For 39 years, evian has partnered with the US Open as the tennis tournament’s official water, and this year, beyond hydrating athletes and fans around USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center grounds, the brand added a new culinary component to its annual campaign.
Collaborating with tennis star and evian Global Brand Ambassador Frances Tiafoe and French chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud, evian launched a fine dining, watch party experience that included a limited-time menu served at Boulud’s flagship Michelin-starred Restaurant DANIEL in New York City and an exclusive at-home Chef Daniel’s The Big Foe Treat Box, available on Goldbelly from Aug. 21 to Sept. 7. Inside the kit for two were co-branded macarons from the menu, evian signature pink tennis balls and ingredients to make Tiafoe’s favorite mocktail, the Big Foe Fizz.
During the US Open’s run, we spoke with Leeni Hämäläinen, marketing director for evian North America, to delve into the first-time culinary collab that extended the tournament experience into restaurants and homes, as well as evian’s growing presence in sports and fine dining.
Event Marketer: After almost four decades, how does evian keep the US Open partnership fresh year after year?
Leeni Hämäläinen: Tennis aligns well with our brand values of health and wellness, as well as the kind of youthful spirit of the sport, so we’ve found the US Open to be a fantastic partner over the years. But certainly, we like to keep things fresh and interesting for our consumers, and that’s where creativity comes in.
This year, we kicked off our partnership as the official still and sparkling water of the Michelin Guide, so it felt like a natural progression to bring together the world of elite sports with tennis and fine dining to do a one-of-a-kind collaboration. By uniting Frances Tiafoe with chef Daniel Boulud, we were able to create a collaboration that celebrates how evian elevates every serve, whether it’s on the court or at the table.
Frances, who joined as a brand ambassador last year, really embodies our brand’s “Live Young” ethos. And on the other hand, chef Daniel, who actually grew up very close to evian in the same region in the French Alps, has a deep personal connection to the brand, so that authenticity makes him a natural partner. Strategically pairing Frances and chef Daniel allowed us to highlight the full spectrum of evian’s lifestyle positioning, from athletic performance to culinary refinement.
We’ve tapped into the intersection of [consumer] passion points in the past. As an example, last year, we tapped into fashion and tennis, and we partnered with Pharrell Williams’ brand Humanrace to create a capsule collection that was inspired by both tennis and street style to create something unique for our fans to wear during the tournament and beyond. But for this kind of fine dining experience, this is a first, and it aligns with our strategy to expand our presence further in that fine dining environment across restaurants in this country.
EM: How is evian activating at the US Open, and how can fans interact with the brand?
LH: evian is the official water of the US Open, so you see the product everywhere, like at beautiful pink carts with mountains on the top. Of course, all of the athletes drink evian, which is an amazing product integration. While we do show up on premise, it’s really important for us to also reach fans outside of the tournament, and this is where this activation plays a role, as well, with the experiential aspects of this culinary collaboration.
Fans in New York City are able to join The evian Club at Restaurant DANIEL, and they can enjoy this meal that has been curated by the chef, inspired by Frances’ Sierra Leone roots and his journey, during the semifinals and finals at the restaurant. So that’s a cool experience, and for people who are not in New York, they can order a box with some of the elements from the menu that they can enjoy while they’re watching the matches with their friends on TV.
To celebrate the launch, we hosted a celebratory dinner with chef Daniel and Frances at SUMMIT in their new event space with beautiful views of the city. It’s one of the highest points in New York, and we thought it was a perfect metaphor for evian’s mountain origin. We had both of their networks, as well as influencers and press there, trying the menu themselves and sharing that on their channels. We are also working with content creators and influencers throughout the tournament, and they will feature this collaboration, as well as evian’s presence at the tournament, which gives us great and authentic visibility across social media.
EM: What learnings have you taken away from this first-time culinary collaboration and campaign?
LH: Something that we didn’t necessarily expect, but have really enjoyed, is a lot of other restaurants and chefs have reached out to our team, saying, “Hey, we want to work with evian, as well. We want to do things with you in the culinary space.” And we think that’s amazing and can create a positive cycle. So I would say yes, for sure, we want to do more. And we’re also hearing from other countries where evian is present, from those marketing teams that are seeing this collaboration, and they want to do things in Singapore and Dubai with that same model, given how successful it’s been so far.
EM: What’s next for evian in sports partnerships?
LH: Later this year, we’ll activate at the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is another global sporting moment that blends performance and culture in a way that resonates with our audience. We’ve been their partner since the race started two years ago, and they’ve been great to work with, bringing evian to life across their hospitality spaces, as well as in all of their grandstands… In 2026, it’s going to be our 40th anniversary of the US Open, so fans can certainly expect even more exciting and bigger initiatives next year designed to celebrate this major milestone and further elevate the engagement around the tournament.
evian is a very iconic brand that’s been around for quite a while, but what we get through these kinds of activations is building that cultural relevance, staying modern and being part of our consumers’ lives beyond the product, and that’s something that’s really helped us stay progressive and build brand love with consumers.
Photos: Courtesy of Hunter; Craig Barritt/Getty Images; Stephan Washburn/Plural; Todd Coleman
