Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) is rolling out a multimedia campaign around this year’s Tour de France which begins in its home country next week.
The campaign, created by London agency Soul, launches on 30 June and spans TV idents, press executions, 48-sheet billboard posters and and in-store campaign strand for YBS branches.
The promotion is part of a wider marketing programme for the building society’s 150th anniversary.
YBS, which is an official broadcaster partner of ITV’s Tour De France coverage for the first three days of the race in the UK (alongside Skoda – see case study), has created a set of TV idents which are clips of local Yorkshire shop signs which have been given a French twist,
Dom Sykes directed the idents through Rock Hound, while the media buying company for the campaign was UM Birmingham.
The press and poster executions focus on the allure of the Yorkshire countryside as a backdrop to the world’s most famous bicycle road race.
While the posters feature stunning shots of the Yorkshire landscape along with branding and captions such as ‘When Yorkshire plays host to the world, we’ll be here, ‘Cyclists, this is what you’ve got to look forward to, and ‘Yorkshire. The most beautiful race track in the world.’
‘Soul has become our go-to agency for creative initiatives. It has developed a campaign concept that encapsulates both our immense pride and the entire county’s excitement about the race,’ says Anna Higgins, YBS customer marketing manager Anna Higgins.
‘We’re supporting a global event that will bring the eyes of the world to the UK and to Yorkshire in particular.’
Soul creative director Shaun Moran adds: ‘Our brief was to communicate not only how proud YBS is to sponsor the Tour de France Grand Départ, but how proud it is of Yorkshire, it’s our home. We’ve used stunning images of the Yorkshire Dales and other parts of the county to show both cyclists and observers what’s waiting for them.’
Comment
This year’s Grand Depart looks like becoming a Yorkshire Festival as local businesses and authorities are activating around the Tour with an approach based on blending France, bike racing and Gods Own Country.
What’s next? Geoffrey Boycott and Michael Parkinson as Grand Depart brand ambassadors?
Links
YBS Website
http://www.ybs.co.uk/index.html
ITV Tour De France
http://www.itv.com/tourdefrance
Soul Website
Le Tour Website
Le Tour Yorkshire Website
