Sony Ericsson has signed an exclusive four year sponsorship agreement with female tennis player, Maria Sharapova, to become the company's first global brand ambassador.

Maria Sharapova will undertake a series of innovative new consumer brand campaigns specifically designed to engage Sony Ericsson’s core target audiences and to utilise Maria away from the tennis court.

Maria will also be working with Sony Ericsson’s design team on a range of products and accessories.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Dee Dutta, Corporate Vice President and Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson, said: “Now in our seventh year as a company, the brand has evolved significantly and securing a global brand ambassador is a natural progression to take our brand to the next level in an increasingly competitive market place.”

photo source [cnet]