HEAD’s ‘Radical Messenger’ Lets Fans Message Using Murray’s Arsenal of Shots
August 31, 2009
Austria – Kennelbach — HEAD and Andy Murray want to get in your face — and on your Facebook.
Using Facebook, the popular social networking site that allows family, friends and co-workers to connect online, HEAD is launching “Radical Messenger”, a flash-based video messaging application that will allow tennis fans to deliver digital messages to one another in an innovative way that no e-mail or IM possibly can.
Andy Murray, the world’s No. 2 ranked tennis player, will be the messenger, smashing virtual tennis balls containing written messages to computer screens around the world. Murray won’t simply hit “send” on your behalf, but he’ll crank up his most outrageous trick shots, and hit the message-carry tennis balls with his new HEAD YOUTEK™ Radical Pro.
The Radical series is powered by YOUTEK™, which combines superior technologies to give you the individual benefits you need to match your playing style. At the core of the racquet is d3o®, a “smart material” which dramatically changes its behavior under dynamic loading or impact.
“With my new weapon of choice, I know that I am getting all the benefits of the original racquet with a dynamic technology that responds to every shot to make,” said Murray. “In Facebook application, I am able to deliver some messages to fans using some radical shots.”
The app will be available to more than 200 million users on Facebook and on HEAD’s microsite, radicalmessenger.head.com. It’s expected that many of the 80,000 digitally savvy fans who follow Murray on Twitter will try Radical Messenger.
Radical Messenger brings to life the new YOUTEK™ Radical, which Murray wields in his hands an innovation Western Union telegram never could have foreseen. On their computers, users can animate Murray to perform spectacular on-court moves with their mouse-clicks and microphones. As message writers type away, they see in the background of their screen Murray patiently waiting to receive their “message ball”.
Radical Messenger truly is something to yell about. Screaming into a web microphone is part of the fun. Once users type in their message, they determine how “radical” the message delivery will be. With their webcam and microphone on, the message sender shouts, “C’mon, Andy!” as loud as possible.
An onscreen measurement of the yelling is displayed on screen. The louder the user shouts, the more outrageous the shot by Murray. With the right encouragement, Murray smashes the ball to the heavens and waits – until hurtles back to earth like a flaming meteor.