Lacoste has launched a new global brand campaign which marks the return of its ‘Life is a Beautiful Sport’ message, continuing its historic bond with tennis and featuring brand ambassador Novak Djokovic in a short film, ‘A Run Through Paris’.
The film starts with a young woman appearing out of a hedge, clutching a yellow tennis ball, before running through the streets of Paris via a flower stand, the Opéra, a busy kitchen and a golf course, before landing on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the central court of Roland-Garros, and handing Djokovic the ball to serve, revealing her as a ball girl all along.
It’s all set to the tune of ‘Paris Latino’, with the young woman saying “Pardon” at every turn as she makes her way back to the tennis court, with the stands packed with cheering fans.
As the sequence unfolds, Lacoste’s iconic pieces, such as the polo shirt and the pleated skirt, integrate into the narrative, “extending the gesture with elegance”.
Directed by Fredrik Bond, a director recognised for his iconic campaigns and sensitive storytelling, aside from “Pardon”, the film is without dialogue, relying on rhythm and expressions.
Echoing the film, there is an accompanying print campaign which features “everyday settings”, such as a chap out walking his dog on a lead, wearing a full Lacoste green velour tracksuit. The dog is jumping up for an in-flight tennis ball, and similarly, a tennis ball features in every campaign image.
Shot by Angelo Pennetta, a photographer “recognised for his luminous and optimistic perspective on fashion”, the series again highlights Lacoste’s iconic pieces: the polo shirt, pleated skirt, ‘Lenglen’ bag and tracksuit, in a natural and contemporary aesthetic.
Developed with BETC, the campaign also features Wang Yibo, another Lacoste house ambassador, photographed in a Parisian setting with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
The global rollout of the campaign kicked off on 27 April across film, print, digital and social media. Additionally, it will have an “enhanced presence” at Roland-Garros this summer, reaffirming the close bond between Lacoste and the tournament – historic partners for 55 years.
The new campaign comes hot on the heels of Lacoste launching a new visual identity last week, which sees it ‘return to its roots’ with more pronounced serif characters for its logo, while also nodding to the original artwork of Robert George, the illustrator behind the first Crocodile drawing.
