With fewer than 500 days to go to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Allianz France launched a campaign supporting the global group’s International Olympic and Paralympic Committees partnership and Allianz France’s ‘Team Allianz’ ambassador group of eight athletes.
The activation, created in tandem with Ogilvy Paris and called ‘Everyone Needs Somebody to Lean On’, focuses on the trusting relationship between athlete and coach and by analogy, between policyholders and insurer Allianz.
The campaign reflects Allianz France’s belief in the important role of preparation, support and interpersonal relationships as well as performance.
The five team members featured in the campaign are Clarisse Agbegnenou (Judo), Carlota Dudek (Breakdance), Juliette Lacome (Surfing), Loïc Pietri (Judo) and Typhaine Soldé (Para-Athletics) and each is featured along with their respective coaches: Ludovic Delacotte, Omar Remichi, Fred Begou, Marcel Pietri and Claire Longomba.
The documentary-style hero film captures the everyday lives of the athletes – from waking through training – and they prepare for Paris and dream of medals.
‘We All Need Someone To Lean On / On A Tous Besoin De Quelqu’un Sur Qui S’appuyer’ dropped on 17 April and aimed to reflect Allianz France’s ‘desire to highlight not only performance, but also preparation, support and the importance of interpersonal relationships for success’.
As well as the full-length online version, the commercial is also running on national TV in France in a cut-down and across brand social channels led by Instagram and Twitter and through the Allianz Le Vestiaire division.
It is further supported by a behind-the-scenes video.
Marie-Doha Besancenot, head of CSR, brand and communications at Allianz France, stated, “Allianz is pleased to announce its partnership with the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees, and even more so on the eve of Paris 2024. This partnership is based on the brand’s long-standing commitment to the sports ecosystem, which goes back more than three decades. It also embodies Allianz efforts to promote inclusion. The key message of this film-manifesto is: ” Everyone needs somebody to lean on”, reminding us of the insurer’s discreet but crucial mission, and paying tribute to all the actors of professional sport – from the headliners to the behind-the-scenes players who carry them to victory. Finally, the campaign message is directly inspired by the values of ‘Olympism’ and ‘Paralympism’, which are in line with Allianz’s values of resilience, reliability and expertise, the very values that enable us to support and protect our clients daily.”
The financial services company worked with Director Stuart McIntyre: who has previously worked on commercials for Apple, Adidas, NFL and Louis Vuitton.
Ogilvy Paris Chief Creative Officer and President Matthieu Elkaim commented: “With his distinctive visual style and verve, Stuart captures the excitement, authenticity, and energy of each story.”
“I was drawn to the Allianz project by the unique perspective Ogilvy creatives Linnea Kavsjo and Jonathan Baudet-Botelle brought to the script, shining a spotlight on the shadow of Olympians and exposing their coaches. Individuals who are often overlooked but who put in the grueling amount of time, hard work and mental strain to prepare the athlete to be their best,” outlined Director McIntyre. “I approached the film with a focus on allowing viewers to experience these relations through a truthful lens capturing the mundane to frustrations and joy. To bring it to life, we filmed actual coaches of Olympian athletes while using their personal perspectives to guide the reality of the scenarios. This allowed us to dig deeper into their relationship and experience an emotional truth. I am proud of what we’ve created with the talented people at Wanda, Ogilvy and Allianz.”
The campaign was created for a client team at Allianz which included CSR, Brand & Communication Director Marie-Doha Besancenot, Brand Director Christophe Dépont, Advertising & Brand Manager Laura Baudoin, media & Advertising Manager Sabine Maurel and Digital Communications Manager Marine Le Page.
The group at creative agency Ogilvy Paris that worked on the activation included Presidents Matthieu Elkaim and Mathieu Plassard, Chief Creative Officer Matthieu Elkaim, Art Director Jonathan Baudet-Botella, Copywriter Linnea Kavsjo, TV Producer Aurelie Appert, Head of Production Julien Sanson, Business Director Romain Bruneau, Group Manager Marjory Law, Head of Advertising Pierre Thienot and Strategic Planner Lucas Scotti.
The production company was Wanda Productions with Director Stuart McIntyre
Director Of Photography Maximilian Pittner, Producer Barthelemy De Champsavin, Production Manager Maxime Gallet, Production Coordination Carla Pommaret,
Editors Walter Mauriot and Philippe Roch, plus Colorist Matthieu Caplanne and Post Producer Yanis Belmokhtar.
Comment
Allianz has a long track record of partnering with sport and placing its sponsorships at the core of its marketing mix and its current global IOC/IPC partnerships are two-cycle, eight-year deals.
This campaign follows in the footsteps of Allianz France’s 2016 ‘Behind Every Athlete, There Is A Whole Team’ campaign activating its partnership with the French Olympic/Paralympic Team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
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