Paris, the City of Lights, set to embrace the world in 2024 through the much-awaited Olympic and Paralympic Games, has found an unexpected partner in crime – LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. The largest luxury conglomerate globally has staked a claim in the spectacle, promising a touch of its exquisite opulence throughout the event.
It’s a secret no longer, as LVMH took centre stage this Monday, heralding its debut as a premium partner of the Paris 2024 Games. While the price tag for this liaison remains under wraps, whispers of 150 million euros echo through the industry corridors. The lavish pageantry, anticipated to enthrall 4 billion screens, and welcome 13 million spectators, has the world brimming with excitement.
In the spotlight will be numerous LVMH stars, adorning the Games with their brilliance. Chaumet, the venerated jeweler, will cast the medals while Louis Vuitton, DIOR, Berluti, Sephora, and the Moët Hennessy wines and spirits division will orchestrate their respective acts, adding glamour and sophistication.
Furthering their support for athletes, LVMH has inked deals with notable figures such as French swimmer Léon Marchand, breaking barriers and records alike during the last 2023 World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka (Japan). This alliance unlocks a treasure trove of opportunities, potentially leading to brand ambassador contracts with LVMH’s distinguished houses.
As Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH, eloquently stated during the Parisian ceremony, “This unprecedented partnership with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will contribute to heightening the appeal of France around the world. It was only natural that LVMH and its Maisons be part of this exceptional international event. The values of passion, excellence and inclusion championed by high-level sports are cultivated each day by our teams, motivated by an unwavering desire to surpass limits. Sports is a tremendous source of inspiration for our Maisons, which will unite creative excellence and athletic performance by contributing their savoir-faire and bold innovation to this extraordinary celebration.”
Arnault envisions the Olympic Games to mirror the iconic debut show of Pharrell Williams as the creative director of menswear for Louis Vuitton. He spoke of Paris as the city of audacity, innovation, and ambition – its beauty beckoning a ceaseless pursuit of perfection.
The partnership ceremony showcased the symbolic might of LVMH, as Arnault, alongside his son Antoine, Head of Communication, Image, and Environment at LVMH, rubbed shoulders with prominent figures like the French Sports Minister, Paris Mayor, and presidents of the International Olympic Committee and Paris 2024 Olympic Committee.
For LVMH, this isn’t merely a game of capital. Antoine Arnault alludes to the prolonged negotiations that made the partnership a reality, emphasizing the desire to be a “know-how partner” rather than just a ceremonial sponsor. He posits the expenditure as proportionate given the immense value added to the Games by the luxury conglomerate’s participation.
The partnership bears the mark of meticulous planning, with international marketing rights in focus. Akin to global partners such as Coca-Cola, OMEGA, and P&G, LVMH, as a premium partner, gains marketing rights for the event in the host country. This places LVMH in an illustrious league, sharing company with Carrefour and Orange.
The participating brands of LVMH are set to serve their unique roles under the tagline “Artisan of All Victories.” Chaumet, for instance, will make history by being the first jeweler to design the medals in association with the Paris Mint. Other brands, including DIOR and Moët Hennessy, will have key roles during the Games, their participation shrouded in anticipation.
LVMH also aims to foster relationships with five athletes, offering them financial support and privileged introductions to the group’s houses. They won’t bear an LVMH logo but will become “LVMH athletes,” gradually developing connections with the group’s brands and leaders.
Antoine Arnault explains, “Athletes and craftspeople have a lot in common: a passion for perfecting repeated gestures, always wanting to do better… The closer we get to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the more it feels like it was meant to be.”
As the largest French company, LVMH’s engagement with the Games is not just about brand promotion but fulfilling its role as ambassadors for France. According to Arnault, “We’re doing it for the first time out of a sense of responsibility, because we think it’s important that as ambassadors for France, we are present for these Games which promise to be exceptional in Paris.“
The collaboration between LVMH and the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games marks a historic intersection of luxury and sports. The biggest sporting event on the planet, in the most beautiful city in the world, now has the support of the largest luxury group. With LVMH in play, the Paris 2024 Games promise to be a spectacle of style, elegance, and audacious innovation.
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