Framed or not, displayed in his apartment or in the hallway of any company… The front page of The Team of July 13, 1998, crossed out with the title “For eternity”, is imprinted on the retinas of millions of French people. The day after the first world title of the Blues of Zinédine Zidane, Youri Djorkaeff and Emmanuel Petit, immortalized in the photo, the sports daily has set a sales record which still stands, with 1,642,501 copies after reprinting. And Ricard has signed a great publicity stunt at the bottom of the page, with this well-felt slogan “It all started in Marseille”, which concerns the famous aniseed aperitif born in 1932 just as much as Zizou, author of a double the day before against the Brazil in the final (3-0).
Since the end of the 20th century, the flagship brand of the sprawling Pernod-Ricard group, world leader in booze (whisky, rum, champagne, etc.), has appeared on the front page of The Team in the wake of the exploits of the Blues. With grandiloquent – “Stars for gold” on July 3, 2000 after the breathless victory against Italy in the final of the Euro – or more technical – “Yellow in blue, yellow in white, yellow in red” July 16, 2018, the day after the world title in Russia against Croatia.
“Ricard’s challenge is to remain a leading, cross-generational brand, underlines Loïck Lherbier, President by Yuma Paris, firm of experts in brand development. It is for this reason that they take advantage of all opportunities for national communion, such as the World Cup, to speak out and show their presence, as well as their association with French culture. »
Obstacles to overcome
We see a few readers leap from here when linking “alcohol” and “culture”. But since its creation by Paul Ricard just 90 years ago, the pastis brand has always pushed hard to enter cafes and homes, with a few objects that we all came across at the bar-grocery store-PMU ” Le Penalty” in Savignac-les-Trois-Rivières or at Grandma Josette’s: decanters, glasses and caps with logos…
Without forgetting sports sponsorship, which has become much less obvious for brands in the sector since the Evin law of 1991, even if it is still possible to leave your name to a racing circuit, such as that of Le Castellet which hosted until this year the French F1 Grand Prix. On the other hand, no advertising on TV or in the cinema. Nor, unsurprisingly, in publications aimed at a young audience. But in the rest of the press, no problem, or almost.
“The legislation prevents alcohol brands from communicating on things other than objective or factual elements, such as the origin or composition of the product”, continues Loïck Lherbier. Hence the “In the water” in One of L‘Team on July 5, 2014, after the failure in the quarter-finals of the Brazilian World Cup against the future German winner. Or the “Almond” on June 29, 2021, the day after the stunning elimination of the Euro in the round of 16 against Switzerland.
A brand to rejuvenate
“To give an image of sympathy and connivance, Ricard will find tricks to communicate with puns, to be a little creative without being inciting and without saying anything other than what their drink is made of”, underlines the boss of Yuma France. We can also add to these slogans the “To shed a tear”, reused as it is 10 years and a day apart, after the heartbreaking defeats in the final of the 2006 World Cup (Italy, the red of Zizou, the shot on goal missed by Trezeguet…) and Euro 2016 (Portugal, Gignac’s post, Eder’s strike…).
On July 12, 2021, a few hours after Italy’s European title at Wembley, Ricard released a neutral and Frenglish slogan: “Born in Marseille”. Quite simply the name of the advertising campaign launched a year earlier, with videos of twenty-something and tattooed “bartenders”, to win over a younger clientele by moving away from the folkloric image of Marseille at the Fernandel era. And trying to convince people that the aniseed aperitif is just as “trendy” as a Spritz, to stay in the jargon of com.
For the time being, it is impossible to know if a Ricard ad will nestle at the foot of the front page of The Team, the day after France-Argentina, a Monday in mid-December which invites you to enjoy a herbal tea by the fire rather than a small yellow on the terrace. Contacted, the two companies politely dismissed us when we tried to find out more behind the scenes of this long union. It is also impossible to ask the famous question “How much does it cost?” », like the late Jean-Pierre Pernaut.
Suspense for Monday
She probably wouldn’t have received any answers anyway. The case amounts to several tens of thousands of euros according to the formula chosen in the catalog of Amaury Media, the advertising agency for all of the Amaury group’s media, including The Team. And the rate is increased by at least 30% for such an exceptional day as this Monday, December 19, 2022.
According to figures from the company Kantar, which are authentic in the sector, the Pernod-Ricard group invests between 15 and 18.5 million euros gross in multimedia communication (press, Internet, billboards) per year for all of its brands, including between 2.5 and 3.3 million euros for their flagship product. The suspense is at its height, before finally knowing if the poster that we will offer to step-dad for Christmas, a week after the third star of the Blues, will smell of anise or not.