PARIS, FRANCE — Moving freely and connecting different cultures are the special powers of the crocodile, the iconic emblem of the Lacoste brand. Since 1933, it has transcended time, styles, and genres. It has no borders. It is these encounters, this harmony in their contrasts that Lacoste and BETC are celebrating through their new “Crocodiles Play Collective” campaign.
It is time to embrace and celebrate the differences that bring everyone together through a communication device designed by BETC that puts the collective at the heart of the campaign.
A cast of seven passionate and creative talents wears the polo shirt with a sense of elegance that is their own. They are captured in their cities, in the surroundings that inspire them daily. Five cities (Paris, New York, Berlin, Los Angeles, London) and seven photographers, to conjure multiple points of view. The Lacoste polo shirt becomes the common denominator of those who share the values of the crocodile.
In Los Angeles, rapper and Lacoste fan A$AP Nast, invites his friends DJAVAN and Cory before the lens of photographer Melodie McDaniel. Tattooed on his chest or embroidered on his polo shirts, the performer “always carries the spirit of the crocodile.”
Over in Berlin, DJ and entrepreneur Peggy Gou is immortalized by Vitali Gelwich, alongside her “closest friends, the family we choose.”
In New York, skater, actor, and model Evan Mock brings together his brother, sister, and a skateboarder friend for an intimate shoot with photographer Stef Mitchell. Four people “ambitious and always ready to pursue their dreams.”
Crossing over to the British capital, Elliot James Kennedy immortalizes the young poet Sonny Hall and his entourage in a typical London atmosphere. For him, to be collective is to feel “connected”.
Whilst in Paris, the historical home of Lacoste, French actresses Louise Bourgoin and Mélanie Thierry are photographed with their loved ones by Quentin de Briey and Joshua Woods respectively. Salif Gueye, true to himself, dances in the streets of the French capital with three of his comrade dancers, before the lens of Ilyes Griyeb. For him, his collective is his “family.”
Seven faces, five cities, seven photographers … for one story only: their own.
In order to set the music for the videos of this campaign, BETC called on J Lloyd. After the release of his mixtape Kosmos, J Lloyd (a member of the duo JUNGLE) is using his solo talents on this original creation without ignoring all the versatility that has made the soulful reputation of this producer.
To produce Crocodiles Play Collective, an international campaign, during the health crisis, BETC and Lacoste looked at all the shootings (New York, Berlin, Los Angeles, London) in remote from the Magasins Généraux in Pantin.
Launched by the seven ambassadors, the campaign will be teased in video on April 19 on their respective social networks and then on April 20 on Lacoste platforms. Crocodiles Play Collective will be visible on billboards at the end of April in France, in May in Russia, Germany and Korea and in June in Spain.
CREDITS
Advertiser: Lacoste
Brand Managers: Catherine Spindler, Nathalie Beguinot, Julien Scheubel, Mylène Atlan, Caroline Geraud
Ad Agency: BETC
Agency Managers: Gaelle Gicqueau, Fanny Buisseret, Louise Menaige, Romain Cialdella, Suzy Morin
Creative Directors: Aurélie Scalabre, Olivier Aumard
Art Director: Jonathan Baudet-Botella
Assistant Art Director: Joachim Touitou
Copywriter: Clara Lafuente
Music Creative Director: Christophe Caurret
Strategic Planners: Sonya Mahcine, Patrice-Habib Zamy
Traffic Manager: Kemi Zinsou
Production Company: Kitten
Sound Company: GUM
Photographers: Melodie McDaniel (Los Angeles), Vitali Gelwich (Berlin), Stef Mitchell (New York City), Elliot James-Kennedy (London), Quentin De Briey (Paris), Joshua Woods (Paris), Ilyes Griyeb (Paris)
Directors of Photography: Tess Lafia (Los Angeles), Moritz Matlik (Berlin), Julian Kapadia (New York City), Ed Hubert (London), Simon Junot (Paris), Guillaume Joly (Paris), Kyle Keese (Paris)
