News & Insights
Five Questions with Philippe Dore, CMO of the BNP Paribas Open
March 25, 2024
We sat down with Philippe Dore, Chief Marketing Officer of the BNP Paribas Open — widely known as Tennis Paradise and considered to be the “Fifth Grand Slam” of tennis — to talk about the launch of the tournament's brand-new digital experiences.
Dore has more than 25 years of experience in the sports and entertainment industry, leading innovative technology projects, brand campaigns and inspiring experiences for fans. He’s been at the BNP Paribas Open since 2016 and previously held leadership positions with the ATP Tour and NASCAR.
With the tournament’s popularity growing — the recently-completed 2024 BNP Paribas Open set a new attendance record with more than 493,000 fans on-site during the two week event — we dug into Dore’s thoughts on launching new digital fan experiences.
Work & Co
Indian Wells is more than a tournament, it’s a destination event. Fans come from all over to watch the biggest names in tennis—such as Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff— compete. What led you to reconsider how your digital platforms were supporting the tournament?
Philippe Dore
Every facet of the BNP Paribas Open is a first-class experience – from the facilities to the amenities to the dining options and more. Everything we do is about fusing the sports fan experience together with unparalleled hospitality. With that in mind, we set out to create a portfolio of digital properties that blend sleek, modern design with a great user experience. We also wanted a new technical architecture that would set us up for the future with possible different channels and new products. As with every aspect of our brand, we have a responsibility to deliver a digital experience that is second to none. And that’s what we have created with Work & Co.
W&C
What surprised you most about how the new site and app were received by fans?
P.D.
We know that fans wait all year for the two weeks of the BNP Paribas Open, and they don’t want to miss a moment of live play when their favorite players are on the court. We believed in what we were creating, with a core focus on providing a customizable experience for the fans - a "choose-your-own adventure." But we were honestly impressed with how much our fans embraced that. We really prioritized making it easy for fans to create an account and personalize their experience, and the results prove that we succeeded in doing that. Nearly half of users across our digital properties opted to create an account, surpassing industry benchmarks.
W&C
Can you share a bit about how the digital products performed for this inaugural tournament?
P.D.
One key metric that we were particularly pleased with was the engagement stats. We saw an average of 1 hour and 4 minutes of engagement time per active user. This is incredibly high engagement, akin to what you might see for streaming TV or social media apps. This proved that we accomplished what we set out to achieve - making our digital products the go-to source for fans to keep pace with the tournament and their favorite players, whether on-site at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden or following from around the world. The addition of mobile app ticket sales provided an important new revenue stream for the tournament, one that we are excited to grow in years to come. We had really positive feedback from fans who appreciated the ability to purchase tickets, access tickets, and engage with the event all in one place.
W&C
What are some insights you can share with brand leaders about meeting and exceeding fan expectations?
P.D.
We have two distinct audiences: our fans who are on-site at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and those following from around the world. The ability to cater to both of those groups of people with very different priorities and needs is really tricky to get right, but something we feel is essential. Throughout the design and development process with Work & Co, we talked a lot about getting it right for both of these core users. We’re always looking to improve the experience for our fans, and we realized that contemporary fandom has really evolved. It’s not just ticket holders, or seats in a stadium anymore, the fan ecosystem is much richer and more complex than it used to be. Digital products can take fan engagement to the next level.
W&C
What's next for the BNP Paribas Open?
P.D.
As we do after every tournament, we’re taking a look at every aspect of the event and evaluating opportunities in 2025 to improve, change and keep evolving to make the experience even better for our fans, players, and partners. And our digital platforms are a key part of that. We’re excited to build on what we’ve created, explore new features and keep iterating.
Read more about this project here.
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