After a long break, Renault has once again teamed up with former pitchman Thierry Henry for a reprisal of their famous catchphrase in new campaign revolving around a series of Sky Sports idents.
The France and Arsenal legend has returned as an athlete ambassador for the auto brand to bring back some ‘Va Va Voom’ to Sky’s new Premier League season on air promotions.
The former Sky pundit is fronting a series of Sky Sports idents during the broadcaster’s Premier League coverage that showcase the car company’s vehicle range: including promos for the Clio, the Captur and the Megane RS hot hatch.
The TV ident series, which are being broadcast during or around 96 live matches and across non-live Premier League programming were initially teased socially and pitched as the signing off the summer and this teasers were supported by a major UK PR and media push.
It's the signing of the summer! We're pleased to announce that @ThierryHenry will be making a sensational return as a brand ambassador for #Renault.
Expect plenty of #VaVaVoom moments!
Find out more: https://t.co/xXl7rq1lXg#withyoualltheway pic.twitter.com/sRMkKYfhbx
— RenaultUK (@renault_uk) August 8, 2018
Win, lose, draw.
@ThierryHenry and Renault are #withyoualltheway this football season. pic.twitter.com/csTrvynGI4— RenaultUK (@renault_uk) August 9, 2018
The idents, which carry the brand’s new #withyoualltheway hashtag, see Henry follow the journey of real Premier League fans as they experience matches throughout the season.
“It feels great to reignite my long-stating ‘liaison with Renault, especially as I’m returning to the team during its first journey into football,” commented Henry in the campaign launch press release.
“Having played in stadiums across the world I know first-hand the passion fans have for both life and their favourite sport. I’m looking forward to helping Renault publicly celebrate this passion over the course of the Premier League season, while injecting some ‘va va voom’ back into British football.”
Vincent Tourette, managing director, Renault UK believes that the latest Henry fronted work will follow up on Henry’s rising profile following his work at the World Cup through the summer and will focus on Henry exploring the brand’s wider ‘Passion for Life’ ethos.
Comment:
The return of one of the great catch phrases is pure marketing nostalgia from the pre social media marketing era!
Especially for Arsenal fans – who haven’t had that much to get excited about in recent seasons.
Sky may have lost Henry as an expert analyst this season, but what it’s lost in punditry it’s gained in ident promotion.
Henry was also a prominent ambassador for Nike, Pepsi, Gillette and more during his playing career.
It was back in 2001/2 season that the French forward (who won 123 caps for his country) first began his long running Renault partnership which saw him (and his then girlfriend Claire Merry) act as an endorser who added some style and continental sophistication for British audiences.
The campaigns ere such as success that the commercials‘ ‘VaVa Voom’ even made the Oxford English Dictionary.
(It means: “The quality of being exciting, vigorous, or sexually attractive”.)
His latest appearance for Renault was a 2011 spot.
Here are some of those classic Publicis commercials.
The decision to bring Henry back might just be linked to falling Renault sales which have decreased by around 15% year-on-year (according to the latest July data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Trader).
The auto outfit’s UK market share has also dropped from 2.84% to 2.56% over the last 12 months and YouGov’s Brand Index ranks it as the 28th most popular car brand out of 38.
Links:
Renault UK
https://twitter.com/Renault_UK
https://www.facebook.com/RenaultUK
https://www.instagram.com/renaultuk
https://www.youtube.com/user/RenaultUKOfficial
Sky Sports Football
http://www.skysports.com/football
