shelby durham.
Louis Vuitton Taps Soccer Rivals to Break Instagram
Written by Shelby Durham for Columbia University
The most famous athletes in the world sat atop dark wooden chairs with pensive expressions at the game in front of them; a moment in time captured by Annie Leibovitz. Could it be for the Olympics? Of course not, it’s for fashion powerhouse Louis Vuitton.
"VICTORY IS A STATE OF MIND" BY LOUIS VUITTON. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo sit across from each other, engaged in a game of chess.
LVMH’s favorite child has fashion’s longest-standing PR campaign in recent history: “Core Values” was first published in September 2007 and, with this record-breaking revival after an eight-year hiatus, is alive. The reincarnating advertisement in November 2022 featured international football stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in a stern game of chess, deep in thought of the player’s next move. Antoine Arnault, the brand’s Director of Communications from 2008-2024, timed the relevant (Wind and Hays, Beyond Advertising) advert perfectly: “Victory Is a State of Mind” debuted on Instagram on the opening day of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where the two most-followed athletes on Instagram were set to play.
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The photograph sported Vuitton’s historical trunks as a makeshift table, paying homage to the archival travel brand from its inception in 1854. Louis Vuitton is in the business of making travel not only about the ground you cover, but a journey of self-discovery (Haute Today). Louis Vuitton’s strong presence in the global market boosted sales for LVMH Fashion & Leather Goods Division by 26% in 2022 (LVMH Financial Report 2022), while the Instagram post generated over $6.5 million in MIV in the first 48 hours. The campaign was featured on various channels: print media (magazine, newspaper), short-form video, and social media. The post population on Instagram was incomprehensible totaling 72 million likes, or twice the amount of birds there are on earth. This post was the campaign’s breadwinner; generating $13.5 million for Louis Vuitton in MIV on Instagram alone (WWD).
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The advertisement’s success can be attributed to its relevancy and share-worthy stories from Wind and Hays’ RAVES Model. For the unfamiliar population, Messi and Ronaldo have a decades-long football rivalry, and although are arguably the best footballers in the world, before 2022 had never made it to the World Cup to play against each other (WWD). Soccer superfans were shocked and delightfully surprised to see their two role models in the same room.
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Although the social content was wildly successful, Louis Vuitton could have continued the athletic tone after the busy holiday season to advertise with American football stars in conjunction with the 2023 Super Bowl to break into television. But fear not; Bernard Arnault, LVMH Chairman and CEO, reported a 14% increase in revenue for LVMH’s Fashion & Leather Goods division from the fiscal year ending in 2023 (LVMH Financial Statements 2023). Sounds like a winning goal to me.