By Theda Braddock
PARIS – Sid Lee Paris, the European hub for the worldwide network, which became a part of the kyu collective last year, has bought Yard, an agency specialized in urban trends. The move comes as a part of Sid Lee’s new ‘One-Step Ahead’ approach, the agency’s pledge to stay ahead of the game. The new agency, which will continue to operate under its own name, will help Sid Lee diversify its creative offer. According to President and ECD Sylvain Thirache, “Yard is, for us, the opportunity to develop a new creative script and to offer innovating forms of content to our clients in order to make them true cultural actors in people’s lives”.
Yard, which has already made a name for itself on the French scene, is well-known for the content it produces for the ‘urban generation’, a niche audience it identified early on. It bills itself as both a media, thanks to the content it produces in its studio Miles, and an agency, with an expertise in music, sports, fashion, cinema, and anything else that might interest their target. Yard has certainly cornered the market, thanks to campaigns for brands like Nike, Desperados, Beats by Dre, Red Bull, Converse, and more. Their recent documentary, “Concrete Football”, was picked up by Netflix and they’ve run a number of operations alongside M’Bappé, the Paris Saint Germain football club’s new star player, and Kobe Bryant.
YARD l WHO WE ARE from YARD on Vimeo.
Teams from the two agencies will work side-by-side, with Yard keeping its name and the agencies sharing both space and ideas. The acquisition will benefit both sides. As Yoan Prat, Yard’s co-founder points out, “we’re crossing a new threshold in Yard’s development. The agency will bring us structure and substantial expertise, in strategy and in craft, as well as client development in the long term”. For Sid Lee, the acquisition is one of several to come as they continue to expand their creative potential for their client roster, which includes Dom Perignon, KFC, Skyn, BNP Paribas, Honda, and more. In the coming year, they plan to integrate other agencies specialized in digital experience and luxury.
