A campaign in all but name? By co-producing Cédric Jimenez’s latest blockbuster ‘Chien 51’ (budget: €42 million), Lacoste has launched a new kind of partnership; announced last spring and in cinemas now.

Lacoste has numerous product placements in the film, released on October 15, including the ‘Lacoste’ look of the character played by Lala &ce, who wears a bomber jacket with a large tone-on-tone crocodile on the back. The padded nylon taffeta garment, with a relaxed cut and large quilted crocodile, was produced in a limited run of just 51 pieces- a nod to the connection between the brand and the film.

Above all, this commitment secures valuable credibility for Lacoste through its association with leading names in French cinema, and has delivered months of heightened red-carpet visibility.

The flagship brand of the MF Brands group has made actors one of the pillars of its image, alongside elite tennis players. Pierre Niney has been the face of Lacoste campaigns for several years. Moreover, American stars such as Adrien Brody and Michelle Williams attend its Paris shows, consistently wearing signature pieces and drawing the spotlight.

But by co-producing ‘Chien 51,’ ​Lacoste has decided to raise the stakes and build cultural capital, becoming not just a friend of the film world, but a genuine player in it. The dystopian crime thriller has been adapted from Laurent Gaudé’s novel of the same name and was brought to life with Hugo Sélignac, president of Chi-Fou-Mi Productions.

As soon as the film was announced last May, its image naturally became entwined with that of Lacoste. Brand ambassador Adèle Exarchopoulos is rarely seen without ‘Crocodile’ pieces, while Cédric Jimenez and Gilles Lellouche also sport Lacoste looks. This was the case at the unveiling of the first footage in Cannes last May, for which the production hosted an event, during the Roland-Garros tournament, and again in June for the Lacoste show. The stars had already attended the previous show, with Gilles Lellouche sporting the film’s peroxide-blond hair. Amplified visibility at festivals and the assurance of red-carpet presence are key: the 82nd Venice Film Festival, at the end of summer, offered another major showcase with the film’s presentation. On arrival, Adèle Exarchopoulos wore a backless dress that turned heads.

Through this alignment with the world of cinema (the brand had already co-produced the theatre production La Haine), the resulting media visibility is both premium and long-term, underpinned by cultural legitimacy. The label, led by Thierry Guibert, is pursuing a strategy already embraced by luxury groups. LVMH has created 22 Montaigne Entertainment to support its brands in co-production and co-development projects for theatre and film. The Kering group is likewise making its mark in film production: since 2023, Saint Laurent Productions has co-produced several major international films, including Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez, Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope, and David Cronenberg’s Les Linceuls.

At a different scale, Ami Paris, whose founder and artistic director Alexandre Mattiussi has always been close to the world of cinema, has also embarked on co-producing auteur films. After The Beast in 2023, the brand was involved in Robin Campillo’s Enzo. The brand has also become the principal supporter of La Semaine de la Critique during the Cannes Film Festival.

The trend therefore seems distinctly French and, beyond the attraction of economic and fiscal incentives such as the film tax credit, this approach enables brands to connect with new audiences at a time when traditional advertising formats may be eroding. It also offers fertile ground for developing new content and enlivening event calendars and in-store activations.