facebook and Twitter. And accompanied with advertising space from sponsors such as Stella Artois and Haagen Dazs, it could very well likely be a very different experience.