BNP Paribas & Roland Garros: We Were There
BNP Paribas and Roland Garros wanted to celebrate their 40-year partnership in 2013. The client needed an integrated campaign to engage tennis fans and the wider community. The challenge was to transform the rich history of the tournament into a shared, participatory experience. They sought to collect and amplify personal memories, inviting people to relive their most memorable moments and strengthen brand connection through storytelling.
Creative Idea
BNP Paribas crowd-sourced fan memories to tell Roland Garros' 40-year history.
BNP Paribas celebrated its 40-year partnership with Roland Garros by collecting and sharing 300+ personal stories and memories from people connected to the tournament. The brand transformed tennis history into a crowd-sourced narrative, inviting fans to participate and relive their most memorable Roland Garros moments through an interactive campaign.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
BNP Paribas leveraged its 40-year tenure as the primary sponsor of Roland Garros to act as the official historian. This long-term commitment provided the brand with the authority and physical access to turn the stadium into a living archive.
Category
Sports sponsorships usually center on elite athletes and trophy moments, often ignoring the fans. Category norms focus on brand visibility through logos rather than meaningful engagement with the people who actually sustain the sport's culture.
Customer
Tennis fans possess deeply personal, unrecorded memories of the tournament that define their relationship with the sport. They crave recognition that their presence in the stands—the 'I was there' moments—is as vital as the matches themselves.
Culture
Digital culture has shifted the power from brands to people, favoring crowdsourced authenticity over corporate polish. There is a growing desire for 'storydoing,' where fans aren't just consumers of history but active participants in creating it.
Company
BNP Paribas leveraged its 40-year tenure as the primary sponsor of Roland Garros to act as the official historian. This long-term commitment provided the brand with the authority and physical access to turn the stadium into a living archive.
Category
Sports sponsorships usually center on elite athletes and trophy moments, often ignoring the fans. Category norms focus on brand visibility through logos rather than meaningful engagement with the people who actually sustain the sport's culture.
Strategy:
Transform a corporate anniversary into a collective legacy by making fans the co-authors of Roland Garros history.
Customer
Tennis fans possess deeply personal, unrecorded memories of the tournament that define their relationship with the sport. They crave recognition that their presence in the stands—the 'I was there' moments—is as vital as the matches themselves.
Culture
Digital culture has shifted the power from brands to people, favoring crowdsourced authenticity over corporate polish. There is a growing desire for 'storydoing,' where fans aren't just consumers of history but active participants in creating it.
Strategy:
Transform a corporate anniversary into a collective legacy by making fans the co-authors of Roland Garros history.
Strategy Technique
Lean Into Nostalgia
The campaign invited fans to relive their most memorable Roland Garros moments, tapping into collective longing. It leveraged the 40-year partnership to celebrate shared history and strengthen connection.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Glorify the audience
The campaign collected over 300 personal stories, making fans' memories central to the 40-year celebration. It elevated their connection to Roland Garros, transforming history into a shared narrative.
Explore Technique
