When luxury becomes cool

To celebrate an anniversary, the temptation for brands is often the same: opt for a major historical film which retraces decades of evolution in society, following a central character. The legendary and most successful example is the 1993 advertisement “the street of life”, by Lars Von Trier, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of CNP Assurances, with the Australia agency. In this spot, a character evolves through a historical fresco on Shostakovich’s famous waltz number two. The luxury watch brand Tag Heuer (LVMH Group) could have chosen this classic scenario to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Carrera watch, one of its iconic products. Tag Heuer initially set out on this path with its DDB Paris agency, as its marketing director, George Ciz, recounts. For a brand to take risks, the signal often has to come from the very top. It was Frédéric Arnault, the young CEO of Tag Heuer, who chose to shake up the codes: “He told us: ‘That’s very good, but that’s not what we should be doing. Let’s leave the legacy behind, make a funny, entertaining movie, make something cool. ” », remembers George Ciz. The result is really cool: a very funny and catchy film with Ryan Gosling (Tag Heuer ambassador since 2021). With this campaign, Tag Heuer and DDB Paris win the 2023 Luxury Strategies Grand Prize.