MONSIEUR LE COQ CAMPAIGN

TitleMONSIEUR LE COQ CAMPAIGN
BrandDESCENTE
Product / ServiceLE COQ GOLF
CategoryC01. Best Integrated Campaign Led by PR
EntrantMcCANN ERICKSON JAPAN Tokyo, JAPAN
Entrant Company McCANN ERICKSON JAPAN Tokyo, JAPAN
Advertising Agency McCANN ERICKSON JAPAN Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
John Woodward Craft Worldwide Movie Director
Keisuke Miyajima Craft Worldwide Art Director
Yu Morita Craft Worldwide Producer
Daisuke Kobayashi Photographer
Takashi Ueda Mccann Erickson Japan Inc. Account Director
Yoshiaki Saito Mccann Erickson Japan Inc. Interactive Planner
Tetsuya Kinouchi Mccann Erickson Japan Inc. Producer
Hirokazu Handa Mccann Erickson Japan Inc. Strategic Planner
Keiichiro Takahashi Mccann Erickson Japan Inc. Senior Art Director
Jun Asano Mccann Erickson Japan Inc. Executive Creative Director

The Campaign

Background The French golf wear brand, Le Coq Golf, faced two main challenges in Japan: (1) Low awareness among young golfers and (2) the rising age of their existing customers. Meanwhile, the most popular method used by sportswear brands to market their products—to use pro athlete endorsements—had the inherent risk of tying the brand to the ups and downs of the athlete’s performance. With young golfers turning a deaf ear to pure product messaging by brands, Le Coq Golf was struggling to find a way to increase awareness among younger targets. Objective To establish an image of “French-born, stylish golf wear brand” for Le Coq Golf among young Japanese golfers and to expand the brand’s fan base. Strategy / Idea Create a character spokesman (the French-born “Le Coq IV”) out of the brand’s logo as a way for the brand to directly interact with the target and communicate the joys of golf. Execution Plan Create a character spokesperson (“Le Coq IV”) to message the brand and to serve as a bridge between the brand and its fans. Re-design all communication touch points—from the key visual to the catalog, in-store POP tools, real-world events (such as golf tournaments for fans), Facebook, and official website—based on this new character and instead of limiting the brand’s interaction with customers to just inside stores, actively pursue communication through such interactive tools as Facebook.

The Brief

To establish an image of “French-born, stylish golf wear brand” for Le Coq Golf among young Japanese golfers and to expand the brand’s fan base.

Results

The brand succeeded in acquiring 11,732 fans on Facebook (as of July 1), making it the No.1. golf wear brand in terms of number of fans, word-of-mouth, and engagement. After the launch of the “LOVE GOLF” campaign, the brand experienced 103% growth in sales compared to the previous year.

Execution

Create a character spokesperson (“Le Coq IV”) to message the brand and to serve as a bridge between the brand and its fans. Re-design all communication touch points—from the key visual to the catalog, in-store POP tools, real-world events (such as golf tournaments for fans), Facebook, and official website—based on this new character and instead of limiting the brand’s interaction with customers to just inside stores, actively pursue communication through such interactive tools as Facebook.

The Situation

The French golf wear brand, Le Coq Golf, faced two main challenges in Japan: (1) Low awareness among young golfers and (2) the rising age of their existing customers. Meanwhile, the most popular method used by sportswear brands to market their products—to use pro athlete endorsements—had the inherent risk of tying the brand to the ups and downs of the athlete’s performance. With young golfers turning a deaf ear to pure product messaging by brands, Le Coq Golf was struggling to find a way to increase awareness among younger targets.

The Strategy

Create a character spokesman (the French-born “Le Coq IV”) out of the brand’s logo as a way for the brand to directly interact with the target and communicate the joys of golf.